2012 Montreal World Video Games

Introduction

Main Item

In December, the management of the Palais des congres de Montreal announced its intention to organize the first-ever "Montreal Video World Games" in the summer of 2012, at the height of the tourist season. The project, which been evolving continually for almost a year, is on the brink of becoming a reality.

Representatives of the Palais des congres de Montreal are currently attending the annual E3 event in Los Angeles from June 7 to 9 to meet with potential major partners.

"By participating in E3, we'll be able to see the best of what's being done in the field and to incorporate this international expertise into our own event," says Marc Tremblay, president and CEO of the Societe du Palais des congres de Montreal. "Montreal is a global hub in the video-game industry, and unlike other cities that are less active in this field, it still does not have a major public event to showcase its industry."

The goal is to create a high-profile event that will attract top talents in the city and generate economic benefits for the video-game industry.

Based on its projections, the "Montreal Video World Games" will attract more than 50,000 participants from the general public, 2,000 industry participants, including educational institutions, and some fifty exhibitors from around the world.

The management of the Palais des congres has already enlisted the support of major industry partners for this project, along with partners that have been on board since the outset, such as Tourisme Montreal and Montreal International.

The Palais des congres is also negotiating with several promoters and consortium's in Quebec and internationally to find a promoter that will take on the mission of organizing this large-scale event.

Some other Montreal cultural events have already shown interest in working with the "Montreal Video World Games," including the Fantasia International Film Festival and the MUTEK Festival, which might be taking part in next year's event by focusing on the relationship between fantasy films and electronic music and video games.

In addition, the Festival Mode & Design will be partnering with the event to highlight costume design in video games. "We want the "Montreal Video World Games" to have a decidedly Montreal flavor," says Marc Tremblay. That's why we'll be focusing on our city's creativity and its myriad attractions."