WCIT2012 unveils its program for the first-ever Montreal event
June 15, 2012
MONTREAL – June 15, 2012 - Today, during the global teleconference featuring the legendary radio and television host Larry King, professor Peter A. Bruck and Canadian author and speaker Don Tapscott, the World Congress of Information Technology (WCIT 2012) has unveiled the official program of the event that will take place in the Palais des Congrès de Montréal (Canada) from October 22 to 24, 2012.
A Signature Event for the Global ICT Industry
Since its first edition in 1978, WCIT is organized every two years in different parts of the world under auspices of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), the leading voice of the global ICT industry. WCIT has become the world’s leading information technology gathering, featuring prominent business leaders as well as internationally recognized thinkers from government and academia.
The organization of the 18th edition of WCIT was awarded to the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) during WCIT 2008 (Kuala Lumpur) and is marking the first-ever event of this global scale in Quebec. Convened under the theme of ONE Vision for a Global Digital Society, the Congress will feature, in a fast-paced 3-day conference, more than 100 high-profile speakers and attract up to 3,000 delegates from more than 80 countries providing a unique perspective on the global promise of the digital revolution. WCIT 2012 will be hosted by Don Tapscott, arguably the world's leading authority in the field of information technology.
World Tech Jam – online brainstorming to shape WCIT 2012 agenda
From June 5-7, WCIT 2012 kicked off its activities by hosting, in collaboration with IBM, a World Tech Jam: a digital brainstorm session moderated by global industry experts and the IBM Smarter Planet communities. Citizens from 84 countries logged on more than 11,000 times to contribute ideas and identify actions that our governments, businesses and society can adopt in order to help address societal and economic challenges in sectors such as Collaborative Healthcare, Education & Digital Skills, Smart Cities & Transportation, Energy, the Environment & Sustainability and, Media, Arts & Culture.
Highlights of the WCIT 2012 Program
- On October 23,, 2012 Larry King, a legendary radio and television host, will present a keynote roundtable, “The Digital Era and the Impact on our Society”, dedicated to the challenges and solutions in regards to the evolution of technology and the future of innovation. During this roundtable, Larry King will welcome special guests including businessman Carlos Slim Jr., Intel’s CTO Justin Rattner, and others.
- Keynotes will be presented by leading experts in the fields of information technology: Robert Youngjohns – President, Microsoft North America, Wim Elfrink – CGO, Cisco, Tom Jenkins - Executive Chairman and Chief Strategy, Bernard Charlès, President and CEO, Dassault Systèmes, and many more.
- A B2B event with structured business meetings to renew or develop multinational and cross-industry contacts and partnerships – strategic, commercial, financial, and technological – between companies from both developed and emerging economies.
- The C200 Investment Forum will provide a premium networking opportunity for the smartest and most innovative Canadian early-stage technology companies to meet with invited members of the international ICT investment community.
- Professor Peter A. Bruck will co-host, with WCIT 2012, the United Nations’ World Youth Summit Award (WSYA). The WSYA selects and promotes best practice in e-content and new media, demonstrates young people’s potential to create outstanding digital content and serves as a platform for people from all UN member states in their efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs are eight concrete goals to eradicate poverty and inequality worldwide that were set in 2000 by the UN and should be reached by 2015.
- An exhibition featuring the latest advancements in ICT products, services, and applications, including government pavilions showcasing the expertise of leading ICT countries.
“WCIT 2012 brings a unique opportunity for industry leaders, businessmen, members of government, academia and civil society to share knowledge and expertise, to exchange ideas concerning a wide range of global ICT issues and to forge strategic relationships in order to grow businesses, - says François Morin, CEO of WCIT 2012. – The unique event will showcase Canadian technology innovation to a global audience, creating business opportunities for Canadian entrepreneurs and attracting foreign investment.”
ONE Vision for a Global Digital Society
The output of the World Tech Jam will be used to create the Global Digital Society Action Plan. The Plan aims at establishing the principles that will maximize the creative and intellectual potential that digital technologies can unlock across diverse sectors and institutions. It will inform, inspire and guide decision makers in sectors ranging from public administration and healthcare to education, environment, culture and science. On October 24, Anthony D. Williams, WCIT 2012 Program Chair, will present this unique document to Congress delegates, ICT stakeholders, government, academic and civil society leaders and, most importantly, to the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), which will promote the use of the Action Plan as a tool for policy development, educational curriculum and corporate citizenship programs until WCIT 2014 event in Guadalajara, Mexico.
About WCIT
The World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) is an event where CEOs as well as representatives from government and academia discuss opportunities and possibilities that IT applications offer. Organized under the auspices of WITSA, it offers a unique collaboration between the international ICT industry, users and the public sector. WCIT brings together more than 3,000 global leaders in business, government and academia from over 80 countries to impact economic and social development through the exchange of policies, practices, trends and ideas on ICT. Since its inception in 1978, WCIT has become the world's leading information technology gathering with prominent speakers from all over the world. Past congress speakers have included among others, Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Bill Clinton, Colin Powell, and Mikhail Gorbachev.
About WITSA
The World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) is a consortium of more than 80 information technology industry associations from economies around the world representing more than 90 per cent of the global ICT market. Founded in 1978, WITSA has become an increasingly active advocate in international public policy issues. It strengthens the industry at large by promoting a level playing field and by voicing the concerns of the international ICT community with multilateral organizations, including the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the G8 and other international arenas where policies affecting industry interests are developed.
WCIT 2012 is made possible with support of the following sponsors: Air Canada, AMD, Bell, Canon, CGI, Cisco, Dassault Systèmes, Dell, Enterprise Saskatchewan, Government of Canada, Gouvernement du Québec, IBM, ICTAM, Intel, Investissement Québec, ITAC, Microsoft, OpenText, RIM, SaskPower, Sasktel International, Softchoice, Tourisme Montréal, Xerox.
Media partners: The Globe and Mail, IT in Canada and La Presse.
-30-
Press relations:
Polina Lichagina
BICOM Communications
1 (514) 223-6770 ext. 224
plichagina@bicom.ca