From finance to tech to law, connect with Toronto’s vibrant professional landscape with the help of this quick guide to networking events across the city.
Toronto is often considered the most diverse city in the world, so it should come as no surprise that there are so many sectors—finance, tech, life sciences, et cetera—that are thriving here, too. And for every sector, there’s no shortage of professional groups or networking events to help folks unlock their career potential and mingle with like-minded professionals.
Planning a business event in Toronto? Connect with these groups to find local speakers or panelists, potential local attendees, unique tours, insight into the city and more.
Tech sector: TechTO
Toronto’s tech terrain is constantly growing thanks to the influx of entrepreneurs and innovators who flock to the city. TechTO helps support this growth with a popular Toronto event series that brings together tech enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, investors and professionals for networking, learning and sharing insights about the tech industry. Events often feature presentations from prominent speakers in the field or special topics in the tech sector like retail or travel.
Finance sector: CFA Society Toronto
Founded in 1936, the professional group for Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) in Toronto is a non-profit organization affiliated with the CFA Institute, the global body that sets standards for the investment industry. The group hosts a wide variety of events for those interested in the city’s finance sector, from member coffee meetups to speaker series to educational lunch and learns (topics have covered everything from cybersecurity to rental housing economics).
Life sciences sector: Life Sciences Ontario
Life Sciences Ontario represents companies, individuals, academics and service providers in the life sciences field in the province. The organization hosts a handful of networking events per year in downtown Toronto that attracts over 200 attendees from researchers and students to members of accelerators, government officials, lawyers, consultants and more.
Food and beverage sector: Canadian Food Innovation Network
For those working in the innovative food and beverage industry, Canadian Food Innovation Network, an organization that funds transformative foodtech projects and helps foster a sense of community within the sector. They also host and sponsor many industry events. They also have a calendar on their website that showcases food and beverage conferences, networking events and workshops around the world.
Legal sector: Toronto Lawyers Association
The Toronto Lawyers Association has been working for over 130 years to provide knowledge and advocacy to members and the community. The group hosts numerous social opportunities throughout the year celebrating those new to the practice alongside some of the most well-respected lawyers around. Events include their monthly family lawyer meetup, annual awards gala, plus educational programs like technology in litigation, legal tech tools and much more.
Environmental sector: Green Drinks Toronto
Green Drinks, an informal monthly networking event where eco-conscious people meet over drinks, started in the UK in 1989 and is now active in over 400 cities worldwide. The Toronto chapter has been attracting 200 to 350 people per month since 2005; and includes folks from NGOs, academia, government and business. RSVPs are not mandatory. Plan of action: order a drink and talk about the environment.
Hospitality and tourism sector: Destination Toronto
Those in the hospitality and tourism industries should check out Destination Toronto's annual events—specifically their Spring Briefing and Business Outlook Forum—where knowledgeable speakers from the sector talk about trends, forces and influences shaping the future along with key priorities in marketing and business for the year ahead.
Young Professionals Network
Those under 40 will want to check out networking events in Toronto held by the Young Professionals Network. Affiliated with the Toronto Region Board of Trade, the organization’s membership spans a diverse number of industries; and alongside their events—think: after-work mixers, formal galas with C-suites and focus groups on trending topics—there’s also workshops and sessions on skill development, executive advice and networking support.
Female professionals: Junior League of Toronto
Established in 1926, the Junior League of Toronto has a rich history of empowering a diverse group of women to create positive social change. The league’s members engage in various fundraisers like their annual chef’s showcase, where funds are donated to culinary scholarships, the Canadian Association of Mental Health (CAMH), among others. The group also runs a women’s leadership conference and various training events.
Newcomers and immigrant professionals
To get to know your new city and the folks who live here, join up with Events in Toronto for Newcomers and Immigrants. While the events are more suited to personal connections (think: casual board game nights, boat rides and rooftop parties), they also offer good old-fashioned networking events, too.
