The case takes place in early 2008. It illustrates the remarkable use that Cirque du Soleil makes of information technology. The case is based, in part, on the keynote speech that Danielle Savoie - who was then Vice-President of Information Technology and Knowledge Management at Cirque du Soleil - gave at the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) in Montreal in December 2007. The case is structured around the touring show life cycle and describes how information technology supports the complete process involved in designing, producing, staffing and diffusing shows at Cirque du Soleil. The case presents key infrastructure and applications and offers insights into how IT can support the key operational processes in an artistic, creative and innovative organization.

The case describes Information Technology at Cirque du Soleil in 2000, when a new Chief Information Officer was hired. The main challenge of the CIO was to find out how IT could best serve the Cirque. She was convinced that to meet this challenge, she had to develop an IT strategic vision that would be accepted by the top management of Cirque du Soleil, to deploy a highly professional IT group and increase the credibility of IT among the firm's leaders.