How to fight the war on words

Banning books, removing DEI policies, arguments about freedom of speech and challenges to the science behind climate change. For most of us, the noise around these global controversies has never felt so loud. Yet with knowledge sharing, collaboration and bringing communities together being the lifeblood of the events industry, how do we react? The famously free-thinking city of Montréal might provide some of the answers

Openness is in Montréal’s DNA. Quebec’s largest city has earned its reputation for innovative and creative ways of thinking. And for many years in a row, Montréal has topped the Union of International Associations (UIA) annual list of top cities in the Americas for hosting international association meetings.

C2 Montréal Photo Credit: Jimmy Hamelin - Tourisme Montréal

“One of the largest sources of revenue generation in events is attendance,” says Business Events Montréal’s Regional Director John Ehlenfeldt. “If your prospective attendees don’t feel safe, welcome or embraced by your destination, they will consider not travelling there. I always like to relate DEI (Diversity, Equality and Inclusion) to business, because the companies that have embraced it have created a diversity of thought, and that is key to more innovation and, ultimately, more profit. It’s a statistical fact. It’s the smart thing to do.”

Montréal is a major North American urban centre and the second largest city in Canada. More than 80 languages are spoken in this friendly, cosmopolitan and multicultural destination, including its two official languages: English and French. When surveyed, 84 per cent of residents said they are proud to welcome visitors.

Seeking scientific collaboration

Scientifically, Montréal is at the forefront of collaborative research and one of North America’s leading hubs for life sciences and health technology, making it an attractive destination for meetings in the life sciences.

It is a city proud to put the principles and practices of Open Science into action. Designed to make scientific research accessible to all, Open Science is a concept predicated on sharing knowledge and therefore solutions and cures. It requires promoting knowledge sharing above proprietary notions of profit, opting for open licences, shared databases and accessible tools for everyone globally. Its key notions are transparency, reproducibility, equality of access, flexibility, adaptability and collaboration.

This sharing philosophy is emblematic of Montréal’s life sciences field. It’s part of what has made it an attractive ecosystem for researchers, entrepreneurs and biopharma leaders such as Novartis, Pfizer and Moderna, which is building a new mRNA vaccine factory just outside Montréal.

A playground for international associations

It’s no wonder then that ICCA has ranked Montréal first in North America for international association meetings for the ninth consecutive year.

With nearly 70 international organisations, including six UN offices, Montréal ranks 3rd in the Americas for the number of international organisations based in the city.

Business Events Montréal (Tourisme Montréal) is a non-profit that understands the challenges and needs of association events. Says Mylène Gagnon, Vice President, Sales and Convention services: ''At Tourisme Montréal, our role goes beyond promoting a destination - we act as strategic partners for associations looking to create meaningful, future-focused events. Montréal offers a unique blend of intellectual capital, openness and hospitality, and our team is here to help leverage that potential at every step of the planning process.''

In addition to the financial assistance provided by Business Events Montréal, it’s possible to apply for provincial and federal funding for business events.

C2 is a flagship industry event in the business tourism sector, combining creativity and commerce - and, according to CEO Anick Beaulieu, couldn’t happen in any other city. “We have three pillars: sustainability, experiential and transformative technologies,” she says. “And when you look at the DNA of the city and our strengths economically, those three pillars are fundamental to our economy and how it's transforming.”

Sustainable development

Dorchester Square - Place du Canada Photo Credit: Stephan Poulin - Tourisme Montréal

Montréal hosted 8,000 delegates with just five months of preparation as the world congregated for COP15 in 2022, with representatives from 196 countries joining the 15^th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.

And the city continues to win environmental accolades:

• Montréal was the first Canadian city to join the Global Sustainability Index
• Is in the top 3 destination leaders in North America for its performance in rendering tourism more sustainable (GDS-Index 2025)
• Achieved the highest score ever recorded in the destination category by GreenStep during its sustainable tourism certification process
• Is home to 16 international associations in the environment and sustainable development sector

Business Events Montréal has made the environment and community a top priority. Event professionals can expect an impressive toolkit to help them meet or surpass their sustainability benchmarks, which includes resources for making donations and recycling event waste to a directory of volunteer activities that enables attendees to leave a lasting impact.

