7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast Saint-Laurent Dining Room
Presented by: 
7:30 a.m.
Grand Hall Foyer
Registration
9:00 a.m.
Malbaie Room
Welcome Remarks by the ASSQ President: – Jean-Michel Ryan, ASSQ
9:30 a.m.
Malbaie Room
Behind the Scenes of a Champion: Interview with Mikaël Kingsbury.
How ski areas and the industry could better support the development of elite athletes.
Host: Alain Cyr
Special Guest: Mikaël Kingsbury
Presented By
10:30 a.m.
Coffee Break
10:45 a.m.
Malbaie Room
People at the Heart of AI: Taking Action, Simply
There’s a lot of talk about artificial intelligence.
As if it were a technological revolution we need to embrace… Yet, on the ground, in your stations, within your teams, the real question lies elsewhere. How can we continue to do well, with what we have, with who we are… in a rapidly changing world? In this session, Anne suggests taking a step back to return to something fundamental: our ability to act.
– Rediscovering a culture of curiosity, where we allow ourselves to try, even in a world that’s moving faster and faster.
– Realizing that our organizations already possess immense wealth: their data, their experiences, their on-the-ground intelligence.
– And above all, giving ourselves permission to use AI without hesitation or judgment, keeping at the center what makes us strong: our place as human beings.
Because, at the end of the day, AI doesn’t replace us. It forces us to ask better questions. To make more conscious choices. To reconnect with what truly matters. A gathering to demystify, reassure… and above all, to rekindle the desire to try, on a human scale.
Speaker: Anne Nguyen, Senior Director of Artificial Intelligence, Quebec Innovation Council.
Presented by: 
12:00 p.m.
Lunch Malbaie Room
Presented by:
1:45 p.m.
Malbaie A Room
Discoverability in 2026: Digital Challenges and Issues for a Ski Areas
There’s a lot of talk about how search is increasingly shifting toward AI models like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode, and Gemini. And rightly so, because today’s consumers are adopting these tools at breakneck speed. How does your mountain appear in the mentions and citations provided by these models? And how can you ensure you appear favorably?
But discoverability also means building on the fundamentals that have always been the key to success in the digital world. A well-designed website, properly optimized for search engines and packed with useful information. A dynamic social media presence where people—especially younger audiences—continue to spend a great deal of time! Finally, a well-managed Google profile, featuring reviews and comments, along with business hours and customer photos. Are you confident that
you’re effectively managing all these aspects of your digital marketing?
Speaker: Frédéric Gonzalo, GONZO Marketing
Malbaie B Room
Preliminary data for the 2025–2026 season: What stands out about the season’s performance of Quebec and Canada?
Speakers: MCE Consulting and Paul Pinchbeck, Canadian Ski Council
Presented by: 
Tea Room
Better manage your mountain bike trails with tools designed for your teams
This workshop, organized in collaboration with Vélo Québec, presents the tools and services developed to support the management of mountain bike sites. Learn about the VQ Gestionnaires app, as well as expert services for trail classification and signage. A practical opportunity to better organize, secure, and optimize your trail networks.
Also, a demonstration of sites that have successfully implemented a fully documented, traceable, and accountable operational cycle.
Marie-Gabrielle Philibert, chargée de projets, vélo de montagne et fatbike, Vélo Québec
Udo Blenkhorn, Pixel Trail
Tadoussac Room
New! Double Diamonds Partners Presentation
If you’d like to chat with our Double Diamond partners and learn more about their products and services, here’s a great opportunity for you!
Meeting schedule:
Tuesday 1:30 p.m.: Doppelmayr
Tuesday 3 p.m.: Prinoth
Tuesday 4:15 p.m.: Axess
Tuesday 5:30 p.m.: Mécanique J. Clair ((The presentation will take place in the trade show hall at booth 55)
3:30 p.m.
Malbaie A Room
The Skiing Experience Through the Eyes of Customers
Presentation of results from various surveys to understand trends and profile the clientele of ski resorts in Quebec and Canada;
– the factors that motivate people to participate in the sport,
– how customer habits and segments are evolving,
the factors that impact the Net Promoter Score (NPS),
– factors that influence the experience of new skiers and snowboarders, etc.
Speaker: Julie Dussault Rémillard, Business Strategy and Market Intelligence, IPSOS
Presented by: 
Malbaie B Room
From retail to ski resorts: practical strategies for combating theft and fraud.
An overview of the measures implemented in the retail sector—both in-store and online—to combat theft, fraud, and security incidents, and how these approaches can be adapted to ski resorts, which face similar challenges. On the agenda: collaboration with law enforcement agencies, discussions with governments to strengthen legal tools and police resources, as well as best practices and new technologies that resorts can directly draw upon.
Speakers:
Michel Rochette, Président – Québec
Conseil canadien du commerce de détail
Francis Mailly, Vice-président affaires publiques
Conseil canadien du commerce de détail
Tea Room
From Intention to Action: Motivating Your Resort Teams
Motivation can’t be improvised—it must be cultivated. Join the CQRHT to explore the strategies that energize resort teams, from seasonal recruitment to staff retention. Through the CQRHT’s tools and the new Impulsion HR network, discover solutions tested by your peers in the tourism sector and draw inspiration from practices that have proven effective in the field. Discussions, concrete examples, and a toolkit are on the agenda. A hands-on workshop to move from intention to action as soon as you return to your resort, surrounded by a community that speaks your language.
Animators: Gabriel Vaillancourt and Marion Guignet, CQRHT
Panel to be confirmed
5:00 p.m.
Richelieu Room
The tradeshow is the largest business gathering dedicated exclusively to Quebec’s ski industry.
Come visit our exhibitors’ booths. More than 70 exhibitors will be there to showcase their products and services. Enjoy your visit!
Meet at 8:15 p.m. at the entrance to Manoir Richelieu to discover the heritage and history of Charlevoix like never before, through an artistic, playful, and poetic multimedia experience.
Cité Mémoire: Discover the rich and unique history of this region through 5 projections and more than 70 digital attractions
#maneige
