Bilingual Executive Forum

attendees:

370

duration:

3.5 days

Location:

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

September 2023 took us to the vibrant city of Montreal, Canada. A French-speaking province, we orchestrated a fully bilingual 3.5 day executive forum designed to connect, develop and inspire.

With meticulous attention to detail and creative flair, the event showcased the best of Montreal, inspired by its rich tapestry of languages, cuisines and traditions.

From the moment guests arrived at their hotel, they experienced high-touch hospitality and support. They were welcomed in person at the registration desk with refreshments, and gifted a premium welcome pack containing must-have apparel, treats from iconic local partners and premium technical tools.

Our fully integrated event app was an invaluable tool for guests, allowing them to receive time-sensitive notifications from the event team and communicate with one another. It also provided convenient access to the agenda, a local’s guide to Montreal, interactive venue floor plans and maps, daily surveys and the ability to book into our morning wellness program which had something for everyone – from yoga to a sunrise hike to picturesque Mount Royal, meditation to invigorating Zumba.

Our daily programming took place at the Port of Montreal’s Grand Quay – a vibrant waterfront at the heart of the Old Port of Montreal offering a combination of historical charm, cultural significance and stunning views of the Saint Lawrence River.

Programming highlights included:

Harvard Business School Professor and acclaimed author, Amy Edmonson
Psychologist, hostage negotiator and Professor of Leadership and Organisational Behaviour, George Kohlreiser and
Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland

“I am honestly not sure how you did it, but you created a very special moment for our company. I am so grateful and proud.”

Offering flexible, light-filled spaces and multiple indoor and outdoor areas for breaks and lunch, Grand Quay allowed our cohort to efficiently move from learning sessions in to break times and back again with ease.

Being a bilingual event, we had live translators on site, headsets available for all guests and used an AI tool for live translations to screen.

Famed for its food and innovative culinary scene, our custom menus featured Montreal’s top chefs and food vendors, from award-winning pastry chef Chez Potier to iconic food trucks Mandy’s, Mi Corazon and Queues de Castor.

Known as the circus hub of North America, to open the event we took guests to Cirque Eloize. We wowed them with an unforgettable aerial performance, projection mapping and trampolining bartenders.

On Wednesday evening, we designed ‘A taste of Quebec’ riverside barbecue at the picturesque Commencement Square featuring legendary Quebecois cuisine. Guests feasted on 3 kinds of poutine (chips topped with cheese curds and gravy), smoked and barbecued meats with maple sauce, seasonal fresh salads, and topped it off with Tire – a Quebec specialty of maple syrup taffy on crushed ice – quite the feat given Canada was in the midst of a heat wave.

A hidden speakeasy bar installed in the 65-metre high Port of Montreal observation tower, serving custom cocktails inspired by the events themes, created the perfect place for our photobooth and gave guests a stunning bird’s eye view of the city.

Our celebratory closing party held at the Four Seasons hotel was the ultimate ending to this unforgettable experience. Guests sipped champagne on the Terrace while the sun set, listened to esteemed jazz Canadian diva Ranae Lee and then danced into the night to the beats of local DJ Zo.

“It was an absolutely fabulous event to connect, listen, heal and show our renewed pride to represent our company”