34th Ambassadors' Gala of the Palais des congrès de Montréal : 14 Ambassadors honoured for their contribution to promoting Montréal

MONTRÉAL, April 10, 2024 /CNW/ - The Palais des congrès de Montréal is proud to announce the naming of 14 new Ambassadors who were honoured during its 34th Ambassadors' Gala on April 4. Thanks to the commitment of these individuals, Montréal will be hosting 12 major conventions between 2024 and 2028.

Palais des congrès de Montréal ©Cosmos Image (CNW Group/Palais des congrès de Montréal)

For 40 years, the Palais des congrès de Montréal has helped to drive the metropolis's economic and societal development by encouraging the sharing of knowledge and know-how. Each year, more than 300 events are held at the Palais, generating an average of $225 million in economic spinoffs. Of course, business events do not belong to a single institution, they involve a community. The teams at the Palais des congrès and Business Events Montréal have been working together closely for several years to promote Montréal as a destination of choice for international conventions.

The 2024 Ambassadors' Gala also honoured four people whose events will be held outside the Palais' walls. Along with the professionals whose conventions will be held at the Palais, they were inducted into the Palais des congrès' Ambassadors Club, joining the ranks of more than 350 luminaries from the scientific, university and research sectors. Essential to the work of the Palais and Business Events Montréal, these specialists open up their network to host large-scale international events that promote the city and generate significant economic and intellectual spinoffs for Québec. The events organized by the 14 new Ambassadors (presented on page 4) will translate into some 19,000 delegates coming to Montréal, generating 53,000 overnight stays in the city's hotels. These 12 events will have an estimated economic impact of over $70.5 million.

The Knowledge Collective: an essential collaboration for business tourism in  Montréal 

The 2024 Ambassadors' Gala was also an opportunity for the Palais des congrès and Business Events Montréal to launch The Knowledge Collective. This joint initiative offers a single point of contact that streamlines the process  for researchers, professors and specialists in attracting international events to Montréal. With access to the expertise, resources, and network of the Palais des congrès and Business Events Montréal, these professionals will have the support they need to attain their goals.

Professor Hany Moustapha named Grand Ambassador

The 2024 edition of the Ambassadors' Gala also paid tribute to Professor Hany Moustapha, naming him Grand Ambassador in recognition of his exemplary devotion to the Palais' mission over the years and his important contribution to promoting Montréal internationally. An Ambassador since 2007, he has attracted major events to the Palais that have generated more than $9 million in economic spinoffs, namely, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Turbo Expo in 2007 and 2015, and the Global Power & Propulsion Society Conference Montreal in 2018. Professor Moustapha was president of the Ambassadors' Club from 2017 to 2023, and co-chaired the Aerospace Committee from 2011 until the creation in 2018 of the Multisector Strategic Committee, which he still chairs. He has organized dozens of conferences, meetings and forums in Montréal hotels as well as at the École de technologie supérieure.

An evening infused with Montréal-style creativity and haute cuisine

The Palais des congrès' Ambassadors' Gala showcased Montréal talent at every step. The Palais' team was able to count on its partners—TKNL, for the Gala's design, audiovisuals and production, and GES, for the furnishing and decorations. The talent of Montréal chefs was also in the spotlight through the Gastronomic Symphony. A signature of the Ambassadors' Gala for several years, this original format for serving meals to the guests featured, in the 34th edition, the participation of Maestro Culinaire, the Palais' exclusive food partner, as well as 10 of the city's leading hotels: Doubletree by Hilton Montreal, Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, Delta Hotels Montreal by Marriott, Humaniti Hotel Montreal, Hotel Monville, Hotel Place d'Armes, Intercontinental Montreal, Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel, Westin Montreal, and Marriott Château Champlain.

Quotes

"Since its creation, the Palais des congrès de Montréal has helped to drive the dynamism of Québec's metropolis by hosting more than 9,000 events and 23 million visitors. The Ambassadors are priceless allies in accomplishing our mission of promoting Montréal internationally. I thank them for their precious contribution to generating considerable economic, intellectual and social spinoffs for our city and Québec." – Emmanuelle Legault, President and CEO of the Palais des congrès de Montréal

 "Business tourism is an essential pillar of the metropolis's tourism activity and the Palais des congrès de Montréal plays a key role in the success of our city as the première destination in the Americas for international conventions. The devoted and passionate Ambassadors contribute greatly to attracting a plethora of internationally renowned community and corporate events in Montréal. Congratulations and thank you to these Ambassadors for their invaluable contribution to the destination." – Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal

Acknowledgments

The Palais des congrès de Montréal wishes to highlight the involvement of Business Events Montréal, major partner of the 2024 Ambassadors' Gala, and to thank its sponsors:  GDI, welcome experience sponsor; Air Canada and Montreal International Auto Show, associate sponsors; Montréal-Trudeau International Airport, Bee-Clean and École de technologie supérieure, collaborative sponsors.

