Microsoft Opens Vancouver MCEC (Audio) - Channel 9

On June 17, 2016, Microsoft announced the grand opening of the Microsoft Canada Excellence Centre (MCEC) – a new, first-rate facility in the heart of downtown Vancouver that will house up to 750 developers and significantly expand Microsoft's development presence in Vancouver and Canada. Vancouver is a vibrant innovation hub with an established tech ecosystem and strong universities that support the company's development operations.If you missed the launch event – please watch the celebrations here: https://aka.ms/mceclaunch. The day included a tour of the garage including projects like VanGo, Seeing AI, OneNote/Learning Tools and the HoloLens plus remarks by some pretty amazing special guests such as:First Nation LeadersRt. Hon. Justin Trudeau – Prime Minister of CanadaHon. Christy Clark - Premier of British ColumbiaHon. Amrik Virk, Minister of TechnologyGregor Robertson - Mayor of VancouverJanet Kennedy - President, Microsoft CanadaBrad Smith - Corporate President & Chief Legal Officer, MicrosoftT.K. Rengarajan, Corporate Vice President of MicrosoftMary-Ellen Anderson - Vice President DX, Microsoft CanadaEdoardo De Martin - Director, MCECMicrosoft Canada Excellence Centre Facts: More than doubles Microsoft's development staff in Vancouver from approximately 300 up to 750.Broadens the type of development work from high-end gaming to include leading applications such as Skype, OneNote, and applications for HoloLens.Invests $90 million annually (wages and facility costs), resulting in more than $181.4 million in direct and indirect economic growth in the province.Host 50 students from Canadian universities for a 16-week Garage Internship Program in which students work together to build apps, and receive mentorships from Microsoft's Vancouver engineering teams. To learn more about Microsoft Canada Excellence Centre, you can visit us at mcec.microsoft.com or post questions to with #AccelerateCanada to @MicrosoftVan.

Microsoft Canada Excellence Centre (MCEC) opened earlier this year, but the official grand opening took place on June 17, 2016. With over 200+ attendees, the event was a success.The launch focused on showing off the latest and greatest inventions brought to life by MCEC's talented Garage Interns. The tour showcased VanGo, the Seeing AI, and HoloLens to name a few. Keynote speakers included:Janet Kennedy - President, Microsoft CanadaFirst Nation LeadersBrad Smith - Corporate President & Chief Legal Officer, Microsoft Corp Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau – Prime Minister of CanadaHon. Christy Clark - Premier of British ColumbiaGregor Robertson - Mayor of of VancouverEdoardo De Martin - Director, Microsoft Canada Excellence Centre"Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities to live in," says MCEC Director Edoardo De Martin. "It has everything an international world-class city has. This is one of the reasons Microsoft is investing here."The formal event, followed by the official signing of a Surface Hub, took place shortly after the tech demonstration tours."It is amazing to see what we have the opportunity to do," says Brad Smith, President and Chief Legal Officer of Microsoft. "we believe not only in this country and its people, but we believe in its leadership."Microsoft Canada Excellence Centre has opened its doors to over 500 employees, and this is only the beginning."I'm so excited to see so many brilliant young minds pushing the envelope of what we thought might be possible even only a few years ago," says Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.The Garage Internship program is an internship like no other. The teams focus on not only bringing new and innovative ideas to the table, but they strive to change the way we live.This program invites interns to build apps for Microsoft's most exciting platforms and devices.The centre is also home to our acquainted teams. Familiar projects like Skype and OneNote are only two examples of developments that are being worked on at the MCEC."we're building a tech house here in British Columbia," says Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens' Services of BC, Hon. Amrik Virk.It's now time to see what these great minds accomplish at the MCEC."It's just a great beginning," says T.K. Rengarajan, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft.Visit mcec.microsoft.ca​ to learn more.​​​

Mary-Ellen Anderson, Vice President Developer Experience and Evangelism Group of Microsoft, talks grand opening of MCEC in Vancouver on June 17, 2016.

Microsoft Canada Excellence Centre (MCEC) opened earlier this year, but the official grand opening took place on June 17, 2016. With over 200+ attendees, the event was a success.The launch focused on showing off the latest and greatest inventions brought to life by MCEC's talented Garage Interns. The tour showcased VanGo, the Seeing AI, and HoloLens to name a few. Keynote speakers included:Janet Kennedy - President, Microsoft CanadaFirst Nation LeadersBrad Smith - Corporate President & Chief Legal Officer, Microsoft Corp Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau – Prime Minister of CanadaHon. Christy Clark - Premier of British ColumbiaGregor Robertson - Mayor of of VancouverEdoardo De Martin - Director, Microsoft Canada Excellence Centre"Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities to live in," says MCEC Director Edoardo De Martin. "It has everything an international world-class city has. This is one of the reasons Microsoft is investing here."The formal event, followed by the official signing of a Surface Hub, took place shortly after the tech demonstration tours."It is amazing to see what we have the opportunity to do," says Brad Smith, President and Chief Legal Officer of Microsoft. "we believe not only in this country and its people, but we believe in its leadership."Microsoft Canada Excellence Centre has opened its doors to over 500 employees, and this is only the beginning."I'm so excited to see so many brilliant young minds pushing the envelope of what we thought might be possible even only a few years ago," says Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.The Garage Internship program is an internship like no other. The teams focus on not only bringing new and innovative ideas to the table, but they strive to change the way we live.This program invites interns to build apps for Microsoft's most exciting platforms and devices.The centre is also home to our acquainted teams. Familiar projects like Skype and OneNote are only two examples of developments that are being worked on at the MCEC."we're building a tech house here in British Columbia," says Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens' Services of BC, Hon. Amrik Virk.It's now time to see what these great minds accomplish at the MCEC."It's just a great beginning," says T.K. Rengarajan, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft.Visit mcec.microsoft.ca​ to learn more.​​​

Neil from Microsoft Store discusses products at the grand opening of the Microsoft Canada Excellence Centre (MCEC) in Vancouver on June 17, 2016.

T.K. Rengarajan, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft, talks grand opening of the Microsoft Canada Excellence Centre in Vancouver on June 17, 2016.

T.k. Rengarajan, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft, and Hon. Amrik Virk, Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens' Services of BC discuss the grand opening of the Microsoft Canada Excellence Centre in Vancouver on June 17, 2016.

Live on June 17, 2016: Interview with Edoardo De Martin & a live tech tour of the Microsoft Canada Excellence Centre's innovative projects.