Kickstart your international business plan with the Creative and Cultural Activation Strategy (CCAS)

What is the Creative and Cultural Activation Strategy (CCAS)?

The CCAS can help you hone your business plan and activate the export plan for your SME or NPO. Offered as part of the Trade Accelerator Program (TAP), the CCAS provides personalized support to participating companies in the TAP cultural and creative industries cohort (or those with an established business plan), from developing an export plan to meeting with potential international clients. This service was created by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal’s Acclr team of experts in international trade in collaboration with Canadian Heritage.

Who is the CCAS for?

The CCAS is ideal for SMEs and NPOs in cultural and creative industries that have been incorporated in Quebec for at least two years, generate sales of at least $500,000 and are looking to activate, grow or bolster their presence abroad.

By taking advantage of the CCAS, you will:

• Anticipate and mitigate risks in order to optimize your international development
• Resolve situations that are hindering your progress or preventing you from activating your plan
• Access market studies for your target markets to make sure they offer a concrete and optimal return on your investment
• Accelerate your strategic thinking by activating your export plan with our experts

Interested?

Register

Your process for going international

Step 1

PREPARATION
(8 weeks)

Participate in a TAP cohort designed for cultural and creative industries.
Or
Present your export plan without participating in the TAP.

Step 2

ACTIVATION
(10 to 12 weeks)

Our experts will provide you with personalized support in various areas, such as:

• Business strategy
• Market studies
• Identifying potential partners and clients

Step 3

ELEVATION
(7 weeks)

Depending on your progress, we will assist you in organizing individual or group trade missions in your target market. This will give you the opportunity to meet potential clients or partners abroad.

Our support, your momentum

Taking advantage of the CCAS means capitalizing on the full potential of Acclr. Our experts will give you personalized, accessible advice to guide you every step of the way as you go international.

Think you’ve thought of everything? Our experts work one-on-one with CEOs of SMEs and NPOs to put their business plans to the test and optimize them. In a spirit of collaboration and through regular follow-up, they will help you kickstart your process, realize deliverables and pave the way for sufficient subsidies and funding.

The CCAS has given a boost to Quebec businesses

Kid's Stuff
Mary-Jo Dorval
Founder and designer 

• Analyze the market, identifying competitors, potential partners and customers in the California market, and reaffirm brand positioning vis-à-vis competitors in target areas. 
• Sharpen the marketing and market penetration strategy based on priority segments.
• Identify industry trade shows relevant to business development. 
 

Jobel North America
Marinella Montanari
Executive Director

• Analyze the market, identifying competitors, potential partners and customers in the California market, and reaffirm brand positioning vis-à-vis competitors in target areas. 
• Sharpen the marketing and market penetration strategy based on priority segments.
• Qualify relevant trade fairs and events for market penetration and network development in California.
 

Multicolore
Pascal Lefebvre
CEO 

• Analyze the Saudi Arabian and United Arab Emirates markets to identify and qualify partners in the segments selected with the customer.
• Sharpen the strategic approach by analyzing the positioning of potential partners (complementarity with the company's offering). 
• Develop local knowledge of the ecosystem by finding a geographical specialist in events, identifying events for exploration and organizing qualified meetings.

Studio Squido
David Chartrand
Founder and President

• Develop the company’s positioning in the Californian market.
• Draw up a profile of the competition and highlight the company’s competitive advantages in the target Californian cities. 
• Recommend planning stages for market entry.

Sales growth for companies that took advantage of the CCAS in 2021-2022:

This graph shows only a sample of companies that benefited from the CCAS in 2021-2022.

For the same period, among the companies that took advantage of the CCAS:

100% of participating companies are satisfied with the program. 

100% feel better prepared to do business internationally, view their project with less stress and make more informed decisions. 

100% had submitted or were about to submit a formal application for funding to support their international project..

50% of companies succeeded in establishing themselves in their target market.

Creative and cultural companies targeted the following markets:

“Our participation in the Creative and Cultural Activation Strategy (CCAS) was a WONDERFUL step forward in the development of our project. Acclr’s team of experts provided us with research results that fit our needs, and were always ready to offer us the best possible support throughout the experience.”

Daniela Arévalo Iturriaga 
Marketing Coordinator and Sales Representative
Kid’s Stuff

For more information

Register