Into North America and keeping

to the new standards | Toronto 2017

We spent 4 intensive days at the Gladstone Hotel, a hip, boutique hotel in downtown Greater Toronto, including an all-day interactive training session, 4 Keynote speeches, 24 presentations, 2 creative inspiration slots and a client panel. The full social programme included a performance by the Semiotones, a band led by the legendary Professor Marcel Danesi himself.

Some highlights from Semiofest Toronto 2017

A short film with some testimonials and a flavour of the atmosphere at the Gladstone Hotel – edited by Michael V. Pereira.

The Toronto event was masterminded by Sarah Johnson, and Jeff Hecker at Athena Brand Wisdom. Sarah had attended almost every Semiofest and had bid twice, so we knew that the event was in very safe hands. She worked alongside Semiofest champion Charles Leech, at ABM Research, and Jamin Pelkey and Stephanie Walsh Matthews at Ryerson University from whom we secured some funding. The event organization built on the great work done in Tallinn. The theme chosen was Marshall McLuhan’s idea of the Medium is the Message and used this as a jumping off point to think differently about the media we use in branding and communication at large. This yielded presentations on topics such as semiotics of sensorial branding, political image making, fashion, new media and with several inspiration sessions too. We started with a super training session on embodied semiotics and ended with a triangulation workshop and a panel discussion from clients who had commissioned semiotics. The event also benefited from a great social programme with dine arounds organised at local eateries, a jazz quintet and drinks and a Gala Dinner with entertainment from the Semiotones! The event was brilliantly organised, convivial and fun.