Tourisme Montréal wanted to position the city as a creative and inspiring city to the eyes of the congress organizers and business decision-makers from all around the world. However, it was difficult to deliver something amazing with only $150 K available at that time. The challenge: generate something bigger that would have the right impact on such a specific and dispersed target.

Of course the success had to be measured by successful media coverage, but above all, by strong endorsements regarding Montréal and the ability to reach top-tier international influencers. An idea was born: mobilizing Arianna Huffington, Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Eisner, and other world leaders to participate in a great convention celebrating Creativity serving Commerce. We called it C2-MTL, an event that would gather them in Montréal, enable them to share ideas, and maybe even create new projects. As proof of the value of this initiative, governments, investors, and partners quickly raised eight million dollars to give rise to this idea. Suddenly the budget was multiplied by 50! Autodesk, Fast Company, and IBM delegated their representatives. Last year, from May 22 to 25, 45 creative and business stars – closely followed by 1,250 decision-makers from 34 countries – landed in Montréal. They were welcome in a venue that was specifically designed for the event. There, one could discover and enjoy interactive exhibitions, multimedia presentations, festive evening parties, collaborative workshops, as well as a creative bootcamp to benefit the Foundation (RED).

Thanks to C2-MTL’s PR tools and to the participation of hundreds of high-end torchbearers, Montréal’s creative specificity popped in the face of the world in the course of one event.

C2-MTL completely invented the notion of gatherings in order to better explore the Commerce + Creativity dynamic. It uses different magnification techniques to reach an audience that is as dispersed as it is hyper selective:

1. A teasing phase that speculates on the leverage effect of the speakers’ names and the present brands, using cleverly orchestrated revelations.

2. Speaker Robert Safian from Fast Company publishes a 20-page special issue on Montréal.

3. The public unveiling of prestigious reports during C2-MTL, as the IBM 2012 CEO Study and Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People on Business list.

4. The launch of a high-visibility application: Arianna Huffington’s GPS for Soul.

5. Synchronization with the creative forum of UNESCO cities of design.

6. The setting of a creative boot camp to benefit the Foundation (RED) for a cause of international concern: the fight against HIV.

7. The use of magnification digital techniques: live tweets, online debates, Web TV.

- From a starting budget of $150,000, we ended up with a sponsored project worth $8m

- 1,250 decision-makers from 34 countries came to Montréal for at least three days

- More than 75% of attendees were satisfied and would recommend the event to their friends and acquaintances

- The event laid the grounds for a potential of $185m in economic benefits

- Touristic expenses of $850,000 for the city of Montréal

- A 2013 edition which promises a 20% profit and renowned speakers such as Sir Richard Branson and Philippe Starck