As the dust settles on an anything-but-restful weekend, I can’t help but think back on my 3-day C2 Montreal experience. It started this past Wednesday and continued nonstop until Friday night after Snoop Dogg’s DJ set. The high-energy, hectic and stimulating activations made this conference one for the books! I left challenged, inspired and ready to meet critical business trends in a fresh and empowered way. I also gained insight from the interactions I had with attendees and speakers alike. Even the visuals which made me smile on more than one occasion were great teachers.
I was like a kid in a candy store.
Obviously, I have multiple memorable moments to share but here are five highlights for now.
1. The Content
The C2 Conference was a content disneyland. In fact, attendees had over 80 sessions and workshops to choose from. The wide variety of topics included the usual suspects, namely, marketing, finance, social justice, sustainability and diversity. More current themes like AI, bitcoin, 3D food printing and cannabis were also on the agenda, cannabis being the main event with special guest, Snoop Dogg. Each topic was explored through a wide variety of talks, panels and workshops.
I went to as many sessions as I could but obviously didn’t make it to all. From the ones I attended the There Is No Planet B, Changing the Narrative, How Rational Are You, AI Gets Real, You’re Not a Marketer Anymore, Fighting the Good Fight, Following Through on Far-Out Ideas and Here We are Now, Entertain Us stood out the most.
Tweetable quotes
“You have to understand it before you decide to use it.” – Frank Cooper III, BlackRock on using cultural references in advertising (Referencing the Kendall Jenner Pepsi commercial).
“I don’t think it (influencer marketing) is weaning but it’s been abused… There is lot of power in making organic connections with influencers (featuring) something they actually use.” – Frank Cooper III, BlackRock (Referencing Beyonce’s connection with Pepsi).
“When it comes to working with creative people, give the creative brief and then step away. Let them create. Don’t take the heart out of what’s being created. Let go!” – Tom Klein, Mailchimp on businesses working with creatives and influencers.
“In order to contribute to the team, you have to be in good shape… You need to care for yourself first so that you are 100% able to contribute to the team… Taking care of yourself is also taking care of the team.” – Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada on self-care.
“From space earth has no borders… When you take two steps back from a situation you get a better perspective.” – Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada on the overview effect.
“Choose transparency by looking at your purchasing habits, taking sex out of the workplace, using your work and technology to make a difference and finding a partner in this fight.” – Annalisa Enrile, University of Southern California on how to fight human trafficking.
2. The Connections
One of the main draws of C2 Montreal is the caliber of guests and the connections that can ensue. On more than one occasion attendees told me that they were there mainly to meet people, connect with past collaborators and make way for new business opportunities. The C2 team made sure to facilitate these connections by encouraging attendees to schedule meetings through the Klik app where we were all registered. These meetings, dubbed Braindates, gave attendees an opportunity to have one on one face time with one another.
I didn’t schedule any Braindates because of the hectic nature of my schedule going back and forth between talks and interviews. I however met people the old-fashioned way, waiting in line for my morning Nespresso, in the bathroom queue, on the plaza, at conferences, etc.
In addition, participants could also easily exchange contact information by tapping their name badges together, thanks to the Klik app.
3. The Creativity
C2 Montreal was created to be the intersection between commerce and creativity. Mission accomplished! In addition to magical name badges, this creativity was expressed through the audio visual show preceding every session and the labs which included an Augmented Reality experience and a cookie-making contest inspired by the attendees’ dreams and random thoughts to only name a few. I also enjoyed the Aveda Caravan where I meditated and got a makeup touchup, the rotating bar and the media lounge where I conducted interviews with influential speakers and panelist. But since I can show you better than I can tell you, stay tuned for the video.
4. The Challenges
Any conference worth its weight in gold will not only educate and inform but also challenge. Topics like diversity, labor trafficking, sex trafficking and women’s rights were addressed on multiple occasions. The predominantly successful and corporate audience members were challenged to not limit themselves to applauding after a galvanizing speech but taking action by changing the way they conduct business. One of my favorite presentations was the AI Gets Real talk by Timnit Gebru from Microsoft Research who offered a thorough expose on the limitations of Artificial Intelligence namely its current and future use to discriminate against women and people of color. I also must mention Annalisa Enrile from the University of Southern California who challenged executives to change the way they entertain clients and take sex out of the equation by forgoing the customary visits to strip clubs.
5. The Cruise
C2 Montreal was hectic, in all the best ways and I highly recommend it for those who want to take their business and networks to the next levels. I will be attending C2 Montreal 2019 and already look forward to the content, creativity, challenges and opportunity to connect with old and new friends. If you are across the pond check out C2 Melbourne coming to the land down under in October.
Photo Credits: Cyusa and C2 Montreal.
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