Bombardier, BMO Financial Group, Youth Fusion, FIRST Robotics Quebec and Montreal Hooked on School invite you to the opening ceremony and official launch of the first Quebec Robotics Festival, a two-day event that will bring together more than 5,000 people and will feature high school and elementary school students taking part in significant technological challenges. This initiative aims to familiarize students with science and new technologies and to encourage young Quebecers to stay in and succeed at school.

The speakers at the opening ceremony will be:


Gerald Tremblay, Mayor of Montreal                                          
Laurent Beaudoin, Chairman of the Board of Bombardier Inc.                  
L. Jacques Menard, President of BMO Financial Group, Quebec                 
Christophe Guy, Chief Executive Officer of Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal  
Dean Kamen, Founder of FIRST                                                
Jon Dudas, President of FIRST                                               
                                                                            
                           Friday, March 16, 2012                           
                         Opening ceremony: 8:45 a.m.                        
            At Uniprix Stadium: 285 Faillon Street West, Montreal

The competitions will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, March 16, and Saturday, March 17. In the FRC Zone for 14- to 18-year-olds, 37 robots will play basketball in a challenge called Rebound Rumble. In the LEGO® Zone for 9- to 13-year-olds, 60 autonomous robots built using LEGO® Mindstorms NXT technology will take on a series of missions developed with the school program in mind.

Attended by representatives of the main partners, which include the J. Armand Bombardier Foundation, the city of Montreal, Montreal Hooked on School, CAE, Hydro-Quebec, local school boards, Vigilant Global, Bombardier and BMO Financial Group, the closing ceremony will award prizes to the top winners and honour the participants' efforts by showing their robots in action. The closing ceremony will take place on Saturday, March 17, 2012, at 3:30 p.m.

Members of the media are welcome throughout the festival, where they can meet the young participants and the business, university, government and educational partners.

In collaboration with Youth Fusion, FIRST Robotics Quebec is rallying companies, universities and the education community in Quebec to enable young people to acquire hands-on experience in science and technology and to inspire them to become the creators and innovators of tomorrow's Quebec.

Contacts: Marilena Varano Director of Communications, Vigilant Global, and member of the organizing committee 514 825-1377MVarano@vigilantglobal.com www.festivalderobotique.ca