Canada’s Largest Hackathon in Canadian History

During the weekend of February 20th to 22nd, the BCTIA Innovation Hub hosted the 2015 Canadian Open Data Experience (CODE), Canada’s largest hackathon in Canadian history. Over 1,300 people participated in this intense 48-hour coding event where innovators from across the nation were set to build the best application utilizing federal government data from Canada’s Open Government portal.

The BCTIA Innovation Hub was chosen to be one of three VIP HUBs, alongside One Eleven in Toronto and the Notman House in Montreal. Participants across Canada had the opportunity to engage with like-minded individuals at these locations or at the seven Partner Hubs during the hackathon.

As Vancouver’s VIP HUB, we were stoked to be the home to 100 fantastic tech enthusiasts for the weekend! It was a slow start as many people were busy with work or school during the Friday afternoon, but as the sun went down, more teams began trickling into The Hub to begin their hackathon experience!

Red and white balloons were strung around the tables and shark stickers were distributed – definitely a great environment for either first timers or experienced hackers. Throughout the weekend, participants shared pictures of people coding in the AM hours and exhausted hackers curling up in their sleeping bags. It was quite an entertaining weekend.

Overall, we had a fabulous time working with the team at XMG Studios to host a successful event and look forward to supporting their next initiatives!

If you missed the event, feel free to check out the photos in the slider or see them on our Flickr album.

If you’re looking for more great events, be sure to check out our Events Calendar or sign up for our email.