History Québec

Québec-Friendly Business Seminar: Program Schedule and Speakers

February 11, 2016
Janice Dawley

Wednesday, March 23, 2016 – Hilton Hotel Burlington

MORNING WELCOME

8:30 AM Registration and Breakfast Buffet
9:00 AM Welcome and Introduction – Ernest Pomerleau, Honorary Consul of France for Vermont
9:15 AM Welcome Address – Tom Torti, President of the Lake Champlain Region Chamber of Commerce

THE QUEBECOIS CONSUMER

9:30 AM The Importance of the Quebec Consumer in the Vermont Market – Ron Redmond, Executive Director, Church Street Marketplace District; Kelly Devine, Executive Director, Burlington Business Association

  • Facts and Statistics about Quebec, its population and its weight in the Vermont economy
  • Quebec Holidays in 2016, credit cards, taxes, duty-free and customs
  • Keys Challenges and Opportunities for Burlington’s Economic Future.
10:00 AM Attracting and retaining Quebec visitors – Sonya Enright, Senior Executive Administrative Assistant/Marketing, Burlington Town Center

  • Bridging the cultural gap
  • Etiquette and expectations

BEST BUSINESS PRACTICES

10:30 AM Flash French Class – Alysse Anton, French instructor, AFLCR

  • Introduction and practice of greeting and welcoming Quebecois customers in French
  • Presentation of the French for Commerce crash course offered by the Alliance Française
10:45 AM Break
11:00 AM Translation: Doing it Right – Gene Richards, Director of Aviation, Burlington International Airport; Richard Gliech, Owner/Translator, Richard Gliech Translator, LLC

  • The Burlington International Airport: a local example of the importance of French translation for cross-border travelers
  • The importance of good translation, human vs. machine translation, cost
  • Tips on buying translation services and maximizing your translation budget
11:30 AM Overview of French- and Quebec-related Resources, Events and Initiatives – Lise Veronneau, Board member, AFLCR; Chair, Honfleur Sister City Committee; Tom Torti, President of the Lake Champlain Region Chamber of Commerce; Marla Woulf Coordinator, Vermont-Quebec Enterprise Initiative; Micheline Tremblay, Director of Education, AFLCR

  • Past and current French-friendly initiatives in Burlington and Chittenden County
  • Alliance Française of the Lake Champlain Region (AFLCR): Membership, activities and resources
  • The Vermont-Quebec Enterprise Initiative (VQEI)
  • The Network of North American Francophone and Francophile Cities, Honfleur Sister-City Committee, etc.
12:00 PM Closing Remarks and Discussion/Networking Session – Victoria Brassart-Jones, President, AFLCR

  • Our featured speaker will be available to answer any of your questions
  • Opportunity to discuss and network with like-minded business owners and managers
12:30 PM End of Seminar

Register Now!