E65 - Mary Anne Moser, CEO of Telus Spark and Co-Founder of Beakerhead
“The COVID crisis has signaled that we’re on the right track. If anything, it has amplified the need to do what we need to do.”
Last November, TELUS Spark launched The Roadmap for the 2020s, a complete transformation of the Calgary Science Centre with a focus on unusual experiences. Then a very unusual experience happened – a global pandemic. For Mary Anne Moser, CEO of TELUS Spark, it wasn't time to pump the brakes on their plan. It was time to re-imagine their transformation.
Join me as Mary Anne takes us behind the scenes at TELUS Spark, from the lockdown to their re-opening, while also diving into her entrepreneurial experiences and her optimism for Calgary's bright future.
Mary Anne Moser is leading a transformation plan to put Calgary Science Centre in global top 10
By Collisions YYC
Mary Anne Moser is passionate about creating experiences that make science accessible to mainstream audiences. As President and CEO of TELUS Spark Science Centre, Moser is leading Spark’s rejuvenation and her vision is to compete with science centres on a global scale.
[LISTEN IN AT 1:27] “[Spark] has a reputation for being a gym among families in Calgary,” Moser told CollisionsYYC host Tyler Chisholm in a recent interview. “I took the job about a year ago to see if we can expand the audience and really help Spark be more relevant to what Calgary wants to do as a city [and its] innovation agenda.”
To get there, Spark has big plans. In its roadmap for the 2020s, the organization lays out an ambitious plan to become one of the 10 most-worth-visiting science centres in the world by 2025.
Spark has set itself up as both a destination and an organization that seeks a constant infusion of new ideas in order to thrive in an environment of continuous change. In addition to engaging adult audiences, the organization also aims to support the creation of new ventures, jobs and economic opportunities.
Perhaps not what one would expect of a science center.
Raising the bar
As Moser and Chisholm discuss early on in the CollisionsYYC podcast, Calgary remains an under-the-radar destination for tourism and commerce. One of Spark’s goals is to build a facility that’s by Calgarians for Calgarians, as well as a world-class attraction.
Moser has done it before.
In 2013, Moser and science broadcaster Jay Ingram co-founded Beakerhead, a registered charity that works to advance education at the crossroads of art, science and engineering. Beakerhead runs annual education programs and a fall festival named Spectacle that ranked 12th on Bizbash’s Top 100 Events in Canada list in 2019.
Moser says that in order for Spark to “do the heavy lifting that it needs to do for Calgary” and contribute to the city’s economic transformation, the science centre must draw in tourists.
“It’s that tension between being perfect for here and only doable here, and relevant for anywhere on that kind of global scale.”
[LISTEN IN AT 11:04]
The vision to be world-class takes a lot of work and collaboration. Moser believes direct feedback and the attitude of raising the bar would help Calgary’s science and tech communities contribute to a positive future for the city.
“I think setting expectations and holding each other up to them is really important,” said Moser. “If we just cheerlead each other and say, ‘That’s awesome,’ but really, it’s not that awesome, it doesn’t help anyone.”
Honest feedback – coupled with an openness to receiving that feedback – will push standards higher for everyone and help Calgary compete in a global context, says Moser. “It means, when you’re talking to each other, looking behind you and seeing whether or not this would hold up in a global context. It’s so easy to be talking to ourselves but is it a conversation that’s interesting on a global scale?”
Creating space for collisions
The pandemic has thrown up a few roadblocks, but Moser believes it has also shown that Spark is on the right track.
[LISTEN IN AT 4.26]“It’s amplified the need to do what we need to do,” she said. “They say if you start a business when times are really tough, you build a super-strong foundation. For the mandate that I feel like I’ve been given, it’s a test to do what we need to do now in this environment. Failure is not an option, and so it will be that much stronger.”
Strength comes from collaboration, and Spark’s role in the innovation ecosystem is to create opportunities for different fields to interact.
The centre, which closed in mid-March due to the pandemic, recently reopened with a “re-imagined visitor experience” that includes timed tickets and other safety measures. It’s not yet business as usual, but Moser encourages potential collaborators who have ideas for projects, programs, or events to get in touch.
Spark wants to help Calgary’s scientists and technologists communicate about their work in ways that people can understand and get excited about.
“Our doors are not just open – they are wide open, and we are warmly welcoming these conversations, especially with Calgary’s tech sector. We’re there to help build that future.”