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Air Canada is proud to partner with the City of Montreal in launching The Cabinet Créatif de Montréal, a dedicated initiative to support the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The project will focus on providing coaching and training related to core business competencies including planning successful business trips to stimulate national and international expansion.
Air Canada, the City of Montreal and its leading incubators, accelerators and service providers such as Lune Rouge, La Piscine, MT Lab, PHI Centre, Ecole des Entrepreneurs, Infopresse and WeWork collaborated to develop multi-faceted initiatives that will emphasize the importance of international expansion, as well as the planning of commercial missions to develop new business opportunities.
“As a global airline, we understand the complexities and necessities required to drive international growth. International expansion is an important phase in the evolution of a company’s life cycle. Our objective with this collaborative project is to provide SMEs with the tools and mentorship needed to position their business outside of their local market. While currently available only in Montreal, we hope to expand this project nationally,” said John Macleod, vice-president, Global Sales and Alliances at Air Canada.
“As part of its 2018-2022 Economic Development Strategy, the city has taken action to accelerate the growth of our collective wealth in an inclusive and sustainable way. The Cabinet créatif is one of the initiatives that will enable creative and cultural businesses to consolidate their achievements locally, and to gain international outreach.
This represents an unprecedented opportunity for our small and medium-sized businesses to position themselves in every respect. I would like to thank all private and public partners who join forces with us to support this flagship economic sector of our metropolis,” said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante.
A total of 15 local SMEs will be selected to participate in an innovative five-month project. In addition to training, support and coaching in commercial development, the accelerator project will offer over 25 hours of mentorship in market and export development plans, 10 hours of free legal consultation, a market research guide, a day with Infopresse and a psychometric exam guide to assist with the talent acquisition process.
The curriculum will help companies plan their growth strategy, target and tailor their products to desired markets and provide insight into the options related to their business travel all with the goal of growing their business.
Businesses wishing to take part can apply online until Nov. 23 at cabinetcreatif.ca, with the 15 finalists announced in January 2019 at the Expo Entrepreneurs forum in Montreal.
