Montréal: alive with the international

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Take part in the Strategic Forum on April 27 to understand how internationalization plays a crucial role in Montréal's economy. 

Learn about the contribution of the international to the metropolitan region's economic growth and discover business opportunities generated by subsidiaries of foreign companies for local businesses.

Just last year, foreign companies invested more than $2 billion in Greater Montréal, making up 15% of economic growth in Quebec. This is an increase of 50% compared to 2016 and of 100% compared to 2015. As a result, more than 5,000 direct, high-quality jobs were created and maintained.^[1]

Several of our domestic companies are attracting attention internationally and seizing business opportunities in foreign markets. They play an essential role in Quebec’s economic development, exports making up 46.7% of the GDP. Nearly 30% of jobs in the province result from foreign trade.^[2]

^[1]Source : Montréal International.

^[2]Ministère de l’Économie, de la Science et de l’Innovation (2016), Stratégie québécoise de l’exportation 2016-2020.

Participate in this forum and:

• To learn how local SMEs bolstered their growth through international expansion;
• To learn how the subsidiaries of foreign companies can benefit businesses like yours through unprecedented collaborations;
• To understand how to make the most of agreements and the global context to grow your business in international markets;
• To discover how international talent and investment support the dynamism of companies like yours;
• To be the first to discover the findings and recommendations from the study led by the Chamber, Montréal International and the Ministère de l'Économie, de la Science et de l'Innovation (MESI) on the strategic importance of international markets to the city’s economy;
• To network and find business opportunities.

Learn the importance of internationalization to your business prosperity!

Overview of the program

7 a.m.: Registration, breakfast and networking
7:30 a.m.: Talks
12:15 p.m. to 2 p.m.: Business luncheon

7 am - Registration

Opening remarks and introduction

7:55 am

8:15 - Greater Montreal, connected internationally for greater collective wealth

Bloc I – The key role of international markets for our businesses’ growth and the prosperity of Greater Montréal

8:30 am - Three local champions who export Montreal creativity worldwide

8:45 am - How foreign subsidiaries support the growth of our companies: the case of Bonduelle

9 am - Lightspeed a growth model supported by international expansion

9:15 am Question period

9:25 am Break and networking

Bloc II – Attract international talents and investments to keep Greater Montréal thriving

9:55 am - The economic vitality of the metropolis strengthened by FDI

10:10 am - The contribution of multinationals to the development of the local ecosystem

10:25 am Question period

Bloc III – Increase the competitiveness and appeal of the city on the international stage

10:35 am - Innovation and talent consolidated by international investment

10:50 am - Consolidating the metropolis' international competitiveness: capital, taxation and openness to the world

11:05 am - Strengthening our companies' competitiveness in external markets through strategic consortia

11:15 am - Connecting the metropolis to world markets through state-of-the-art infrastructure

11:30 am Question period

11:40 am End of the Forum

Who should participate in this forum:

• Decision makers from big businesses and SMEs
• Anyone interested in developing their business
• Leaders looking for innovation, financing and qualified labour
• The business and institutional community of Greater Montréal
• Political decision makers