Downtown Victoria could soon to be bathed in orange as the high-tech sector makes a statement with beams of light.
Starting this weekend, the city’s high-tech firms plan to place orange lights in their windows, creating an “orange light district” to show how big the technology sector has become in Victoria. About 400 tech firms occupy offices in the downtown area.
“Technology is finally recognized by most locals, policy-makers and even some visitors, but there’s not lots of evidence you can visibly see,” said Dan Gunn, chief executive of the Victoria Innovation Advanced Technology and Entrepreneurship Council.
“There are lots of sandwich boards advertising tourist things like whale watching and tea, but people who fall in love with the city leave maybe not fully understanding the breadth of the opportunity here.”
With the orange lights, Gunn said the hope is that people walking around the city at night will see just how many technology firms inhabit office space, particularly downtown.
“I think this will open some eyes, and I think people will be surprised by the number of them,” he said.
VIATEC, which has 275 members, will hand out orange light bulbs to its members at its annual awards show tonight and deliver others if required.
Gunn said some companies with high-profile locations downtown have requested extra bulbs.
“That’s fine by us,” he said. “We will support that.”
The light-bulb campaign is the latest in a series of marketing moves by the growing sector, which hopes to have combined revenues of $10 billion annually by 2030.
Currently, technology revenue from Greater Victoria’s 880 tech firms is estimated to be in excess of $4 billion a year.
VIATEC, in partnership with Victoria International Airport, has set up the $50,000 Tectoria Innovation Station in the airport’s arrivals lounge.
The station was designed to feel like the lab of a mad scientist to engage kids, while offering information on the region’s tech history.
“These are ways of showing people how much tech there is here,” said Gunn.
“Most of our companies don’t sell much here, most don’t have signs on their buildings and they don’t market here.”
But they do set up shop and hire in Victoria. The sector employs about 15,000 people directly, another 3,000 consultants and 5,000 others who work in tech jobs within larger firms and governments.
Gunn said the hope is that potential investors, workers or companies search online for “orange light district Victoria.”
VIATEC intends to optimize search-engine results so those searching can find out about the district and technology in Victoria and learn how to get involved.
The bulbs, which will be part of welcome packages for companies that join VIATEC, are bright, low-power LEDs designed to be left on overnight.
