Canadian TV festival reinvents its status.

The road to Banff is paved with gold--television gold that is: content, connections and deals. That is the stuff expected to take place at the Banff World Television Festival from June 12-15 at the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel in the heart of the Canadian Rockies.

For its 26th year, the festival has added the word "World" to its name and, as Robert Montgomery, CEO of the Banff World Television Festival and CEO of the Toronto-based Achilles Media, explained, "it's simply an affirmation of a de-facto circumstance. Banff is obviously a very international event, so it was decided that since the 25th anniversary was last year, it should have a name that truly reflects it."

In terms of what's new and different this year, Robert Montgomery said, "We've really gone out and listened to the community that is behind the event, and we've come up with a number of innovations which delegates will find very much to their liking. The main purpose of Banff is to connect people and to be an important part of the evolution of television programming content." He continued, "In tandem with that goal is a desire to affirm Banff's status as the world's number one event specifically dedicated to television content creation."

Technology plays a vital role in the innovations of which Montgomery speaks, as he went on to explain: "The [most important] thing is that, for both broadcasters and producers, we're going to be able to give them a really productive experience. Everyone who comes to Banff has a profile, which for broadcasters describes a bit about them: what they're looking for in terms of acquisitions; and what they're looking for in their own development slate, in terms of ideas, genres and areas and subsets. Producers will be able to do the same thing, as will financiers and other participants in the market." He continued by saying that Banff will be "operating electronic appointments, whereby everyone's profile will be on the web. We're really taking as many steps as we can to facilitate the interaction."

Augmenting the traditional group of programming executives from the major U.S. and Canadian cable channels and principal European broadcasters who attend Banff on an annual basis, the event organizers are extending an invitation to an even broader range of key producers, broadcasters, financiers, buyers and government agencies from around the world. These newly acquired attendees will be asked to participate in focused conference sessions and scheduled meetings that will comprise a forum, which encapsulates the world of co-production.

The delegate list grows daily, but among the confirmed are representatives from Italy's Mediaset, the BBC, Alliance Atlantis, CHUM, Corus, National Geographic and France's TV5.

The Banff organizers are expecting around 1,300 delegates. Montgomery explained that Banff is unique because "it isn't about volume, it's about having the right people. Banff is very different from the markets that are specifically about selling finished programs." He explained: "Trade shows are about buying, selling and hustling. Banff is a fabulous retreat environment; it's about creativity and evolving programming for the next production schedule and, as such, it's very special, unique and less frenzied.

It's definitely about doing business and [increasing] productivity but it's about doing it in an environment which fosters program creativity," he said.

This year, once again, the festival will kick off with a game of golf. The Banff World Golf Tournament will be held at the Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course on June 12, and will benefit the Stephen Lewis Foundation, to help AIDS sufferers in Africa and their families.

One of this year's conference highlights will be the 26th Banff Rockie Award International Program Competition. Three new categories have been added for a total of 17 distinct program categories. Also new this year is the Rockie Award for Best Canadian Program. In addition to the C$50,000 Global Television Grand Prize, a $25,000 NHK President's Prize will be bestowed upon the best program produced or post-produced in high-definition.

The first-ever International Co-production Forum will welcome broadcasters, financiers, buyers and government agencies from around the world, who will participate in focused conference sessions, face-to-face sessions and pre-scheduled meetings.

Banff's signature pitching sessions will include New Players Pitch, which provides emerging talent with a platform to be seen and heard by top decision-makers, and Market Simulation, a forum in which selected projects are pitched to a world market of programmers, financiers and buyers. This audience of decisionmakers will grill the pitchers on everything from budget to casting concerns while they offer their opinions and advice. CTV's Canadian Documart, within the Banff schedule, is an opportunity for makers of mainstream, popular documentaries to win $100,000 in prize money. Finally, iPitch provides a forum for participants with ideas about a new media project associated with a television program, which combines convergence, interactivity, creativity and originality.