By carrying out international missions, HUB Montréal acts as a strategic observer monitoring global trends, mapping creative ecosystems, and engaging with new buyers and potential partners. This approach enables the organization to design a bespoke event each year, tailored to the needs and opportunities of Québec’s and the international creative community.
This momentum continued through the end of 2025 with an expanded international presence, from Chile to Lithuania, via Hungary and Austria, and on to Paris. Several of these missions, conducted under the HUB on the Road banner, helped forge connections, showcase Québec talent, and build bridges between ecosystems, thereby strengthening the international reach of Québec creativity.
In Chile, HUB Montréal discovered an emerging creative ecosystem, supported by strong political will to position digital creativity as a driver of urban and cultural development. Invited as a speaker at Expo Viña Innova, Rachel Parent engaged in discussions with Macarena Ripamonti, Mayor of Viña del Mar, and other international leaders on structuring a sustainable creative ecosystem.
The discussions highlighted a Chilean market oriented toward live entertainment and experiences, fertile ground for collaborations with Québec. The event also showcased inspiring projects: Carolina Leos, Director of Experiences at Distritotec (Monterrey, Mexico), presented the revitalization of a university district centered on digital creativity, while Lázaro Israel Rodríguez Oliva, Head of the Culture Programme at the UNESCO Office in Santiago, shared the organization’s evolving criteria to better integrate audiovisual and digital practices.
This exploration paved the way for the discovery of European ecosystems, beginning with Lithuania. HUB Montréal took part in ArtTech Forum 2025 in Vilnius, an event bringing together international experts around art, immersive technologies, AI, and creative innovation. The presentation of Montréal’s ecosystem highlighted how creativity drives economic and cultural development, as well as HUB Montréal’s role as a catalyst in this dynamic. The mission also offered insight into a Lithuanian ecosystem in transition, rich with opportunities for exchange and collaboration with Eastern Europe.
Among the inspiring projects and local initiatives illustrating the vibrancy of Lithuania’s creative scene was Forever in Motion, an immersive installation at the Vilnius Auto Museum: a 30-minute experience where light, sound, and architecture merge to create a unique universe, symbolizing current innovations in digital creativity and immersive art. The event also brought together international experts, including Toby Coffey (Immersive Storytelling Studio, National Theatre), who shared his experience in immersive storytelling and VR/AR technologies, offering valuable perspectives on the development of creative ecosystems worldwide.
In Paris, HUB Montréal, working alongside L’Effet Québec (an initiative of Xn Québec), the Québec Government Office in Paris, and Investissement Québec International, led a mission aimed at strengthening ties between the French and Québec creative ecosystems. As part of this initiative, the delegation—comprising innovative companies such as Consors, Dpt., Graphics eMotion, GSM Project, La Piscine, Moment Factory, OASIS immersion, Supply & Demand, TKNL, Troublemakers, and URBANIA—also took part in We Are French Touch, the flagship La French Touch event organized by Bpifrance, to explore collaboration opportunities and share best practices.
The Québec delegation visited several strategic and inspiring sites, including Chaillot – National Theatre of Dance with the immersive project Chaillot Augmenté; CENTQUATRE-PARIS; the Maison des Startups – LVMH, a major innovation hub; and the City Hall of Saint-Denis as part of the reconstruction project of the basilica cathedral’s tower and north spire. Highlights included participation in We Are French Touch, as well as the large-scale urban development project Plaine Commune—particularly the future Pleyel district—which aims to bring together leisure, tourism, and culture within an attractive and sustainable environment for residents.
This mission reaffirmed the importance of creative industries as a lever for international competitiveness and the strength of the ties between France and Québec. According to Olivier Gagnon, Head of International Development at HUB Montréal: “As a key player in the strategic development of the creative industries, we have a responsibility to build bridges between ecosystems. This mission to Paris illustrates our commitment to creating sustainable partnerships that drive innovation and strengthen the international reach of Québec creativity.”
The international missions undertaken by HUB Montréal underscore the importance of building connections and drawing inspiration from creative ecosystems around the world. Among them, NUMIX LAB 2025, an initiative of Xn Québec and {Correspondances digitales], brought together the international digital community for five days of visits, meetings, and exchanges in Budapest, Veszprém, Vienna, and Linz, fostering innovation and the development of transatlantic collaborations. This edition also marked a first: the use of the HUB Maillage platform to facilitate B2B meetings. A collaboration we are particularly proud of, once again demonstrating HUB Montréal’s business potential and its ability to structure and support professional exchanges on an international scale.
These experiences provide valuable insights for the future of digital creation in Québec, informing the development of new projects and initiatives while building lasting bridges with international creative ecosystems. They also reflect the types of exchanges and collaborations that will be explored at the 10th edition of HUB Montréal in 2026, where ideas, experimentation, and partnerships will continue to converge and grow.
HUB MONTRÉAL THANKS ITS 2025 EDITION PARTNERS
