March has been quite the month around here.Since Martin Lachance joined the team as Director of Events, we’ve been developing some incredibly exciting experiential ideas and projects. It seems the crowning touch of the month goes to, hands down, our visit to South by Southwest - aka SXSW.

Five thousand people across the globe flock to Austin, TX, a population of 970 000, for one of the largest events in the world of all things art, music, and immersive activations and experiences. Well known as a contender for the biggest event in the industry, highlighting its notable film screenings, stellar speakers, expos and workshops to create a vibrant networking climate. We’re still coming down from the massive jolt of creative energy we've experienced – give us a minute. If you’re not excited yet, please let us paint the picture to take you there. Imagine 10 days of unparalleled discoveries, industry knowledge and community. Great, now take a step back, and picture it in the frame of a conference and festivals attended by some of the biggest execs, hottest start ups and emerging technology in the biz. We know, it’s wild.

influencers and high-profile brands, there is a 3-day event, The Expo, which serves as the central hub for innovations in learning at SXSW EDU. This dynamic space features a discovery-based learning playground and curated programming alongside interactive exhibits showcasing what’s next and new in education. Despite the long list of party invites, our events team was on a clear client-focused mission; to be on-site, working with the Ministry of Economy and Innovation, a Quebec Government branch. The project, L’Espace Québec, was a 20X30 footprint design to propel the Ministry’s mission to support business growth, entrepreneurship, science, innovation, export trade and investment. As the branch is implementing a fresh digital strategy, their presence at the event was extremely relevant to the positioning and visibility of the Canadian province. As a Montreal company centered in North America’s creative hub, the accordex team was filled with pride being involved in the design, fabrication and installation of this structure for our fellow Canadians. During the event, we had a chance to attend a full day of respectively catered programming for Journée Québec:      

• UNESCO Creative Cities Showcase, by City of Montréal
• Brunch, By City of Montréal
• Montreal: The benefits of scaling in a World-Class AI Hub, by Montreal International
• Apéro @ SXSW 2109, by Export Québec, Québec Québec’s Office in Huston and their partners Québec night lights

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Our successful collaboration with the Ministry has set the tone for a concrete partnership, working towards the province’s economical growth and exposure. We were honoured to end our visit with a closing party at the Canada House, where emotions ran high and people were sharing the epic moments of their SXSW journey. As the champagne was flowing, we cheered with those around us -- it felt like a world of creative bonds had just been forged. March was a good month. Let the projects begin.