At the heart of HUB Montreal, personalized B2B meetings take center stage. Far more than simple networking, they are designed as genuine catalysts for collaboration, tailored to meet the concrete needs of players in the creative and digital industries. Each year, the HUB Montreal team works well in advance to organize these strategic exchanges, connecting Quebec studios with international guests and generating tangible benefits for the ecosystem.
How was this tailored approach developed? What vision drives HUB Montreal behind this unique system?
To discuss this, we spoke with Olivier Gagnon, Head of International Development, and Christopher Lemonnier, B2B Experience Manager.
When does the “matchmaking” process between participants begin? Well before the event?
Christopher Lemonnier: Matchmaking at HUB Montreal starts well before the event. In fact, there isn’t really a fixed start date; it’s a continuous process. B2B meetings are part of a multi-year approach, drawing both from feedback from previous editions and market evolution, always aligned with the needs and goals of participating companies. Sometimes, to attract certain international personalities, we need to initiate processes several years in advance.
The history of our B2B meetings, along with the database built over the past nine years, now provides valuable assets for organizing more targeted and personalized encounters. For the current year, we rely on registrations in the HUB Connexion program, where participants specify their concrete needs. This information directly influences the recruitment of international guests.
What key information are you looking to gather from both sides?
Christopher Lemonnier: We aim to collect several essential pieces of information at different levels to organize truly tailored, high-quality B2B meetings. Among the most important are the types of projects sought, the ambitions driving them, budgets, technologies used, and also the philosophy and mindset behind each initiative. In 2025, we introduced a new pre-event form for participants, focusing on the technologies and ambitions of creative studios, which differs from previous years.
It’s also important to highlight Olivier’s expertise, as he conducts systematic interviews with all participants – both local Quebec studios and international guests. These discussions allow us to fully understand everyone’s needs.
Olivier Gagnon: On the international development side, at the beginning of the year, we conduct a post-mortem with participants from the previous edition to identify strengths and areas for improvement. We then define the most promising sectors and territories to explore, ensuring diverse profiles. I also make it a priority to explore less-developed markets to uncover new opportunities for the Quebec ecosystem. Once this mapping is complete, I quickly begin targeting actors and planning exploratory meetings.
During the preparatory exchanges, my first goal is to prequalify participants to ensure they have concrete projects where local expertise is relevant. Since our priority remains economic impact, it is essential to confirm that these guests have strong collaboration potential and can generate international development opportunities for the Quebec companies involved in B2B.
Do you use specific tools or methods to map profiles and prioritize meetings?
Christopher Lemonnier: We do not use AI or sophisticated algorithms to organize B2B meetings. Our efforts have focused on creating and refining scheduling tools so that planners can concentrate on matchmaking between players while ensuring that each company participating in HUB Connexion gets eight personalized meetings. In 2024, over 900 B2B meetings were organized.
Beyond this, we rely primarily on the expertise of our planners, who have a deep understanding of the ecosystem and various markets. As mentioned earlier, we also introduced a new form this year to collect more detailed information from companies before the selection process.
About a month before the event, we hold an exclusive pre-event meeting where international guests are presented to local creative companies. This step is valuable as it helps participants guide their choices, which is then integrated into meeting planning.
How do you ensure that each meeting is truly relevant?
Christopher Lemonnier: As I mentioned earlier, organizing B2B meetings is a long-term effort, built over years and continuously evolving. The recruitment of international guests, for instance, is based on the goals and needs of the ecosystem but also relies on planners’ expertise and contributions from partners like Investissement Québec International or the Ministry of Culture and Communications, who help bring in decision-makers. Feedback from participants of previous editions is also crucial: surveys and follow-ups allow us to continuously adjust our methods.
Of course, sometimes “it clicks or it doesn’t,” and that’s part of the process! But very often, we observe a positive surprise effect: international guests may come to meet a particular company but end up discovering the entire ecosystem. We always encourage multi-meeting approaches so that guests can meet several companies during the event. Sometimes, the contract isn’t with the initially targeted company but with another one that then engages other companies in the ecosystem. By experiencing the full breadth of Quebec creativity and expertise, opportunities naturally arise, which, in my view, is the strength of HUB Montreal’s B2B matchmaking. We cultivate this holistic vision: matchmaking respects and reflects the ecosystem rather than isolated business relationships.
Olivier Gagnon: The relevance of meetings relies first on preliminary calls, which help identify synergies between the targeted organization and our mission. My role is then to ensure that these organizations have concrete projects where our ecosystem can collaborate. When possible, I also explore available budgets to assess the feasibility of opportunities.
As mentioned, a new feature this year is that both international organizations and local participants fill out a pre-selection form for their “top 10.” This document provides key information about the guests’ objectives, sectors, and organizational profiles, enabling participants to make informed choices and ensure truly relevant meetings.
What are today’s challenges for international creative matchmaking?
Olivier Gagnon: One of the main challenges lies in managing expectations on both sides. In today’s economic context, both local and international organizations arrive with very high expectations regarding the outcomes of these meetings, which can create additional pressure to generate tangible results quickly.
How does this type of B2B support differ from simple networking at an event?
Olivier Gagnon: HUB has become an indispensable player in the industry thanks to its tailored B2B matchmaking. Four main factors distinguish our approach from simple networking at an event:
→ Deep knowledge of participants – we know who they are, their projects, and objectives, which allows us to create relevant meetings.
→ The ability to personalize a “top 10” – each participant can direct their meetings according to their development strategy.
→ Exclusive meetings with international decision-makers – each session lasts 15 minutes, offering focused and effective discussion time.
→ Access to international opportunities from Montreal – in just three days, participants can explore global collaboration without traveling abroad.
Personalized B2B meetings are much more than a service among many: they form the DNA of HUB Montreal and one of the reasons the event stands out internationally. By emphasizing the quality of connections, HUB Montreal establishes itself as a genuine accelerator of collaborations and tangible benefits for the creative ecosystem.
The 2025 edition will feature enhanced B2B services through the HUB Maillage platform, designed to facilitate connections with the most relevant professionals in the sector. This exclusive service is available with the HUB Connexion pass, on sale until Friday, September 12, granting access to all HUB Montréal activities.
From October 20 to 22, Montreal’s creative ecosystem will gather alongside international guests for three days of inspiring and forward-looking meetings.
HUB MONTRÉAL THANKS ITS 2025 EDITION PARTNERS
