The 2027 Annual BIA Conference will take place on
April 25-28, 2027
Apr19
Speakers & Workshops
The Ontario Business Improvement Area Association (OBIAA) proudly presents the 2027 BIA Conference, taking place April 25–28, 2027, in Oakville, Ontario. Presented by Visit Oakville and hosted by Kerr Village BIA, this annual gathering brings together BIA leaders, municipal partners, and community builders from across Ontario for three and a half days of learning, networking, and inspiration.
This year’s theme, Making Waves on Main Streets: Fostering Momentum Across Ontario, celebrates the people, ideas and partnerships creating movement in communities across the province.
Ready to make waves? OBIAA is inviting BIA leaders, municipal professionals, community builders, industry experts and partners to submit proposals for the 2027 BIA Conference.
Share the ideas, experiences and solutions creating momentum in your community and help inspire Main Streets across Ontario.
Speaker submissions close Friday, September 25, 2026 at 5:00 PM.
APPLY TO SPEAK AT THE 2027 BIA CONFERENCE
An anticipated attendance of more than 300 delegates and 30+ exhibitors from across Ontario will provide an excellent networking and educational forum for everyone at the Conference!
If you’re interested in being added to the mailing list that receives the Call for Speakers, please email [email protected]
Stay tuned for more details regarding our Keynote Speakers!
Jay will present a participatory keynote on Designing Main Streets for Public Joy™, at the
Monday morning breakfast.
ABOUT JAY:
Jay Pitter is a sought-after keynote speaker, lecturer, and public thinker who transforms how people understand public spaces and cities more broadly. Drawing on decades of precedent-setting practice, she delivers signature participatory keynotes that move beyond monologues — sharing her expertise while inviting every attendee to contribute their own. She has been engaged by client collaborators such as UN Women, municipal governments, cultural institutions, and leading universities. Whether addressing an auditorium of transportation planners, a room of policymakers, or a public audience in a park beneath an open sky, her participatory keynotes invite people to move beyond simply solving problems to embracing the possibility and poetry of place.
“Jay Pitter is the most original and iconoclastic speaker on cities and urban design I’ve encountered in a long time. In a moving, articulate voice that weaves narrative and analysis, she always manages to shatter preconceptions and provide hopeful but practical ideas for meaningful change.”
— Doug Saunders, Columnist and Award-Winning Author (Arrival City)
We continue to honour the four pillars of Downtown Revitalization with four streams to the Conference:
Marketing & Promotions
Economic Development
Leadership & Management
Public Realm
We invite you to share your innovative ideas at the Conference by submitting proposals for presentations on topics such as:
Community Engagement
Media and Crisis Management
Community Improvement Plans
Procedural Bylaw – Governance
Demographics
Quantification
Economic Development
Business Recruitment and Training
Filling Downtown Vacancies
Revitalization
Creative Ideas for a Small Budget
Social Media Basic and Advanced
Grant Writing
Social Issues
Heritage and Culture
Urban Design & Standards
BIA Boards of Management Market Researchers
BIA Staff Coordinators Consultations
BIA Committee Chairs Urban Designers & Landscape Architects
Economic Development Officials & Staff Community Financial Representatives
Municipal Planning Officials & Staff Corporate Site Location Officials
Downtown Revitalization Officials Public Works Representatives
Commercial/Industrial Brokers & Developers
Tourism & Event Management Representatives
Municipal Clerks Place Makers
