Wednesday, May 27 - Association des Stations de ski du Québec : Association des Stations de ski du Québec

7:00–8:30 a.m.
Breakfast St-Laurent Dining Room
Presented by:

8:30 a.m.
Salle Malbaie
Teams Committed to High-Quality Customer Relations

Staff commitment can’t be mandated. Just as we can intuitively tell the difference between a fake smile and a genuine one, we can also recognize a warm welcome when we see one! How can we ensure that the customer experience lives up to expectations? It certainly depends in large part on the experience of the staff themselves. And how do we foster this commitment, which will inspire employees to pay attention to the small details that make all the difference? How do we get them on the right side of the force? Jean-François Bertholet offers a fresh perspective on this fascinating topic.

Speaker: Jean-François Bertholet, Professor, HEC Montréal; Human Resources Consultant

Presented by:

9:45 a.m.
Coffee break in the exhibition hall

10:30 a.m.
Malbaie Room

The Race for Relevance

Ski areas are facing multiple pressures at once: climate change, constantly evolving visitor expectations, competition from alternative experiences, and accelerated digital transformation. In this context, survival no longer depends solely on snow conditions or location. It depends on relevance.

Through his Relevance Matrix, Carl Boutet offers a concrete strategic framework to assess and strengthen a resort’s positioning across four key areas: a distinctive experience, operational excellence, a bond of trust with customers, and the smart integration of technology.

This conference invites ski areas leaders to ask themselves the real questions:

Are you setting yourself apart with your true strengths, or are you blending into a sea of sameness?
Do your technology investments truly enhance the on-site experience?
And above all, is your business model designed to withstand change or to adapt?

Speaker: Carl Boutet, Business Strategist, Educator, Author, and Speaker.

12:00 p.m.
Lunch in the exhibition hall
Presented by:

Concurrent Workshops

1:45 p.m.
Malbaie A Room

Inclusive Leadership: Turning Diversity into a Strength

Speaker: Marielle Bourguignon Cyr

In an environment where teams are increasingly diverse and seasonal realities demand agility and collaboration, how can we harness talent and create respectful, high-performing workplaces? This workshop-style presentation offers industry leaders a deeper understanding of their role in creating inclusive work environments.

Through interactive activities, participants will explore key concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as the essential skills of inclusive leadership. They will leave with simple, actionable steps to strengthen team engagement, leverage everyone’s strengths, and transform diversity into a true driver of organizational performance.

Presented by:

Malbaie B Room
The Quest for What Makes Us Human

A presentation of Edges 2026 by Tam-Tam, exploring major emerging cultural trends to better understand the paradoxes, tensions, and opportunities shaping today’s brand decisions. Why, as technology advances, the question of what makes us human becomes central.

Speakers: Jean-Xavier Wilhelmy, Director of Strategic Planning, Tam-Tam
Audrey Lefebvre, Executive Vice President, Tam-Tam

3:00 p.m.
Coffee break

Concurrent workshops (cond't)

3:30 p.m.
Malbaie A Room
How can you optimize the customer experience, ensure a simple booking process, encourage advance purchases, and build loyalty among your future customers? Join the discussion to explore potential solutions: dynamic pricing, traffic management, and data utilization.

Animation: Patrick Ménard, E-Liberty

Panelists: Marc-André Meunier, Bromont montagne d’expériences

Sébastien Tremblay, Mont Grand-Fonds

Presented by:

Malbaie B Room
Sustainable development round table confirmed

The workshop is designed to be interactive and dynamic, featuring rotating thematic discussion tables.

The concept was simple: each table would explore a specific topic related to sustainable development or climate change adaptation, with an expert facilitating the discussion among participants. Every 20 minutes, participants would move to a different table to explore a new topic.
Here are some of the topics participants can choose from:

1. Diversifying offerings: how to develop a unique identity, present standout projects, and make effective use of regional funding opportunities.
2. Social acceptability, communication, and transparency: addressing key issues regarding the communication of our operations, public perceptions, and the risks of greenwashing.
3. Food services and GMR, addressing the environmental footprint of the food offering, as well as best practices for signage and waste sorting management.
4. GreenStep’s SD Toolkit, a Canada-wide initiative to provide stations with practical tools to support the transition to more sustainable practices.

The room

As part of the renewal of the PADAT and PAFIRSPA programs, several stations will have the opportunity to address their infrastructure renewal needs. To do so, they must first develop a strategic project that meets the selection criteria. Come learn about the mechanisms and expectations of these funding programs.

Animator: Yves Juneau, ASSQ

Panelists:

Annie Cloutier, Investissement Québec

Luc Chapdelaine, 4C2

Nathalie Roy, Kéroul

Presented by: