By Lisa Taylor

A few months ago, I was invited to speak on a keynote panel. The invitation wasn’t unusual; I speak at a lot of events, and Challenge Factory’s keynote and meeting facilitation expertise draws event organizers from all over. As I read through this invitation, however, I realized it wasn’t an ordinary speaking gig.

The invitation was to a multi-day global conference and tradeshow called Biban24, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. There’s much to share about the experience. This first blog will focus on how the event transformed my perspective about the potential of Canadian businesses on the global stage.

Biban24 is the largest event I ever attended. Over four days, it had 182k attendees and more than 4.8 million livestream viewers. Before my keynote panel began, more than 600k viewers were tuned in on the livestream, with thousands more live in the conference centre. Organizers estimate more than $12B (CAD) in agreements and new business deals were signed during the event, which was entirely focused on supporting the small- to medium-sized business ecosystem.

The conference centre spanned multiple highway exits. It was a massive facility built within the last five years specifically to host events that support entrepreneurship and small businesses. Inside the centre, there were zones for each type of business: emerging ideas, start-ups, growing enterprises, fast-scaling enterprises, and even unicorn businesses that had achieved more than $1B in sales. Each of these zones could have filled a convention centre in Canada.

There were booths for all the various government and industry supports available to the businesses, advisory companies promoting their products and services, and businesses themselves looking for partners, funders, and customers. It was loud, with frenetic energy as everyone pursued opportunity and connections.

I thought I was going to attend a conference as a speaker. While that is what happened, I also realized the intention was for me to witness the global entrepreneurial ecosystem within Saudi Arabia. As a speaker, it’s usually my job to inspire the audience. In this case, I return home inspired by what I saw.

Canada is a small business economy. Businesses with 1-99 employees comprise 98% of all employer businesses in Canada and employ 62.3% of the total employed population. Yet very few of our small businesses export, and those that do tend to focus on the United States for their international partners and clients.

At Biban24, we were surrounded by thousands of small businesses that see the globe as their market. I’ve often wondered why Canadian small businesses export less than other countries. I think it has to do with our geography. With only one border and a need for long haul travel to reach other markets, international expansion feels like a bigger undertaking for Canadian businesses than for entrepreneurs in other countries.

In Riyadh, I was often asked about Challenge Factory and what regions we work in. Not what cities or countries—regions. In addition to the conference participants, there were 250 international speakers from all over the world. We spent time together over breakfast in the hotel or on side excursions to see Riyadh and meet its people. It was a week for thinking big as new friendships and partnerships formed with global experts from across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

On the final day of the conference, I presented on a keynote panel alongside Steve Cadigan, LinkedIn’s original CHRO and Abdallah AlEmran from FutureWork. My remarks focused on the importance of intergenerational workforce strategies and the significance of career guidance for how we shape the Future of Work. You can see the panel here.

I also moderated a panel about how the gig economy is disrupting traditional employment. On the panel, Leah Solivan, Founder of TaskRabbit, and Tatenda Furusa, Founder of ImaliPay, a FinTech company for gig workers, discussed the financial, legal, and structural infrastructure needed for skills-based freelance work to take off.

Nothing about my trip to Saudi Arabia was what I had anticipated. Biban24 wasn’t like the conferences I’m so used to attending. It was an explosion of opportunity with strong support organizations at the ready, meaningful community, and billions of dollars of investment for emerging and growing businesses. Everyone here meant business.

I’d also failed to anticipate how valued Challenge Factory would be. In an ecosystem where new businesses emerge and disappear all the time, our 12-year history was recognized as impressive. Our services generated great excitement, especially among tech organizations looking for partnerships with organizations like ours that address the human aspects of work and workforce change.

In markets where promoting entrepreneurship or advancing women’s participation in the workforce is a catalyst, providing better research, strong career guidance frameworks, updated workforce policies, and innovative leadership development initiatives can change the world.

I’ve returned from this trip with new global contacts, a different perspective, and a sense of pride in representing Canadian small business on the global stage. We have a lot to do, and our collective impact is mighty. I look forward to returning to Biban25.