Movers and shakers of the Quebec ICT industry whose combined revenues exceed the half-billion-dollar mark will meet at Le Big Bang

MONTREAL, May 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - This coming May 31, the Big Bang (www.lebigbang.net) will welcome companies that have set their sights high and whose combined revenues exceed the half-billion-dollar mark. Some two hundred participants representing more than one hundred industry players will attend this gathering at the Centre Mont-Royal to talk sales and marketing. Movers and shakers of the Quebec ICT industry - from start-ups to companies that have experienced phenomenal growth, such as Beyond-the-Rack whose mere handful of employees two years ago has grown to today's complement of 240 - will come together to discuss strategies to drive their growth.

"With a presence in a hundred or so countries and 80% of their workforce based in Canada, Quebec's small and mid-size ICT companies rely principally on direct and online sales, stated Nicole Martel, CEO of the Quebec Technology Association. They are a major economic driver for which marketing remains a top priority."

This year's feature theme, "New Business models for Customer Acquisition", will allow participants to explore issues surrounding the integration of new communication channels, social media, and mobility. Today's companies are truly experiencing a "Big Bang" that is compelling them to consider new strategies. How will this impact budget allocations for sales and marketing? The alignment of sales and marketing teams? Mobility? How can social media be leveraged to bridge gaps and help entrepreneurs get closer to new markets?

These are precisely the type of issues the field experts and speakers gathered for this annual meeting of movers and shakers of the Quebec ICT industry will address, providing an opportunity to examine possible solutions, identify trends, and learn from peers who have successfully implemented creative marketing strategies:

• Sales and marketing specialist Ally Motz (Sirius Decisions).
• Entrepreneurs Alain Nadeau (Dynacom), Mike Petsalis (Vircom), Nicolas Arsenault (Inovacom), Denis Lavallée (ex-Nstein Technologies), and Yona Shtern (Beyond-the-Rack).
• Strategic and tactical experts Alain Boudreau (VSM), Simon Hénault (Founder of Linkedin Quebec), Sol Tanguay (HEC Montreal), as well as Michel Ouellet and Thomas Bastien (Morin Public Relations).
• Legal experts Nicolas Lassonde from Legault Joly Thiffault who will discuss Bill C-28, the Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act (FISA), slated to come into effect next summer, as well as Jean-Philippe Riverin and Florence Lucas from Gowling Lafeur Henderson who will provide a legal perspective on social media.

New to this year's event is the Technology Pavilion where participants can go to discover the latest offerings of Alsa Marketing, C2 Innovations, Enode, Gestisoft, HumanIT, Phéromone, and WCIT 2012 (World Congress on Information Technology).

The organizers wish to thank their Big Bang partners: Solidarity Fund QFL, Legault Joly Thiffault, Morin Public Relations, VSM, Gowling Lafleur Henderson, CNW, Xpertdoc, Les affaires.com, K3 Media, Direction informatique, and Canada Economic Development.

Since 2002, the Quebec Technology Association has been hosting the Big Bang event, its signature ICT sales and marketing forum, to help participants improve marketing efficiency. More and more ICT CEOs, sales and marketing directors, and industry players join in each year to explore the latest trends and discuss the best sales and marketing practices with their peers.

In addition, the organizers decided to go "green" and ''techno'' this year in keeping with the global shift towards more environmentally friendly events. Consequently, participants will be invited to take advantage of mobile technologies and social media. A Linkedin group dedicated exclusively to participants will make it possible to prepare meetings beforehand; Twitter (#bigbang2011) will serve to initiate conversations and create on-site interest groups; and, finally, QR codes will be used to grant access to the mobile site and to the participant's guide from mobile phones with keyword search capabilities. There will also be a Mobile-Techno squad on location to demystify mobile applications and help unlock their full potential.

About the Quebec Technology Association (AQT) The AQT has over 450 members and affiliate members. The Association brings together Quebec Information and Communications Technology companies, their management teams, and industry partners. The AQT Growth Accelerator gives them access to a broad range of services and networking opportunities, while also facilitating access to the best management and marketing practices. The AQT calls attention to the challenges specific to the ICT industry and creates a powerful voice to influence governments and policy makers. The AQT is one of the main members of TECNA (Technology Councils of North America), a coalition of North America's leading technology associations. www.aqt.ca. For more information on the event, please visit: www.lebigbang.net.

SOURCE QUEBEC TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION (AQT)