Sensix Communications and Events

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Going for Baroque
Meetings and Incentive Travel Magazine, August 1998
As new venues open, Montreal goes all out with fanciful events and spectacles

Your short flight into Montreal's Dorval airport for this long-awaited site visit is pleasant; barely a wait at the baggage area; smooth sailing at customs. The "meet and greet" staff wait just up ahead, led by a smiling man, hand outstretched and nattily dressed, as Cupid. In a curly blond wig and red tights, he is holding a bow and arrow, not a hand-drawn "Welcome Meeting Planners" sign. This is Valentine's Day à la Montreal.

"A lot of corporations have already done all the big stuff," says Cupid, also known as Grant Snider, vice president of JPdL Destination Management. "They've gone to Paris, they've gone to Rome, they've been to Hawaii a couple of zillion times, so they're looking for an alternative, and Montreal fills that niche."

A dynamic metropolis bursting with European charm, Montreal is one of the more popular destinations on the continent, especially for the "been there, done that" corporate crowd who want something out of the ordinary. Already famous for its world-class and sprawling underground city crammed with trendy boutiques and theatres, Montreal also offers corporate travel planners a unique opportunity to book exciting venues and programs they just can't find anywhere else. And many of these venues haven't been available to meeting planners until recently.

"I tell people that once they've experienced our 'joie de vivre,' they won't want to leave, and it's absolutely true," says Christiane Beullac, who handles corporate and incentive clients for the Greater Montreal Convention and tourism Bureau.

Jane Leonard, a senior marketing specialist at Nortel's Georgia office who was recently greeted by Cupid, says the employees she plans conferences for love coming to Montreal. "It's easy to get people to come to the meetings I want to do there," she says. "It's not like dragging them to L.A. I mean, who would want to go to L.A.?"

Certainly not the Monumental Agency Group, who at press time was putting the finishing touches on one of the largest incentive events Montreal has every hosted - 1,600 people, including the Louisville, Kentucky-based insurance company's top performers.

"This is the first time our entire combined organization has been to Canada together," says organizer Lisa Windhorst, who chose Montreal both for the variety it offered, and the chance to enjoy one of the city's most interesting venues for a banquet the historic Windsor Station, which, until recently, was not available for private groups.

Michael Caplan of Sensix Communications and Events Inc., who is producing the group's gala banquet, is staging a parade with street performers from the Queen Elizabeth Hotel to the venue. Sensix will be using giant projectors to reflect images and sound effects onto the walls and ceilings of Windsor Station to "transform it from a blank palette into something incredible," explains Caplan. "It'll be summer in full bloom in the courtyard for cocktails, and when we invite them in for dinner, Windsor Station will be a 'White Winter Wonderland'."

Ice sculptures on every table illuminated from below and a snowflake aerial ballet by Atmospherica, choreographed by André Simard, who also choreographs for Montreal's world-renowned Cirque du Soleil, are just two of the evening's more elaborate touches.

"Windsor Station has a 30-foot atrium ceiling," says Caplan, "so we'll have aerialists on bungee cords dressed like snowflakes touch down in the middle of the table, hand people little white flowers and then bounce back up. For the finale, we're going to make it snow inside the station."

Windhorst marvels at how much bang her company is getting for its buck. A favourable exchange rate as well as full tax rebates on all convention services means "we've been able to make our dollars go much, much farther," she says. "Our activities and theme events can be more elaborate in terms of décor and entertainment."

Windsor Station is just one of Montreal's vast assortment of special venues. For smaller groups, Caplan suggests Usine C, a refurbished theatre about 15 kilometres east of downtown with seating that can be set up in different ways, either for a sit-down dinner for 200 or for a cocktail party and show.

"We held a 'birdcage' event, our take on the movie La Cage Aux Folles, for a familiarization trip event last year," recalls Caplan. "We had people from the convention centre involved we were Diana Crass and the Supremes. "You should've seen my bust-line, it was gorgeous. The crowd was on the floor!"

For more chuckles check out the new International Museum of Humour, perfect for a comedy cabaret for 75 to 150 people.

The scenic Chalet de la Montagne, located at the top of Mount Royal features a breathtaking view overlooking the city. It can accommodate up to 900 people for cocktails, and rents out for $1,500. The Chalet is in demand year-round, so make reservations at least six months in advance.

Many of Montreal's finest museums also have good reception facilities. The interactive Pont-à-Callière Museum of Archaeology and History in Old Montreal was built directly over the ruins of the site where the city was founded, and looks out onto the Old Port. Acura is holding an event there this summer, consisting of a tour of the museum, outdoor entertainment. And a glorious view of the International Fireworks Festival.

The Omnium at Jarry Park, home to du Maurier's international tennis event, is perfect for larger groups, with about 50,000 square feet of space.

South of the old city lies Parc des Iles, home to the Casino. Its Cabaret seats 500 for dinner and a show. Parc des Iles opens its ice-skating rink for private parties during the winter, and also rents out a fabulous green space called L'Air des Jeux, which is ideal for an outdoor Olympiad, says JPdL's Snider.

"We set up a tent and make a nice gourmet barbecue with local microbrewery beers," he says. "There's a fantastic view of the city over the water. It's great for an urban destination to be able to offer an island activity."

When you're in Montreal, forget about taking a typical tour of the city. Wendy Willis, who plans incentive trips for Ford and Nissan through Missouri-based Maritz Travel, opted for a three-hour interactive van rally. JPdL, which organized the tour, gave everybody a van, a driver and a road book, along with questions about Montreal. Participants had to go inside historical buildings and museums to find the answers.

"It's a great activity for larger groups," says Willis, "and it's more interesting than just a typical city tour."

And after hours of running around exploring this vibrant city, most conference-goers can't wait to experience what is arguably Montreal's most beloved activity: gourmet dining.

"The way I sell Montreal is through the "gastronomical" experience," says Beullac, citing more than 4,600 restaurants in the greater Montreal area serving up more than 50 different types of cuisine. Beullac says many restaurants can accommodate between 50 to 100 people, including Quelli Della Notte, in Little Italy, which can seat up to 150.

Meeting and incentive planners might be surprised to learn there's more to Montreal activities than the popular jazz, comedy and film festivals. Beullac suggests jet-boating on the Lachine Rapids until early October, or a private cruise on the Bateau Mouche with a dinner dance for up to 120 people.

For those crisp fall days, JPdL offers an indoor tour for spouses called 'Inuit Art and High Tea'. "We go to the little Inuit art museum downtown, the Guilde Candienne des Métiers D'Art," says Snider, "and then to the Ritz Carlton Hotel or the Fine Arts Museum for High Tea."

"What it boils down to in the end is trying to find some kind of flavour of Montreal that clients won't get anywhere else," says Sensix's Caplan.

"We've got tremendous 'joie de vivre' here. It's not just an expression."

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