About the Palais des congrès de Montréal's Ambassadors Club 

Founded in 1985, the Ambassadors Club consists of over 350 influential individuals who, while pursuing their regular professional activities, have been instrumental in bringing one or more large-scale events to the Palais. Ambassadors are dynamic individuals who make an important contribution to the economic and intellectual advancement of Montréal and the province by assisting the Palais with the organization of international conferences. The Palais' Ambassadors hail from every field of activity and include university professors, researchers and members of the business community. They are the crème de la crème of professionals and are always happy to welcome new agents of change who want to make a difference in their fields with the support, guidance and expertise of the Palais.

About the Palais des congrès de Montréal 
A creative solutions centre and a showcase for the city's spirit and expertise, the Palais des congrès de Montréal has been promoting and hosting large-scale events since 1983. Generating significant economic, social and intellectual benefits, it encourages innovation and acts as a force for progress for both Montréal and Québec. The Palais is firmly committed to sustainability and takes numerous innovative, concrete steps to make it a central component of its business development. With one of the highest customer satisfaction rates in the world, the Palais actively contributes to the international reputation of Montréal, the top host city for international events in America for six years in a row. congresmtl.com

The 14 new Ambassadors inducted in 2024:

Kathy Baig  8th World Engineers Convention WEC 2027 2,500 delegates 8,400 overnight stays Economic spinoffs: $5.9 million	Brian Mustard  80th Congress of the International Fiscal Association 2028 1,500 delegates 4,200 overnight stays Economic spinoffs: $5.9 million
Dr. Elena Bennett  PECS-3: Pathways to Sustainability 2024 500 delegates 480 overnight stays Economic spinoffs: $1.6 million *This event will be held at the Centre Mont-Royal.	Dr. Momar Ndao   ICOPA XVI – 16th International Congress of Parasitology 2026 2,000 delegates 5,600 overnight stays Economic spinoffs: $9.6 million
Eric Blond  13th International Conference on Geosynthetics (13 ICG) 2026 1,500 delegates 4,200 overnight stays Economic spinoffs: $4.8 million	Dr. Martin Olivier   ICOPA XVI – 16th International Congress of Parasitology 2026 2,000 delegates 5,600 overnight stays Economic spinoffs: $9.6 million
Professor Adel Francis    The 20th conference of the International Society for Computing in Civil and Building Engineering – ICCCBE 2024   300 delegates 840 overnight stays Economic spinoffs: $1 million *This event will be held at the École de technologie supérieure.	André Rancourt  ITA – AITES World Tunnel Congress 2026 2,000 delegates 5,600 overnight stays Economic spinoffs: $6.5 million
Professor Dominic Frigon  7th Environmental Dimension of Antimicrobial Résistance conference (EDAR7) 2024 350 delegates 650 overnight stays Economic spinoffs: $1.7 million *This event will be held at Hotel Bonaventure.	Diane Séguin  Congress of the International Society for Forensic Genetics – ISFG 2026   850 delegates 1,715 overnight stays Economic spinoffs: $3.5 million *This event will be held at Hotel Bonaventure.
Jean Habimana  ITA – AITES World Tunnel Congress 2026 2,000 delegates 5,600 overnight stays Economic spinoffs: $6.5 million	Professor David Widory  2026 Goldschmidt Conference 4,500 delegates 12,600 overnight stays Economic spinoffs: $17.7 million
Professor David Juncker  28th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences – MicroTAS 2024 1,100 delegates 3,080 overnight stays Economic spinoffs: $4.4 million	Professor Karim Zaghib  23rd International Meeting on Lithium Batteries – IMLB 2026 2,000 delegates 5,600 overnight stays Economic spinoffs: $7.9 million

SOURCE Palais des congrès de Montréal

Marie-Claude Lizée, Director, Marketing and Communications, Palais des congrès de Montréal, 514-871-5849, [email protected]