Doing More with Less: How to Get Real Value from the 2026 Shuswap Business Forum

Time-sensitive guide: Event and registration details were checked on October 14, 2026, for the forum on Wednesday, October 21. Ticket availability and programme details can change; check the linked organizer and registration pages before making plans.

A full day at a business forum is most useful when you arrive with more than a notebook. This year’s Shuswap Business Forum is built around a question many local operators are already facing: how can a business do more with less while costs, staffing pressure, technology and the wider economy keep shifting?

The 2026 Shuswap Business Forum runs from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21 at Song Sparrow Hall in downtown Salmon Arm. The programme covers waste and efficiency, practical artificial intelligence, emergency planning, the economy and global change. An optional downtown networking event follows in the afternoon.

Here is what has been confirmed—and how to turn the day into useful decisions for your own business.

Know what your forum ticket covers

The forum is presented by Salmon Arm Economic Development Society, Community Futures Shuswap and the Salmon Arm Chamber of Commerce. The organizer lists the forum ticket at $75, including the full day of programming, morning refreshments and lunch catered by Ambrosia Grill Taverna.

Registration is handled through the event platform. Use the official 2026 Business Forum registration page, or contact Salmon Arm Economic Development Society at 250-833-0608 if you need registration help. Because the forum is only a week away, do not assume space will remain available until the event date.

Song Sparrow Hall is listed at 180 Lakeshore Drive NW. The organizer has not published detailed parking or accessibility instructions in its event release, so contact the host before the day if you need a specific accommodation or arrival detail.

Turn five broad themes into questions for your business

The confirmed sessions cover distinct pressures, but they connect around one useful idea: spend time, money and attention where they have the greatest effect. Before the forum, choose one question for each topic. That will give you something concrete to listen for—and a reason to speak with a presenter or another attendee during a break.

Waste, cost and the circular economy

Jill Doucette will discuss how circular-economy principles can help organizations reduce waste, lower costs and build resilience. This does not apply only to manufacturers. A restaurant might look at food or packaging waste; a retailer might think about damaged inventory; a service business might reconsider equipment, purchasing or disposal.

Useful questions to bring:

• Which recurring waste stream costs my business more than I realize?
• Could a by-product, unused material or old piece of equipment become useful to another local operator?
• What is one purchasing or workflow change we could measure over the next 90 days?

Practical AI without chasing every new tool

Peter Pilarski’s session will look at business uses for artificial intelligence, from simple tools to more advanced automations. The useful starting point is not “What AI should I buy?” It is “Which repetitive task is taking time away from customers, planning or revenue?”

Make a short list before the forum: drafting routine customer replies, organizing enquiries, summarizing notes, creating first-pass marketing copy or moving information between systems. Do not bring private customer information or confidential business data to test in an unfamiliar tool. Ask about oversight, accuracy and where a human review still matters.

Business continuity and emergency readiness

Schaun Goodeve and Cathy Semchuk will address business continuity and emergency preparedness. In the Shuswap, continuity planning can include much more than a formal emergency binder. It can mean knowing who can access essential accounts, how customers will receive updates, which supplier has a backup, and what happens if staff cannot reach the workplace.

Bring one realistic scenario: a power outage, an evacuation alert, a payment-system interruption or the sudden absence of a key person. Ask what the first hour, first day and first week should look like.

The economic picture behind local decisions

Economist Bryan Yu will provide an update on trends, risks and opportunities businesses should be watching. Prepare by identifying the decision you are actually trying to make: hiring, pricing, borrowing, adding inventory, signing a lease or delaying a purchase. A broad economic forecast becomes more useful when you can connect it to a specific choice and timeline.

Trade, geopolitics and changes beyond the Shuswap

Keynote speaker Gitane De Silva will close the day with a look at how changing geopolitics, trade and international relationships may affect Canada and businesses at home. Even a business that serves mostly local customers can be exposed through fuel, food, building materials, technology, shipping or interest rates.

Before the session, identify one product, supplier or cost your business depends on from outside the region. Listen for what should be monitored, what could be diversified and what does not require an immediate reaction.

Build a simple networking plan before you arrive

“Networking” is easier when it has a purpose. Choose three people you would like to meet—not necessarily by name, but by role:

• someone facing a similar staffing or cost challenge;
• a local supplier or partner who could solve a practical problem;
• someone outside your industry who sees the same issue differently.

Prepare a short introduction that says what your business does, where it operates and what you are working on now. Avoid turning every conversation into a sales pitch. A specific question usually creates a better exchange than a long description of services.

Bring business cards if you use them, but also make sure your website, social profile or directory listing is current. If someone looks up your business after the event, they should find a working phone number, accurate location and a clear explanation of what you offer.

Decide whether Tapped Out belongs in your day

The optional Tapped Out event runs from 3:30 to 6 p.m. after the forum and is presented with the Downtown Salmon Arm Business Improvement Association. The organizer lists a separate $55 ticket.

Participants will visit Cahoots Restaurant, Ricochet Brewing and Taphouse and The Night Café for drinks, appetizers and informal conversation. Treat it as a separate part of the day rather than assuming it is included with forum registration.

If your main goal is practical learning, a short break after the forum may help you reset before the evening portion. If your goal is meeting collaborators or building referral relationships, decide in advance which conversations you want to continue.

Leave with one action, not twenty pages of notes

At the end of each session, write down one idea under three headings: use now, research later or not for us. Before leaving, choose one action that can be started within seven days and assign it a person and a date.

That action might be mapping an emergency contact chain, testing one low-risk AI-assisted task, reviewing a waste cost, calling a backup supplier or updating the public information customers rely on. A small completed change is more valuable than a long list that disappears into a desk drawer.

If you are travelling into town, use The Shuswap Loop’s Salmon Arm guide to find nearby stops, and check upcoming Shuswap events for other local dates worth adding to your calendar.