Quebec City business brings smart TV experience to a hotel near you

Vote for Quebec's finalist in the race for $100,000 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award Grand Prize

QUEBEC CITY, May 29, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) announced today that the turning-point project, "Room with a View," submitted by local businessman Louis-Philippe Noel, will represent Quebec in the finals of the 2014 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award (BDC YEA).

Louis-Philippe's project will allow his entertainment and information services company, Innvue, to bring a first-of-its-kind interactive smart television experience to hotel rooms across North America, improving the guest experience and providing new sources of revenue for hotels. To claim the $100,000 Grand Prize and turn Innvue into a true leader in its industry, Louis-Philippe needs votes from Canadians coast-to-coast.

Innvue has been bringing "lights, camera, action" to hotel rooms across Canada for a decade. Its integrated platform allows hotel guests to enjoy HD movies still in theatres, and provides hotels with a digital marketing channel to reach guests. But these traditional hotel television services are becoming old hat. Mobile Internet connectivity is revolutionizing how we work, play and access information. Meanwhile, hotels are looking for new amenities that will boost guest satisfaction and create additional sources of revenue. Innvue sees a huge market opportunity where these trends converge.

"The television set is becoming an interactive computer," says Louis-Philippe. "With the right platform, hotels can provide a smart, and mobile, digital experience that will address all of their guests' information and entertainment needs. Considering that most guests spend a significant part of their stay in their hotel rooms and almost always turn on the TV, there is no overstating the opportunity to boost engagement and provide more value."

The Innvue team is no stranger to the hotel industry. Over the past 10 years, its integrated television entertainment service has become the mainstay in almost 200 hotels across Canada. But fewer than 50 per cent of hotels offer HD content on their television. That is expected to change over the next few years, as the industry undergoes a massive evolution of the multimedia services typically provided to guests.

With its new Odyssey platform, Innvue wants to take advantage of this market shift with more than just additional HD content. Odyssey turns a hotel room TV into an extension of a guest's own computer, helps guests locate services and attractions in the area, provides a marketing channel for e-commerce and to promote the hotel's services, and replaces flyers, brochures and other promotional materials common to hotel lobbies with greener digital alternatives.

"Each of this year's finalists has shared a compelling story about how their business stands at that crucial crossroads where the right mix of vision and action can secure future growth and success," says Michel Bergeron, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Public Affairs at BDC. "Louis-Philippe and his team have already established a strong foothold in their industry, and, in true entrepreneurial spirit, they are reshaping the hotel stay experience."

"The future isn't what happens to you, it's what you make happen," says Louis-Philippe. "We are changing how we communicate, relax and find information through technology. Catering to our mobile digital lifestyles is the next great business opportunity for hotels. With your votes, Innvue can drive that revolution – a Canadian company that is redefining your hotel experience, across North America and beyond."

Voting for the 2014 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest runs from May 29 to June 12 at noon EST. To support your favourite project, log into the contest website and vote once a day. Follow the contest through updates on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Visit bdc.ca/awards to learn other ways in which BDC recognizes Canadian entrepreneurs. The BDC Young Entrepreneur Award winner and runner-up will be announced on June 18. The runner-up will receive $25,000 in consulting services offered by BDC.

About the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest

Created by the Business Development Bank of Canada in 1988, the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest pays tribute to remarkable Canadian entrepreneurs between 18 and 35.  This year, nine finalists were selected to compete for a $100,000 Grand Prize. A second prize of $25,000 in consulting services offered by BDC will be awarded to the contest runner-up. For the first time in 2014, a national committee evaluated the quality of the finalist projects and gave each finalist a ranking that will be combined with the public vote. The national committee evaluation was weighted to account for 30% of each project's final ranking and the public vote will account for the remaining 70% of the ranking. www.bdc.ca/yea.

About BDC

Canada's business development bank, BDC puts entrepreneurs first. With almost 2,000 employees and more than 100 business centres across the country, BDC offers financing, subordinate financing, venture capital, securitization and consulting services to more than 28,000 small and medium-sized companies. Their success is vital to Canada's economic prosperity.

SOURCE: Business Development Bank of Canada

Maria Constantinescu, Senior Advisor, Public Relations, BDC, [email protected], [phone]