With its prestigious C2-MTL conference scheduled this month, Montreal is unveiling several new venues and other developments in Canada’s French-speaking island city.
Sir Richard Branson is slated to be the headline speaker for the C2-MTL business creativity conference scheduled May 21-23. Branson, founder of Virgin Records and Virgin Airlines, among many others, will be joined by John Mackey, co-founder and CEO, Whole Foods; Elle Macpherson, former supermodel and founder and creative director of Elle Macpherson Intimates and The Body; and designer and architect Philippe Starck.
For event-planning professionals, Tourisme Montreal has launched a new event planning site designed to help meetings planners stay abreast on the latest developments and trends as well as deliver industry news digests along with helpful tips to introduce meeting planners to Montreal and all it has to offer. Among new things in Montreal is the recently upgraded Palais De Congres, which has the most up-to-date Internet technology service available. The new service can handle up to 20,000 Wi-Fi connections at once, so all attendees can use their wireless devices at once without interruption.
This year, the Palais is offering customizable mobile apps for each event, so organizers can reduce their environmental impact while generating new advertising revenue streams. Slated for availability in fall, the new “client portal” can provide statistical information on events, such as participant traffic and Internet use. Once up and running, the new technology will enable exhibitors to order services around the clock while enabling event organizers to perform a great deal of planning online.
Among new venues and attractions in Montreal is the Planetarium with its immersion theaters and the Grevin wax museum, both of which opened in April. And panoramic views from the Mariners House rooms of the Pointe-a-Calliere Museum are now open to the public.
The new venues and other attractions help affirm Montreal’s position as a top destination for tradeshows and travelers. Last year, the Union of International Associations voted Montreal the top destination for hosting events organized by international associations. The travel guide Lonely Planet ranks Montreal among the top 10 “Best in Travel” destinations for 2013, and CNN Travel recently ranked Montreal as the eighth most-liked city in the world.
