Agenda
Thursday, March 05, 2026
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time.
AI & Data Summit 2026 Toronto
One day event
Registration and Networking Breakfast
Informal networking and welcome, setting the tone for a strategic day.
IDC Greetings and Welcome
Summit Chair introduces the event’s strategic themes and objectives.
IDC Keynote: Agentic AI at Scale: Accelerating Innovation While Managing Risk
How organizations are deploying agentic AI to drive rapid innovation, while navigating complex regulator requirements around data privacy, security, and ethical AI
Bob Parker | IDC
Senior Vice President, Enterprise Applications, Data Intelligence, Services, and Industry Research
Bob Parker
Bob Parker is a Senior Vice President responsible for several areas of research at IDC. Bob leads the global industry research teams which includes coverage of healthcare, government, retail, energy, manufacturing, and financial services as well as a cross industry group looking at emerging topics such as blockchain and robotics. Additionally, Bob leads our teams in the enterprise applications space, services, and the IDC coverage of data intelligence which includes coverage of artificial intelligence.
Bob has been conducting industry research for over twenty years including five years at AMR Research before joining IDC. Prior to entering the research field, Bob spent over fifteen years in various Information Technology and Operational management roles in the manufacturing industry including serving as the Chief Information Officer at Eastern Technologies, a defense contractor.
Event Sessions
Thursday, March 5 2026 9:15 am | Location:
IDC Keynote: Agentic AI at Scale: Accelerating Innovation While Managing Risk
How organizations are deploying agentic AI to drive rapid innovation, while navigating complex regulator requirements around data privacy, security, and ethical AI
Sponsor Keynote #1: Driving Business Value with AI & Data
Measuring ROI, accelerating innovation, and aligning data initiatives with business outcomes
Morning Coffee Break
Time off to think, network and share insights.
Panel Discussion: Data as as strategic Asset
Discuss balancing governance, compliance, innovation and business value
End-User Case Study #1
Scaling AI in Financial Services – From Pilot to Production.
Networking Lunch
Sponsor Keynote #2: Future-Proofing Data Architectures for AI
Sponsor explores hybrid cloud, data pipelines, and sovereignty.
End-User Case Study #2
AI for Healthcare Innovation: Delivering Patient Outcomes with Trust and Compliance.
Afternoon Coffee Break
Time off to think, network and share insights.
Fireside Chat: The Human Side of AI and Data
Discuss on skills, culture, and change.
Interactive Roundtables
Small group discussions on governance, scaling, and architectures.
IDC’s Wrap-Up
Summarize insights.
Networking Reception
Join Us!
Don’t miss the AI & Data Summit 2026 Toronto—Building Intelligence that Creates Real Value.