📅 Event Agenda
Saturday, November 28, 2026
📍 Collège Boréal, Sudbury, Ontario
🕘 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Get ready for a full day of inspiring talks, industry insights, hands-on innovation, and networking with developers, entrepreneurs, researchers, and technology leaders from across Northern Ontario and beyond.
🌅 Morning Sessions - Building the Future
9:00 – 9:30 AM | Registration & Networking
Check in, grab a coffee, and connect with fellow attendees.
9:30 – 9:45 AM | Welcome & Opening Remarks
Kick off DevFest Sudbury 2026 with the GDG Sudbury organizing team.
9:45 – 10:30 AM | From Developer to Orchestrator: A Blueprint for Running a Fleet of Coding Agents
🎤 Arcadio Quintero — Google Developer Expert
Explore how AI coding agents are transforming software development and how developers can evolve from writing code to orchestrating intelligent systems.
10:30 – 11:15 AM | VR/AR in Industrial Applications
🎤 NORCAT (Tentative)
Discover how immersive technologies, virtual simulations, and augmented reality are being applied in mining and industrial environments.
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM | Code (and vibecode) the Gemini API the Right Way
🎤 Wesley Chun
Learn how to build reliable, production-ready applications with the Gemini API, beyond just vibecoding demos.
🍽️ 12:00 – 1:00 PM | Lunch & Networking
Enjoy a complimentary lunch while connecting with speakers, startups, industry professionals, and the local developer community.
🚀 Afternoon Sessions — Scaling Innovation
1:00 – 1:15 PM | Introducing NODE: Northern Ontario Dev Exchange
🎤 NODE Team
An introduction to NODE, its mission to connect Northern Ontario's technology communities, and upcoming initiatives, events, and opportunities.
1:15 – 2:15 PM | Panel: Entrepreneurship, AI & Digital Sovereignty
🎤 Sudbury Business Leaders — Panelists to Be Announced
A discussion on entrepreneurship, AI opportunities, Canadian innovation, digital sovereignty, and building globally competitive technology companies from Northern Ontario.
2:15 – 3:15 PM | Panel: AI in Practice — From Ideas to Real-World Impact
🎤 Local Technology Leaders
Explore real-world AI adoption, industrial automation, robotics, and the practical opportunities and challenges of implementing AI across different industries.
3:15 – 4:15 PM | Canadian Digital Core Library (CDCL) – Challenge Statement Launch
🎤 Gisele Roberts — Laurentian University
Discover the Canadian Digital Core Library (CDCL) and Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), followed by the announcement of an exciting new hackathon challenge and an overview of the next steps.
4:15 – 4:30 PM | Closing Remarks & Acknowledgements
🎤 GDG Sudbury
Celebrating the day's conversations, community contributions, speakers, volunteers, and partners.
4:30 – 5:00 PM | Networking & Community Connections
Connect with speakers, meet fellow builders, explore future collaborations, and wrap up DevFest Sudbury 2026.
🎟️ Free to Attend — Everyone Is Welcome!
Whether you're a developer, student, founder, researcher, cybersecurity professional, or simply curious about AI and emerging technology, DevFest Sudbury is for you.
Free admission • Complimentary lunch • Tech talks • Industry panels • Networking • Community connectionsPlease note: The agenda is subject to change. Additional speakers, panelists, and event activities will be announced as they are confirmed.
This is a hybrid event. Join the event virtually at https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-sudbury-presents-devfest-sudbury-2026-build-secure-scale-developers-and-builders-in-the-agentic-era/
or in person at
Collège Boréal - Sudbury - 21 Lasalle Boulevard, Greater Sudbury, ON P3A 6B1
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Agenda
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Company
Boothrun Inc. (https://boothrun.com)
Get every booth visited
Boothrun turns the ticket attendees already have into a booth passport. Booths scan it, attendees collect stamps, and finishers get swag or raffle entries.
Speakers
Arcadio Quintero - dotCMS (Senior Software Engineer)
Senior Software Engineer specializing in building scalable, high-performance enterprise applications. As a Google Developer Expert (GDE) in Angular, I focus on pushing the boundaries of the web ecosystem, from architecting complex frontend structures to mastering the latest advancements like Signals, AnalogJS, and NestJS.
