Montréal, November 14, 2014 – The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal and its team of international trade experts, the World Trade Centre Montréal, successfully concluded a trade mission to London today, where they accompanied a group of businesses from the technology and building materials sector. This trade mission, organized jointly with the Association de la construction du Québec (ACQ), with the support of the Quebec Government Office in London and the High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom, gave participants a chance to meet the largest real estate project developers, architecture firms, buyers and potential partners.
“London is experiencing a major construction boom, with at least 236 skyscrapers being completed in the coming years,” said Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade. “The face of London will change radically in the next few years, and there is a clear shortage of materials, labour and expertise. This means a multitude of promising business opportunities, and our trade mission gave Montréal companies a chance to promote themselves with major players in this sector, such as Ballymore Group, Oxford Properties and PRP Architects.”
“The coming into force of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union will give our businesses preferred access to the London market,” Michel Leblanc said. “But companies shouldn’t wait for the CETA to take advantage of the opportunities this boom affords. Our trade mission was intended to help them tap into the current momentum in real estate and to ensure that they are already established in this market when the agreement takes effect. That will give them a jump on the competition.”
“London has significant needs when it comes to construction,” said Jean-Philippe Cliche, an economist with the Association de la construction du Québec, who took part in the trade mission. “Close to 10,000 residential units are currently being built annually, whereas demand is an estimated 40,000 units. The vast majority of these projects are buildings 20 storeys or taller. This trade mission is a solid opportunity for Quebec entrepreneurs to break into a new market, showcase their expertise beyond our borders and even sign lucrative contracts.”
“Our company, gsmprjct° technologie, already had a presence on the London market because we were awarded the mandate to develop the customer experience concept and design for visits to the Shard, London’s flagship architectural renewal project,” said Mario Leblanc, CEO of gsmprjct° technologie. “Our tell:scopes are installed in the highest towers in the world, and an installation at the Shard made a positive contribution to our business vision. This trade mission was the opportunity for us to meet the developers of projects surrounding the Shard and to explore the possibility of developing a new business model that will tie other new buildings to our central project.”
“This is the second time gsmprjct° technologie has taken part in a trade mission organized by the World Trade Centre Montréal,” said Mario Leblanc. “All the preparation and support made our efforts to meet potential partners on site a lot easier, which goes a long way to our success.
About the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal has over 7,000 members. Its mission is to be the voice of Montréal’s business community and to promote the city’s prosperity. It is involved in key areas of economic development, advocating a philosophy of action based on engagement, credibility, proactivity, collaboration and innovation. The Board of Trade also offers a range of specialized services to individuals and to business of all sizes to support them in their growth at home and abroad.
About the World Trade Centre Montréal
With the help of its World Trade Montréal experts, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal offers international trade services to the extended business community, with the support of Canada Economic Development.
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Source:
Michelle LLambias Meunier
Advisor, Media Relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Tel.: 514 871-4000, ext. 4042
mllambias@ccmm.qc.ca
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