From Montreal to Melbourne, C2 goes global

C2, the world's most innovative business conference, in collaboration with MCI, will hold the first ever C2 conference in Melbourne on November 30th and December 1st, 2017.

MONTREAL, May 25, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - After 6 successful editions of its flagship event in Montreal, C2 International will bring its unique approach to exploring commerce and creativity to the city of Melbourne in a two-day immersive event that will transform the way that participants do business. In collaboration with MCI, world leader in meeting and event management services, and with the support of the Victorian State Government and Melbourne Convention Bureau, C2 will bring the event that the Harvard Business Review describes as "a conference like no other" to the gateway to the Asia Pacific region, Australia, on November 30^th, 2017.

The keynote speaker to kick off the lineup for C2 Melbourne is Uschi Schreiber, Chair of Global Accounts Committee & Vice chair of Global Markets at EY, with more inspiring leaders to be announced in the coming weeks.

"I am excited to be part of the first C2 conference in Asia Pacific. Melbourne is a great place for this as it is associated with innovation and creativity! Today we live in a world that is in transition ? from a model of business, political participation and society that we are familiar with to one that is still largely unknown and needs our shaping.", said Uschi Schreiber. "Together with C2, EY has created experiences that facilitate engaged and an open discussion on how to best steer business and government through the fog of transition. We have taken hundreds of senior executives out of their comfort zones by placing them into disruptive and challenging C2 environments that confront them directly with the unknown. The Melbourne event will be no exception ? get ready for an amazing experience that will make you think!"

"As the team at C2 was imagining where we may go for the first ever large scale C2 outside of Canada, we sought cities with a rich culture, an intoxicating energy and a readiness to work together to set the stage that will reset imagination and unleash new ideas for business leaders, innovators and creatives from around the world", said Richard St-Pierre, President of C2.

C2 events cater to executives from a wide variety of industries and provide the perfect backdrop to explore trends, opportunities, disruptions and major shifts on the horizon. In collaborative environments specifically designed to provoke collisions and spark new ideas, the C2 Montreal conference alone inspires over 6,000 executives every year, with participants coming from over 50 countries and 24 industries to challenge their biases, shift their perspective and explore completely new ways of doing business. 

Each year, based on an overarching theme, C2 invites innovators across fields and sectors to engage with participants in a multimedia stage environment designed to yield collective 'ah-ha' moments. It's not hard to see how a business conference designed by Cirque Du Soleil and Sid Lee is destined to be truly unique. However, it's the first hand experiences at the core of C2 that make the event so innovative.  Through engaging and boundary-pushing exercises like Labs, Braindates, Masterclasses and Workshops, participants are forced out of their comfort zones both physically and mentally in order to take their thinking to new heights; think walking through an indoor snowstorm under pink umbrellas, being suspended from structures, and emerging from clouds. These immersive experiences are proven to re-energize and re-tool leaders, allowing them to find creative solutions to real world problems.

For C2 Melbourne 2017, the theme will be Ecosystems, and the programming will explore fields like technology, arts and design, marketing, impact and leadership.

"Our partnership with C2 embodies our mutual love for ideas and delivering not just innovation but true progress. At MCI we are passionate about leveraging our unique ability to globalize services for all of our clients and look forward to working with C2 to bring the nexus of creativity and commerce to Melbourne", said MCI's CEO, Sebastien Tondeur.

Thinking outside the box is good for business too: on average, 25% of attending companies make a deal because of C2.

C2 Melbourne is also an opportunity the Victorian State Government to mobilize the local business community around the imperative to embrace creativity and transform the way they do business. It provides a new way of attracting the world to Melbourne, Australia and connect companies to their future clients, collaborators and partners.

The Victorian Government has put innovation at the centre of its agenda and Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade Philip Dalidakis said the state was excited to have secured the C2 event.

"Melbourne is the ideas capital of Australia and the perfect host city for an event that is all about how creativity and new ideas can drive new business opportunities. "The Victorian Government is investing heavily in innovation because we know it is the key to the business ideas that will drive our economy in the future. Victoria is proud to be hosting C2 which will be a great forum for new ideas and for showcasing our culture of innovation and vibrant startup ecosystem to the world."

Melbourne Convention Bureau, Australia's leading convention bureau played a key role in securing C2 Melbourne.

Karen Bolinger, Melbourne Convention Bureau Chief Executive Officer, said with Melbourne being an innovator in the events sector, it made perfect sense to bring such a pioneering event to the city.  

"Melbourne has always been Australia's pacesetter in the events space, and we have a mandate to continue to be a world leader by bringing the best events to our city. With C2 Montreal named the number one innovative business conference for two consecutive years, we knew this was an event of our city's calibre.  Melbourne has been named the world's most liveable city for six consecutive years, and prosperity is the essential foundation for our liveability. Melbourne vigorously supports innovation and entrepreneurship, underpinning the premise of what C2 is all about.  C2 Melbourne is well placed to showcase our cities innovation, brightest minds and creativity," Ms Bolinger said 

Visit c2melbourne.com for news and updates about the 2017 edition of C2 Melbourne.

About C2
C2 is a global convener on a mission to transform executives and organizations that are ripe for change ? whether they know it or not. In a collaborative context specifically designed to provoke collisions and spark new ideas, C2 gets leaders to challenge their biases, shift their perspectives and explore completely new ways of doing business. C2's reinvention of the international conference experience started with the annual C2 Montréal event, which has been described as "challenging conventions" by The Economist and "a business conference unlike any other" by the Harvard Business Review. After Zurich, Milan, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Rome, San Francisco and Melbourne, C2 is now expanding its reach across all continents. See c2.biz for more information.

About MCI
MCI is a global leader in engaging and activating audiences. Since 1987 we have been driving innovation in events and production, meetings, incentives, congresses, and association and community management. Through our creative consulting, analytics, sustainability and digital services, MCI helps multinational companies and international associations enhance their organisational performance, grow globally, energise communities and drive their business results. MCI is an independently owned company with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Our 1,800 professionals in 60 cities and 31 countries help clients across Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, India, the Middle East and Africa. www.mci-group.com

About Melbourne Convention Bureau
The Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) is a is a sales and economic business development organisation that partners with state and local government and strategic industry partners to identify, secure or create large international conferences, corporate meetings and incentive programs for Victoria. This is all new business that helps drive Victoria's visitor and knowledge economy.

MCB is the state's sole entity responsible for the procurement of international business events. MCB positions Melbourne nationally and internationally as a business events destination that goes above and beyond for clients and partners, creating lasting social and community impacts through legacies that deliver well beyond the event itself.

MCB is globally connected with international representation in North America, Europe and Asia. www.melbournecb.com.au
Twitter: @melbconventions
Facebook: Melbourne Convention Bureau

SOURCE C2 Montréal