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Welcome! Your membership in Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC) automatically entitles you to our bi-monthly* newsletter populated with important information for you, your clients, and your constituents. In this issue:
- A reflection and summary from the Board's experience at SHEday 2017
- A teaser about an exciting new contest we are running in collaboration with Microsoft – they are supplying three new Surface Pro packages worth $2,000 each for the winners!
- Information about important trade missions coming up that will be of great interest to women entrepreneurs;
- Important ground rules about protecting intellectual property;
- A member spotlight on our Alberta Board member.
If you are receiving this and not yet a member, please contact
[email protected] to receive an application. Membership is free this year and the value of belonging is inestimable. We hope to have some exciting announcements in our next newsletter for activities that will benefit organizations that serve women entrepreneurs and provide even greater resources to support women’s entrepreneurship in Canada!
We welcome your ideas, feedback, stories and event information for the newsletter and for our website (
weoc.ca).
* bi-monthly - not to worry, only every second month! We don’t clog your mailbox and we don’t share your information with third parties.
Best regards,
Sandra
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Reflections on SHEday 2017
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The WEOC board is thrilled to have attended the third annual SHEday that took place in Winnipeg, MB on January 13. SHEday is an opportunity for women in leadership roles to inspire and facilitate success for other women in Canada. Almost 1100 participants including entrepreneurs, students, C-Suite executives, and administrative professionals took in the powerful messages from 15 women leaders who shared their stories and experiences. Key messages from the day included the importance of building networks, collaborating and enhancing communication to help women develop their leadership capacity.
SHEday 2017 was presented by the Women's Enterprise Centre of Manitoba in partnership with SHEday founders Marina James and Mary Jane Loustel, and was supported by over 30 sponsor organizations.
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Contest Opportunity For Your Clients from Microsoft and WEOC
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What inspires your clients to overcome challenges and barriers to successfully grow and develop their businesses? Do they want to win one of three Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Devices with Type Cover, or even be included in Microsoft’s Women Influencer Surface PR Campaign? Keep an eye out on the WEOC
Twitter and
Facebook page, as well as our bi-monthly newsletters, for more information on this exciting opportunity for your clients.
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Business Women in International Trade (BWIT) and Global Affairs Canada (GAC) Program 2017
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1. Wednesday, March 8th - International Women’s Day (IWD)
- Watch your inbox for the launch of the BWIT Annual Newsletter, and check out Twitter and LinkedIn (BWIT Group) for info about celebrations taking place in Canada and around the world. Be sure to share your own celebrations with us!
2. June 19-22 – BWIT Trade Mission to the Women’s Business Enterprises National Council (WBENC) Annual Conference and Business Fair in Las Vegas, Nevada
- New this year is an optional pre-conference on June 19 organized by WBENC and WEConnect International with preparatory events, including an orientation session for newcomers and a meeting for WBENC-certified companies.
- On June 20-22 enjoy two days of workshops/speakers/networking receptions, 1:1 MatchMaker meetings, plus a one day intensive business fair where over 350 Fortune 500 corporations will meet you (and 3,999 others looking to match their Supplier Diversity requirements) at their booths on the show floor.
3. September 14-16 – BWIT Trade Mission to the 10th Anniversary edition of Go for the Greens (GFTG) Business Development Conference at Disney World in Orlando, Florida
- The GFTG event consists of a two-day conference for women entrepreneurs, networking receptions with Fortune 500 corporations, and Canadian programming.
- This year, as a special feature, we are planning – together with our post in Miami - for a Canada 150 event to draw even more attention to Canadian capabilities.
4. October 2-4, – Trade Mission to the 2nd Annual North American Business Women’s Summit in Atlanta, Georgia
- BWIT partnered with the Canadian Consulate General in Atlanta to lead a trade mission to the inaugural event in 2016.
- 2017 is expected to feature a heightened role for U.S. and Mexican attendees and increased focus from Fortune 500 corporations on B2B meetings.
For more details about registration for these conferences, visit the BWIT website.
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Going abroad? Don’t forget your intellectual property.
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The doors to the global marketplace are open. It has never been easier for businesses to sell their goods and services, or license and franchise their intellectual property (IP) rights outside their national borders.
IP rights, however, are territorial—so they are usually only secured in the country or region where you have applied for and obtained IP protection. IP protection in
export markets is therefore essential.
Options for protecting your IP internationally
Current and future markets, business goals, and resources should be considered when applying for international IP protection, in order to ensure appropriate IP coverage for your business.
To obtain IP protection outside of Canada, a business may apply directly in individual countries. Each country has its own application requirements, such as fees and language. A business may accelerate the process of obtaining patent protection in foreign countries by using the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH), which has been launched as a cost-effective and efficient way to speed up the examination process for corresponding patent applications filed in participating IP offices.
Businesses may also benefit from agreements between countries for obtaining IP protection for an entire region.
From a global perspective, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) administers IP systems, which offer applicants from participating countries the ability to seek IP protection in numerous countries around the world by filing a single application, in one language, and paying one application fee.
Want to learn more about IP?
This article is part of a series written by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO). To learn more about IP, read the full article on WEOC’s website, or follow us on Twitter (@CIPO_Canada) and LinkedIn.
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Alberta Women Entrepreneurs (AWE)
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Marcela Mandeville is the CEO of
Alberta Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing women with the support and resources they need to build successful businesses in Alberta. AWE offers programs and services including advising, financing, and skills and network development to women at all stages of business and in every industry. Marcela is thrilled to be on
the WEOC Board and contribute to and work with like-minded leaders with a common goal of supporting entrepreneurship across Canada. “
At AWE, we believe our communities are strongest when women are full participants in entrepreneurship,” Mandeville says. “It is an honour to lead an organization dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs at all stages of business through access to capital, networks and markets.”
Marcela’s global experience in developing and implementing business strategies led her to AWE in 2008. As Chief Operating Officer, she developed programs to support and provide access to local and international business opportunities for women entrepreneurs. After leaving briefly to resume her role as CEO of her own business consulting firm, Marcela returned to AWE in 2015 and took on the role of CEO in August 2016. In this new role, she is “excited to see progress in revitalizing our programs for Indigenous women, building better access to new markets through trade missions and rolling out AWE's PeerSpark™ program across Western Canada.”
Learn more about Alberta Women Entrepreneurs by visiting their website.
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NLOWE Annual Provincial Conference
April 5-6, 2017
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Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan 2017 Conference: Business Innovation Through Technology
May 10-11, 2017
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WEConnect International Day
June 19, 2017
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WBENC 2017 National Conference & Business Fair
June 20-22, 2017
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Go for the Greens Business Development Conference for Women
September 14-16, 2017
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WBE Canada Conference
September 28, 2017
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Want to become a member of WEOC? Interested in resources for women entrepreneurs? Find these and much more at our website:
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Connect with WEOC on social media:
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