Ideas on Tap: What it is and Why we do it

What is it?

Ideas on Tap is a FREE event that takes place on the last Friday of every month, from September to April. We bring together thought leaders in our community, engage them in interesting conversation and present Vendasta as the best place to work. Ultimately, it’s a forum for people to network and to learn from local experts. Ideas on Tap has been running since the day Vendasta started at Innovation Place. Every Friday, at 3p.m. people would gather around, have a beer, and Vendastians or an outside speaker would give an informal presentation. Presentations ranged from what someone worked on throughout the week or a holiday they went on, to their share ideas or Life Hacks that would be beneficial in our working lives. As we grew, more and more visitors attended, and it turned into a mini TED Talks.

For a Cause

Vendasta believes in giving back to the community as much as we can, which is why every Ideas on Tap selects a different charity to support. Because Ideas on Tap is a free event to attend, we sell drink tickets and run a 50/50. We have raised thousands of dollars for local charities by adding this into every Ideas on Tap. 

Topics and Presentations

Taking a walk back through past Ideas on Tap events, these are some of the topics that we have covered over the years. October 2015 - Workplace Health
Allan Wolinksi, from Vendasta, gave a presentation on the benefits of a standing desk. April 2016 - Design
Melissa Squire, from Alchemy Clothing Salon Tattoo & Piercing, Vendastians modelled the wicked outfits from Alchemy November 2016 - Innovation
Greg Sutton, from TinyEye, explained how company culture relates to innovation. Culture eats Strategy for lunch. April 2017 - How to Win Today and Keep Winning
Frank Collins, from Danger Dynamite, shares how he plans for success in a professional and personal setting. January 2018 - Women Shaping the Local Tech Industry
Seven women in the technology industry participated in a panel where the audience could ask questions. February 2018 - Perfecting the User Experience
Graham Holtslander, Team Lead at Vendasta, explained how to get user feedback on apps. March 2019 - Customer Evolution Experience
Jackie Cook, Chief Strategy Officer at Vendasta, shared her wisdom that every industry has a customer journey and businesses need to understand their customer journey. All of our Ideas on Tap presentations are posted on our youtube channel.

The Value

As Vendasta continued to grow as a company, we saw the value that Ideas on Tap brought to the community. Through this event, we are able to bring people together, not only Vendastians, but also members of our local community. We are able to showcase the talent we have at Vendasta and the talent we have in our city. There is always something happening in a smaller city like Saskatoon; someone is always creating a new initiative, a new product or service, or doing something worth talking about. Since Vendasta advertises as a white-label company, people often aren’t sure what Vendasta is or does. Ideas on Tap is a way to show the community who we are and inspire like-minded individuals along the way. Plus, It’s a free event, featuring free food and free advice from industry experts. What more could you want? See you at the next Ideas on Tap!