With 115 professional activities, 120 international guests and an increasing participation rate, the 8th edition was a real success!
In Montreal, November 19, 2024 – The essential market event for digital creativity, HUB Montreal, in partnership with the National Bank of Canada, concluded its 8th edition on October 23 at the Society for Arts and Technology during a festive closing ceremony highlighting the excellence of local creative talent with the presentation of the HUB Montreal 2024 Awards. For 3 days, at the 7 Fingers and across 20 emblematic locations in the city, Quebec digital creativity and its unparalleled know-how were able to shine under the theme “Horizon(s): technologies of perception and action.”
This 8th edition of HUB Montreal was hailed by the entire local and international creative industry, notably thanks to the diversity and quality of the content offered within the program, but also the industry personalities who contributed to it: Sundar Raman, Director of Technology at the Museum of the Future, Thierry Reboul, Executive Director of Ceremonies for the Paris Olympic Games, Sir William Sargent, Co-founder and President of Framestore, and Susan Parrs Jess, Director, Traveling and Exhibitions at the American Museum of Natural History, to name a few.
“For this 8th edition, we wanted to offer even more professional activities to our participants while targeting certain sectors for digital creativity such as the performing arts, museums, artificial intelligence to encourage exchanges between peers. This was particularly the case with the Workshops powered by La Piscine which facilitated collaborations on specific topics, Masterclasses which highlighted high-level expertise or Focus-markets which allow us to paint a socio-economic portrait of a market with strong development potential for our studios” declares Julie Dalbec, Head of Programming at HUB Montreal.
The B2B meetings pre-organized by the event concierge are also a highlight and an undeniable asset to encourage these collaborations and promote business opportunities between local studios and international buyers. More than 1,200 B2B meetings took place during this edition.
“Pre-organized B2B meetings are what characterizes HUB Montreal, it’s the very DNA of the event! These meetings make it possible to truly create opportunities for collaborations, to export Quebec know-how internationally for potential co-productions, but also to promote Montreal as a creative city,” says Olivier Gagnon, Head of International Development at HUB Montreal. “In 2023, it was more than $16 million in estimated spinoffs following the event and the B2B meetings,” recalls Olivier Gagnon.
Highlights of the 8th edition:
Finally, the event closed its 8th edition with the presentation of the HUB Montreal Awards, which highlight the significant contribution of personalities and projects to the ecosystem. Analyzed by an international jury composed of prominent industry members and chaired by Diane Quinn, President and CEO of the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, the following five awards were presented:
HUB MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH AWARD presented by Investissement Québec international
The HUB Montreal International Outreach Award rewards a company that has distinguished itself through its achievements outside Quebec. This year, the award was given to Supply & Demand studio for their project “Minecraft Touring Experience”.
HUB IMMERSIVE AWARD presented by Immersive Tech Week
The HUB Immersive Award recognizes the company whose project offers the most captivating immersive experience, blending emotional depth with cutting-edge technology. Congratulations to Moment Factory and Primo Entertainment who won the award this year with the project “The Messi Experience”.
HUB INNOVATION AWARD presented by Walt Disney Imagineering
The HUB Innovation Award recognizes the project that stands out the most for its original use of creativity and digital technologies. This year the award was given to Iregular studio for its project “SONAR”.
HUB SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD presented by Le BEAM
The HUB Impact Social Award recognizes a digital creativity project that offers the best prospects in the sector or education, improving quality of life, and inclusion. Congratulations to Spherios who won this award thanks to their revolutionary project “Serenity”. The jury also wished to give a special mention to the project of TKNL, “Station de montagne sur mer de Mont-Saint-Pierre”.
HUB CREATIVE WOMEN AWARD presented by Cirque du Soleil
The HUB Creative Women Award recognizes women in the creative industry who has distinguished themself through their experience and leadership. This year, not one but two women were recognized for their careers and inspiration within the industry: congratulations to Mélissa Mongiat and Mouna Andraos, co-presidents and co-founders of Daily tous les jours.
The entire HUB Montreal team thanks the 2024 HUB Awards jury and all its partners without whom this record-breaking edition would not have been possible.
About HUB Montreal
Founded in 2017 by Sébastien Nasra, HUB Montreal is an international event-market, a business catalyst for digital creativity companies in the fields of culture, entertainment and experiential marketing. HUB Montreal presents companies and creators who are redefining the rules in the art of wowing ever-changing audiences. https://hubmontreal.com/
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