02/07/2024
Edmonton ReTHINK Event
The results are in and Polykar’s ReTHINK thought leadership event in Edmonton has been judged a great success by attendees.
This was the fourth ReTHINK session hosted by Polykar and the first held in the West, where the company recently established a new manufacturing facility.
The event featured Ottawa-based journalist and political commentator Althia Raj, best known as a columnist for the Toronto Star and as a member of The National’s “At Issue” panel on CBC. Her topic was “Decoding the Political Divide.”
Raj spoke to a capacity luncheon audience of more than 70 at Edmonton’s Hotel MacDonald and fielded audience questions moderated by Alberta media personality Stacey Brotzel.
During an almost hour-long presentation, Raj skillfully outlined the political cross-currents that have led to regional alienation, but also offered hope that they might be overcome.
Jay Johnson, Sales Manager, Busy Bee Supplies, Edmonton, commented afterwards, “I found the event pretty informative overall. I definitely learned some things when thinking about the East – West divide. I had seen Althia Raj previously on TV and she was very impressive in person.”
Murthy Challa, Purchasing and Logistics Manager and CIO at Bulldog Bag, located in Langley, BC, was equally enthusiastic. “It was a great event. Great networking with fellow professionals and a great opportunity to get a clearer view on the political divide from someone who does not share our biases.”
Other comments, gathered via an electronic survey of attendees, were also uniformly positive:
“Very well done. I thought she addressed the divide we feel there is out west.”
“Althia was great!”
“(I have) a much clearer understand of the national temperature towards the current political landscape.”
“All parties were covered in an unbiased aspect.”
“Taking the time and effort to host events like this puts Polykar at different level.”
“(Polykar) makes guests feel honoured to be there every time.”
Survey Results:
Overall, 84.2% or respondents rated the session as “Excellent”; 14.3% as “Good”. None rated the event as “Fair” or “Poor”.
As Polykar CEO Amir Karim put it, “From the outset, my vision for the ReTHINK sessions was clear: to create a collaborative and inclusive platform where we could share insights, engage in meaningful discussions, and, most importantly, learn from one another.”
In Edmonton, according to attendees, it was mission accomplished.