LEED-certified venues include:

PHI – capacity 265
TOHU – capacity 1,400
Maison du développement durable - capacity 320
Centre Bell - capacity 15,000

The Palais des congrès de Montréal was one of the first carbon-neutral convention centres in the Americas for energy use. It has been awarded BOMA BEST Silver certification and offers local-first catering provided by Maestro Culinaire and Équiterre. It is also developing an intelligent, AI-powered event waste-reduction programme through a student partnership with Polytechnique Montréal, one of Canada’s leading engineering educational and research institutions.

Intellectually vibrant

Palais des congrès de Montréal Photo Credit: Daph & Nico - Tourisme Montréal

The Knowledge Collective is a joint initiative of Business Events Montréal and the Palais des congrès de Montréal designed to connect international associations with local thought leaders.

Long regarded as one of North America’s most intellectually vibrant cities, Montréal is home to four universities alongside many research institutes and cultural institutions. Each year, around 188,000 students – including 40,000 international students from 150 countries – study here. The city also ranks first in Canada for university research funding, with $1.8 billion invested annually (Montréal International).

In 2017, UQAM, Tourisme Montréal and the City of Montréal launched the MT Lab, the first incubator in North America dedicated to tourism, culture and entertainment.

According to the Startup Genome, Montréal is one of the world’s most active start-up hotbed cities providing the home base to more than 2,500 active start-ups. With over 190,000 employees working primarily in the tech and artificial intelligence industries, the city ranked 39th among the nearly 300 cities considered for the 2024 Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking, thanks to its strategic location, highly educated talent pool, innovative spirit, high level of performance and attractiveness for both entrepreneurs and investors.

The Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) is the largest hotel management school in Canada specialising in the tourism, hotel, restaurant and sommelier professions, ensuring a continuous pipeline of new talent for members of the ecosystem. In 2025, the ITHQ restaurant was listed among the establishments recommended by the prestigious MICHELIN Guide,  the only teaching restaurant in Canada to receive this prestigious recognition.

The Transat Chair in Tourism's mission is to foster the growth and prestige of the Quebec tourism industry by supporting research, education and the dissemination of information.

DEI: incorporating inclusion every step of the way

“DEI isn’t just about being invited to the dance, it’s being asked TO dance,” says Business Events Montréal’s Regional Director John Ehlenfeldt, who serves on the global board of trustees for Meeting Professionals International and obtained a DEI certification from Cornell University. He believes Montréal is the perfect host city for all.

“When you talk about Diversity, Equality and Inclusion, it’s about the desire to have people bring their true and authentic selves to everything they do. That’s when you’ve truly achieved inclusivity. And that’s part of Montréal’s brand,” he says.

“One of the hardest areas to tackle is unconscious bias,” Ehlenfeldt explains. “How do you unlock that within yourself? It requires a lot of reflection. It’s something that I’ve integrated in my career as well as in my personal life.”

Home to one of the largest LGBTQ+ communities globally, Quebec was the first province to implement an anti-homophobia policy. Fierté Montréal, the city's annual Pride celebration, is the largest Francophone LGBTQ gathering in the world.

A city of safety

Montréal Pride Photo Credit: Eva Blue - Tourisme Montréal

The nature of inclusivity is a spirit of welcome and safety for all. 

Voted the safest city to travel in North America, Holidu voted Montréal the safest city in the world for solo women to travel. Montréal has participated in the UN Women Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces Global FPI since 2019. Out Traveler decreed Canada one of the world’s 7 best countries for LGBTQ+ visitors to explore.

Montréal is part of several initiatives, such as the Coalition of Municipalities against Racism and Discrimination and the International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities, under the aegis of UNESCO. The inclusion model extends to LGTBQ2+, Indigenous Peoples, religious beliefs, as well as ethnic and visible minorities.

In the city where John Lennon and Yoko Ono recorded ‘Give Peace a Chance’ and Cirque du Soleil originated, we shouldn’t be surprised that exciting changes are happening on every level. Fun, affordable, cultural, accessible and alluring, Business Events Montréal is making it easier than ever for business events to be a part of it. And in a complicated world, the city’s spirit of openness and collaboration helps create events that are more rewarding.

For more information on Business Events Montréal, click here