Quebec Valley

From the Blitzweekend blog:

Blitzweekend is scheduled this spring (March 1st and 2nd) in Montreal, Canada. We expect it to be a very exciting and innovative event. Developers, designers and entrepreneurs are invited, in the spirit of StartupWeekend and rails rumble, to team up and build a product in just 48 hours.

Why should you be there?

1. For innovation

We will have geeks, gurus and entrepreneurs eager to work on latest technologies and try to come up with new software, algorithm, and designs of their own. Cool? You bet!

2. For the challenge

Do you have what it takes to design, build and deploy in 48 hours? Can you quickly solve technical problems? What about team dynamics? This is most certainly not an easy feat, and you will need to deliver your best and bring your best tricks. Excited yet?

3. For the experts

Each team will have “joker cards”, allowing them to call an expert in technology, design, marketing, business plan, finance, interface design etc. Do you feel that the challenges are overwhelming? Just raise the joker card, and you’ll get expert advice, allowing you to go forward in no time.

4. It’s an unconference

We won’t select attendees. We won’t ask for your resumes, your past experience or diplomas. Instead, we view each attendee as a co-organizer, bringing his or her own experience and skills and making blitzweekend the best event ever. Did we mention it’s free?

5. To learn

Blitzweekend will be an ideal opportunity to try out technologies and frameworks you never had time to try out previously. We will also be planning keynotes during the event, given by select experts and professionals.

6. To connect

Needless to say you will work, meet, and mingle with the most talented people in design, programming and in business. This, in itself, is worth the trip. If you are looking for co-founders, for a project or if you are hiring gurus for your startup, this is most certainly the event to be at!

7. Launch pad for you startup

The most promising teams who want to take their project to the next level and start a company will have access to resources such as venture capitalists, angel investors and business consultants. Got a good idea? Prove it!

8. Because it’s the future

Do you think people can’t build something in 48 hours? We don’t think so. Think rapid development frameworks like Ruby on Rails, Django, Merb and so on. Leaders like Facebook, Netvibes, Apple or Google released APIs that allow third-party developers to quickly develop an application on their platform. We think that it’s just the beginning, and we will see in the near future extremely rapid and agile tools allowing developers to launch applications in just a few days, if not hours. Come explore this world with us!

9. For the freedom

We will provide facilities, rooms, wireless access and food during the event. There are no rules on the projects themselves, apart that they should be in technology and they should be innovative. You can choose to either experiment or make stuff. If you want, you can write a business plan and create your own startup! It’s your choice!

10. For the fun

Yes, fun is they keyword here. If you go through the official website, you will see that it’s designed to be a game where teams compete to make something in a pre-determined amount of time. Attendees will get to vote on the most promising project at the end. We will even have a fun prize for the winning team.

So if you are in Montreal or planning to visit the city on March 1st and 2nd, then blitzweekend is a must attend event. For those of you who are interested, you can register on www.blitzweekend.com (it’s a wiki, so you can simply add your name)