At dotCMS, I solve high-level architectural challenges, ensuring …
Wesley Chun - Google (Developer Advocate, Google Cloud)
WESLEY CHUN is the author of Prentice Hall's bestselling "Core Python" series, co-author of "Python Web Development with Django" (withdjango.com), and has written for Linux Journal, CNET, and InformIT. He is currently an engineer & Sr. Developer Advocate at Google focused on Goo…
Gisele Roberts - Laurentian University/Université Laurentienne (Director, Research and Innovation)
Gisele Roberts is the Director of Research and Innovation at Laurentian University and a self-described connector who loves bringing people, ideas and opportunities together. With nearly 20 years of experience in research, innovation and commercialization, she's passionate about building relationships, creating partnerships and helping grow vibrant innovation ecosystems where great ideas can t…
Panelist
Ehsan Mirdamadi - Codalio Inc. (CEO)
Obtained his B.Sc in Computer Science from York University and has been an active entrepreneur Since 1999. Throughout his 26 years of experience, he has founded, led and exited 4 of his successful ventures in Cloud Computing & Data Centre infrastructure, Enterprise Software, AI & Connected Devices, In Canada and the United States. He is now the CEO at Codalio, an active angel investor …
Hosted By
Hannan Max (HannanAhmad Shaikh), GDG Organizer | CEO - North Cipher Valley
Dynamic and results-driven Full Stack Developer and Founder of North Cipher Valley Inc., with a proven track record of building innovative, commercially successful, and user-centric digital products. With hands-on experience in mobile, web, IoT, and AI-powered systems, I specialize in crafting solutions that bridge technology and real-world impact.
I thrive in collaborative environments, bringing a detail-oriented mindset and a relentless drive for perfection. From leading award-winning research projects at Cambrian R&D to mentoring tech communities as GDG Organizer and GDGs Cambrian Lead, I’ve demonstrated my ability to lead, scale, and inspire.
Whether I’m coding the next big thing, guiding a community, or scaling a startup - I do it with passion, precision, and purpose.
Let’s connect, and build something meaningful.
Karan Tutlani, GDG Organizer
I am a student in Business Analytics and done a bachelors degree in Computer Science. I am working with complex data and client requirements and proficient in R statistics, SQL database, Tableau and PowerBI dashboards and visualisations, C and Python programming, and Excel spreadsheets, I am also developing skills in data science and AI.
I have also worked on SDN using Openstack with cloud computing Infrastructure.
I work with clients to understand their needs, find the right data analytics tools to solve real world problems, and delivers solutions that offer data-based insights to decision makers.
Athif Shaffy, GDG Organizer
Software developer with over 6 years of experience developing enterprise web and mobile applications.
Heather Dufour, GDG Organizer | Technologist at Laurentian Uni
My involvement with GDG Sudbury reflects my interest in innovation, technology, and building stronger connections within our local community. I have always been interested in how technology can be used to solve problems, create opportunities, and bring people together.
My professional experience includes working as an Innovation Coordinator at Laurentian University, where I supported innovation, collaboration, and the development of new ideas. This experience taught me that successful technology communities need more than technical expertise—they also need people who can connect individuals, encourage collaboration, organize initiatives, and help transform ideas into meaningful projects.
Through my work with GDG Sudbury, I bring an interdisciplinary perspective that combines science, innovation, technology, education, and community engagement. I believe one of the strengths of a group like GDG is its ability to make technology accessible to people from many different backgrounds, not only professional software developers.
Dean Lupini, GDG Organizer
I love to build elegant technical solutions to complex problems. I like to be involved at every level of a project, from management to getting my hands dirty. The ability to understand things at a real world and practical level has helped me build a business around helping clients to bring their products to life.
Manisha Ranga, Software Developer
Hello! I’m a dedicated professional with a robust background in software technologies, driven by a passion for continuous learning and development. My career is marked by a commitment to innovative problem-solving and creative strategies that keep me at the cutting edge of technology. As a fast learner with an insatiable curiosity, I thrive in environments that challenge the status quo and require agile adaptation. Teaching others is not only a passion but an effective method I use to deepen my own understanding and mastery of complex subjects. I'm actively involved with the Google Developers Group and various other tech communities, which inspire and motivate me to continuously evolve and expand my skill set. These platforms offer me invaluable insights and networking opportunities that fuel my personal and professional growth. I'm adept at navigating the rapidly changing tech landscape, always ready to assimilate and implement new technologies swiftly.
Divya Khemani, Software Engineer
Experienced Software Developer with a passion for data and digital solutions. Adept at building real-time data pipelines, enhancing portals and APIs, and integrating data with cloud-based platforms. Strong foundation in data engineering, API development, and SQL/database management. Committed to delivering high-quality solutions in an agile team environment.
Shubham Dhamane, Organizer
A 6+ experienced software engineer & business analyst who would love to meet and discuss with software and business enthusiasts.
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Communitys
North Cipher Valley Inc. (https://northciphervalley.com)
Uride - Proudly (https://www.uride.co)
Partners
Canadian Digital Core Library (https://www.cdcl-cnc.ca)
Creative Destruction Lab (https://creativedestructionlab.com/)
N.O.D.E. Northern Ontario Dev Exchange (https://www.nodesudbury.com)
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Complete your event RSVP here: https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-sudbury-presents-devfest-sudbury-2026-build-secure-scale-developers-and-builders-in-the-agentic-era/.
