(CAL) A Conversation with Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Antifragile: 

Things That Gain from Disorder

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Metropolitan Centre

“The Black Swan changed my view of how the world works.” – Daniel Kahneman

“Idiosyncratically brilliant.” – Niall Ferguson

Black Swan author Nassim Taleb has devoted his life to immersing him- self in problems of luck, randomness, human error, probability and the philosophy of knowledge. His latest book, Antifragile, introduces the idea of how to exploit disorder and chaos and benefit from Black Swans.

His unique philosophy on how to manage businesses and markets in the face of unexpected and random events has made him a guru within the financial community and those involved in analyzing risk.

Many cutting-edge leaders integrate his ideas into their own strategic thinking. Beyond that, he’s a terrific writer–he’s as compelling as Mal- colm Gladwell combined with the dry wit of Sam Harris.

Taleb talks about 3 kinds of organizations/portfolios:

1. Fragile – breaks down in the face of stress, volatility and unexpected occurances (such as drops in commodity prices);

2. Robust – can withstand pressure and are resilient but don’t gain; and 3. Antifragile – organizations/portfolios that thrive because they’re structured to profit from stress and volatility.

We think that you will agree with Bloomberg that Nassim Taleb is one of the Top 50 Most Influential Thinkers in the world!

Tuesday, April 15, 2015
The Metropolitan Centre 333 - 4th Avenue SW, Calgary
11:45 am Sponsor Reception
11:45 am Patron Reception (concurrent)
12:15 pm Lunch & Program
1:30 pm Wrap Up

Online: Purchase Tickets
Email: anna@leahcostello.com
Phone: 604-227-3563 

$89 – Patron Ticket 

$119 - Patron Ticket & Signed copy of book
$199 - Sponsor Ticket & Signed copy of book

The Art of War: Empire Building for the Ambitious with Moses Znaimer, Media Pioneer & Owner, ZoomerMedia

There are few industries where an entrepreneur can develop more battle scars than the media business, particularly as the industry reels from disruption after disruption as the world goes mobile.
To say that Moses Znaimer is a media pioneer is to vastly understate the innovation and creativity that he has brought to his businesses. Founder of some 20 popular television channels and stations including CityTV and MuchMusic, in 2008 Marketing Magazine named Moses one of the Top 10 Canadian Media Moguls of the Past 100 Years.

He recently acquired the broadcasting assets of the Vision TV Group and also made headlines in trying to salvage the struggling Sun News Network. Currently he is the Founder and CEO of ZoomerMedia Limited, a unique multi-
media company devoted to Canada’s (large and wealthy) aging demographic.

About the Series
Playing with the theses in Sun Tzu’s book on military strategy, we engage prominent business leaders in conversation around how they have successfully (and unsuccessfully) used these tactics. We also dig deep into the raw, emotional side of leadership, exploring how each have worked through their own vulnerabilities, fears and personal challenges.
The format is an unadulterated, engaging conversation with the speaker and then a dynamic Q&A with the audience. For those who want more, they can participate in a small private roundtable dinner with the speaker to round out the evening.

Monday, March 23, 2015 The Rennie Group
Wing Sang Gallery
51 East Pender Street

4:00 pm Registration
4:30 pm Conversation with Q&A
5:30 pm Cocktails & Networking
6:30 pm (Optional) Private Roundtable Dinner with Speaker at L’Abbatoir (20 ppl)

$99 – Program Ticket 
$350 – Program & Dinner Ticket 
Online: Purchase Tickets
Email: anna@leahcostello.com
Phone: 604-227-3563 

Democracy & Human Rights:Why Canadians Should Care about China with Martin Lee 

Founding Chairman, Democratic Party of Hong Kong

Friday, March 13, 2015

The Vancouver Club

UBC Room, 3^rd Floor 
11:45 am  Registration & Casual Lunch 
12:15 pm  Presentation & Discussion 
1:30 pm   Wrap Up
Online: www.leahcostello.com
Phone: 604-227-3563

$55 per ticket, plus GST

Please register in advance:

Email: anna@leahcostello.com

China’s status as an economic powerhouse has shone the light of the world on its record of democracy and human rights. The most honest information channel on these issues remains open via Hong Kong, whose own democratic status requires continuous vigilance and defense.

In today’s interconnected global environment, China’s actions internally and towards Hong Kong have implications not only for the large Canadian population living there, but also externally in regions where values are imported through investment, trade and immigration.

The relationship between the rule of law, democracy and the devolution of centralized power should be of concern to every global citizen who practises democracy and cares about its future. How can we best defend and promote these very Canadian values?

About the Speaker

At the forefront of the Chinese democracy-building movement has been Martin Lee, founding chair of Hong Kong’s largest and most popular political party, and a directly-elected legislator for 23 years.

A prominent and controversial figure on the international stage, Lee’s call for the overthrow of mainland China’s leadership in regards to their human rights record has led to a ban on him visiting mainland China. Officials in Beijing have labeled him a “running dog of the colonialists” while human rights activists have named him the “father of democracy”.

Lee has been awarded the International Human Rights Award by the American Bar Association, the Prize For Freedom by the Liberal International, the Democracy Award by the United States' National Endowment for Democracy and as the first non-European to receive the Schuman Medal from the European Peoples Party and European Democrats.

$55 per ticket, plus GST

Please register in advance:
Online: www.leahcostello.com

Email: anna@leahcostello.com
Phone: 604-227-3563
Gifttool: 

Featured Events for 2015

(VAN) Nicholas Nassim Taleb The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable Monday, April 20, 2015 The Fairmont Pacific Rim “The Black Swan changed my view of how the world works.” – Daniel Kahneman “Idiosyncratically brilliant.” – Niall Ferguson Nassim Taleb has devoted his life to immersing himself in problems of luck, randomness, human error, probability and the philosophy of knowledge. He specializes in uncertainty and errors in human knowledge, teaching us how to deal with and benefit from unpredictability. Making a living out of human's misunderstanding of uncertainty, he both predicted the economic crisis that started in 2008 while making a personal fortune out of it. Named one of Bloomberg’s 2011 “50 Most Influential People”, his Black Swan idea is currently inspiring research in the fields of philosophy, statistics, psychology, economics, medical research, epidemiology, political science and engineering. His latest book Antifragilityintroduces the idea of how to exploit disorder and chaos and benefit from Black Swans. (VAN) Dr. Craig Venter Life at the Speed of Light: From the Double Helix to Digital Life Wednesday, June 17, 2015 (Date TBC) The Fairmont Pacific Rim “[Venter is] the Voice of Innovation” – BusinessWeek “Either he is one of this era's most electrifying scientists, or he's one of the most maddening.” — Washington Post Known globally for being the first to sequence the human genome, in 2010 scientists led by Dr. Venter became the first to successfully create “synthetic life”. This put humankind at the threshold of the most important and exciting phase of biological research; one that will enable us to actually write the genetic code for designing new species to help us adapt and evolve for long-term survival. The science of synthetic genomics will have a profound impact on human existence, including chemical and energy generation, health, clean water and food production, environmental control and possibly even our evolution. In Life at the Speed of Light, Venter presents a fascinating and authoritative study of this emerging field from the inside—detailing its origins, current challenges and controversies, and projected effects on our lives. This scientific frontier provides an opportunity to ponder anew the age-old question “What is life?” and examine what we really mean by “playing God.” Life at the Speed of Light is a landmark work, written by a visionary at the dawn of a new era of biological engineering.

Leah Costello Chief Ideas Curator Curious Mind Productions Inc.