Testimonials
"These events can be great for networking, and I think that you provided the opportunities for that to happen. I am really not sure what you could have done differently. It was a well organized meeting. I don't recall that you did the panel thing that GBC is quite fond of. I have seen that work well (when lots of questions were asked, like the last winter symposium), and fail (when the audience was fairly quiet). You need to ensure that you attract young scientists as well as more senior people to get the best traction in my view. It would be good if speakers would stick around for the day rather than coming for their talk and then leaving (which a few did in my recollection); but that is difficult to control with busy schedules. "-Dr.Kristi Miller-Saunders
“The geXc symposia, the combination of seminars, vendors and social events, was reminiscent of ASHG, but without the fees to participate! I very much hope you’ll organize it in future years. Most in applied molecular genetics at UBC would enjoy it” – Dr. Matt Farrer, University of British Columbia
“I really enjoyed the symposium. Genomics symposia/talks are not usually the ones I frequent, as my expertise is in physiology and ecology. But, presenting work my lab has done in collaboration with a genomics team at Johns Hopkins University really helped to see how our work fits within the context of the genomics discipline.I learned a lot, received some great feedback, and had the chance to network and develop potential collaborations I never would have otherwise had the chance to develop” – Dr. Ken Welch – University of Toronto
“I found it a useful venue for me to be able to share my ideas and vision with an audience I would not typically speak to. I thought it was well-organized and a useful event.” – Dr. Steven Scherer, SickKids Hospital Toronto
“Thanks for the opportunity to give you my feedback on the NGS symposium in Saskatoon last February. The event featured an interesting line-up of speakers with a very broad range of research and applications described. This made it a great showcase for the local research community, and an excellent opportunity to interact with colleagues with related interests. For me personally, it was a welcome chance to share what my research group is doing in front of a large audience. Following my presentation, I made several interesting contacts that have developed into potential collaborators.
Several of my graduate students and research technicians attended the symposium and the associate NGS workshop. Feedback from them was uniformly positive. Travel to conferences and workshops is expensive and so to have one here in Saskatoon presented an opportunity to students and staff that might not otherwise be able to attend such a workshop.
The event was well-organized and paced, and the venue was appropriate as well. I would happily attend another such even in the future and would not hesitate to recommend it to a colleague, or to other trainees” – Dr. Janet Hill, University of Saskatchewan
“The 2016 geXc Toronto symposium organized by D-MARK in Toronto was well balanced and brought together scientists with completely different expertise starting with cancer research and ending with hummingbirds. It would be great to keep this strategy and further broaden the topics for the next symposia.” – Dr. Natalia Ivanova, University of Guelph
In March 2013 I lectured and attended the Next Generation Sequencing Symposium organized by D-MARK Biosciences at the University of British Columbia. It was a very well attended and interesting symposium which provided a wide overview of sequencing technologies, approaches, implementations and analysis of data. The lectures were engaging and the presenters highly knowledgeable of the subject. It was a very interactive meeting in which the attendees could engage with the presenters following their lecture, during lunch/coffee breaks, and in particular during the poster session concluding the meeting. I would highly recommend anyone interested in learning more about next generation sequencing technologies to attend any future meetings.
Dr. Carles Vilarino-Guell
Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Canada Research Chair, Molecular Characterization of Neurological Diseases Director, Next Generation Sequencing Centre at Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
D-MARK did a fantastic job of hosting the event. The talks covered a wide range of interesting techniques and organisms, and were very well attended. The associated events before and after the talks provided an excellent opportunity for discussing research directions and collaborations with the other speakers and attendees.
-Paul Stothard PhD Associate Professor Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science (AFNS) University of Alberta
“The geXc Symposia bring together scientific and commercial presenters in well-organized programs that are highly interactive and informative. They have provided excellent opportunities for Lab7 Systems to present our Enterprise Science Platform to focused groups of researchers in one-day dedicated sessions. They have proven to be great opportunities to not only learn, but also to network with regional thought leaders” – Varshal Davé – VP Business Development, Lab7
“By participating in geXc as a sponsor, our company gets a well-organized venue to interact with current customers, collaborators and the local genomics community. We get a chance to give technology education and update customers on new products and applications. Networking at this event is a great way to foster referrals and connect interested prospects with current customers” – Alix Kieu Cruse – Sales Director, Pacific Biosciences
“geXc is a terrific opportunity to network with peers, hear about the most current developments in genomics and learn about the underlying technologies needed to advance the science. Duane, Jeffrey and the D-Mark team do an outstanding job putting all the jigsaw pieces together for the research community and vendors alike. They have created a high-value forum where meaningful dialogs occur and new ideas proliferate. It’s most definitely an event you should put on your calendar” - Philip Crocker - Senior Director Channels and Business Development, Panasas, Inc., CRN Channel Chief 2017 & 2016
“I have attended a few of the geXc symposiums, and I’m always impressed at the expertise and knowledge that D-Mark Bio is able to bring together for the event. The speakers are well versed in a variety of topics, and the audience is always very interactive. The opportunity to network before, after, and during breaks is always a great way to meet new people and discuss the topics in further detail” - Taylor Allen, Channel Account Manager, SanDisk |a Western Digital brand