It is with a heavy heart I post this announcement. Effective Tuesday, March 16th 2010, Refresh Events will temporarily halt operations. This wasn't an easy decision to come to, but in order to provide a product and experience of value to the community and our industry, this was a necessary step.
Through a number of recent discussions with various community figures and research on my part, I've come to the realization that there are a wide variety of similar events going on during any given evening. While I feel that we have added value through the events we have delivered, we are currently regrouping and starting to learn how else we can add value to the web and technology scene in Toronto.
Our last event will be taking place on Monday, March 15th 2010. I will be keeping our various properties open while I re-focus the business model. These properties are:
Finally, the Refresh Events site itself will also remain active at this URL, and can be accessed by clicking on the "Close" button below.
This doesn't mean that Refresh Events will cease to exist entirely. What is currently happening is quite normal; Refresh Events is simply changing its business model to meet the demands of a new age. As General Douglas MacArthur famously once said: “I shall return”. And return I shall. I don't know when exactly, but suffice to say that Q4 2010 or Q1 2011 is an achievable target date.
I'm very proud of what I was able to accomplish in the past year and a half. What began as a social experiment quickly blossomed into something we should all be truly proud of. I don't see this event as a failure; in fact, I see it as a great success. I have been fortunate enough to have met some very talented individuals within our community, people I likely would not have met otherwise. I've learned a great deal about Toronto's community, and I intend to apply these learnings to the next iteration of our business.
There are so many people to thank; too many in fact to whom I owe my biggest thanks and deepest gratitude for the success I've been so fortunate to experience. They are too many to list, but regardless, there exists a measure of debt that I owe to those that have supported us. None of this would have been possible without the incredibly talented speakers who have joined us on the first step of our journey. It wouldn't have been possible without our unofficial community advocates who cheered us on from the sidelines, offered advice and counsel and supported us through best wishes.
Last and certainly not least, it wouldn't have been possible to do what I've done without an audience of loyal attendees who gave me a few hours of their time each and every month to attend our gatherings and workshops.
I owe each and every one of you a heartfelt "Thank You" for spending your time and energy on helping me move forward.
Until next time, stay classy Toronto.
Sincerely,
Justin Kozuch | Founder, Refresh Events
e: justin@refresh-events.ca | p: 647.236.1925 | @jkozuch | @RefreshEvents