QUISPAMSIS, N.B. – This year’s Canadian Cable Systems Alliance annual general meeting and Connect conference will be the 20th year the group gathers for networking, knowledge and fun.
“It really is the only opportunity everybody has to get together anymore,” said CCSA president and CEO Alyson Townsend.
The 2013 conference will take place September 22-24 at the Fairmont Mont Tremblant, Quebec. The theme of this year’s Connect is focused on community and all that means.
“So, we’re celebrating the CCSA community that has been around for 20 years, we’re celebrating the communities that are served by our members – and that is through, among other things, the rejuvenation of the community channel awards, which we’re really excited about,” said Townsend in an interview. “Then of course there’s the larger industry community: the programmers, the suppliers, the other larger, vertically integrated companies – everybody comes and we want to celebrate that larger community as well.”
There have been no community channel awards since the Galaxy Awards ended with the demise of the CCTA in 2006 and the judges will be Cartt.ca editor and publisher Greg O’Brien, former Delta Cable CEO John Thomas and former CRTC vice-chair broadcasting Michel Arpin. Submissions are due Friday, June 21st. Click here for more information or to enter.
After a members-only day on Sunday the 22nd of various workshops (where members will be filled in on their new marketing kits, various regulatory files and a progress report on a TV Everywhere solution for independent operators), the CCSA hosts a cocktail party in the evening for all delegates.
Monday morning’s keynote speaker, CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais will kick off the event with a speech at 8:30 and he will be followed by “unmarketing” expert Scott Stratten on the topic of “Stop Marketing and Start Engaging”. Once Stratten is done, the conference trade show will open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
After the trade show and lunch, customer service expert Doug Lipp will talk about The Art of Customer Service and then broadcaster Rex Murphy will speak on Connecting the Community of Canada. Monday evening will see the conference dinner and awards presentations, then Canadian comic Sugar Sammy will round out the day’s events.
Tuesday the 24th will be the gathering’s golf tournament or culinary workshop for those non-swingers.
In order to register for what sounds like a very interesting event, please click here.
