A successful summer 2013 for the Montréal Space for Life - One million visitors at the Botanical Garden for the Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal

MONTREAL, Oct. 6, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Summer 2013 has wrapped up successfully for the Montréal Space for Life. After a week-long extension due to popular demand, a total of one million visitors came to enjoy the Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal (MIM) at the Botanical Garden, generating earnings of $17.0 M. Along a spectacular circuit in the heart of the Botanical Garden, captivated visitors had nothing but praise for the exceptional quality of the works of the Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal (MIM), which were enhanced by the natural beauty of this ideal setting, with the added bonus of the Gardens of Light event in the evening, starting in early September. It was a resounding popular success that marked a historic record for summer traffic at the Montréal Botanical Garden!

"Presenting such an event in a botanical garden was exactly the kind of bold move that defines the Montréal Space for Life—the daring to innovate and create unexpected encounters that allow people to better experience nature. We are very proud of this achievement and of the work of our teams, who met the challenge of hosting one million visitors in just over 100 days brilliantly," said Charles-Mathieu Brunelle, Executive Director of the Montréal Space for Life.

"I must point out the exceptional work of our teams, who have been preparing for this event for two years. This success is down to the horticultural expertise of the teams at both the Botanical Garden and the Mosaïcultures Internationales organization. The meticulously planned incorporation of the Mosaïcultures into the Garden, the creativity of our teams and the designs of the participants and of the Mosaïcultures Internationales have made all the difference," said Gilles Vincent, Director of the Montréal Botanical Garden.

An international competition
While citizens took the opportunity to fall in love with their Garden all over again, visitors from around the world discovered one of the city's sources of pride, expanding the international recognition of a garden that already figures among the most beautiful in the world.

The 2013 edition featured nearly 50 larger-than-life works created by horticultural artists from 25 countries. Participants all found ingenious ways to compete for the international jury's Grand Prize and the Qatar Airways People's Choice Award. On the theme of Land of Hope, this exhibition allowed visitors to reflect on the relationship between human beings and nature and on the beauty and fragility of life on Earth, a theme that is in line with those explored at the Montréal Space for Life.

The Montréal Space for Life is THE Montréal destination par excellence
Since the beginning of the year, over two million people have visited the Montréal Space for Life—around 900,000 more than at the same time last year. This attendance record confirms its position as the largest natural science complex in Canada. With one in five visitors coming from outside Québec, it is becoming an international must-see destination, along with such leading scientific institutions as the National Museum of Natural History in Paris and the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

The Montréal Space for Life, which brings together the Biodôme, Botanical Garden, Insectarium and the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium, is launching a daring, creative urban movement, urging everyone to rethink the bonds between humankind and nature. The Space for Life is also a place where people come together to create and to cultivate a new way of living, shaped by Montréalers and people from around the world.

SOURCE: Espace pour la vie

François Ouellet, Communication Assistant
Telephone: [phone] 917-7251
E-mail: [email protected]

Karine Jalbert, Communications Co-ordinator
Telephone: [phone] 250-3230
E-mail: [email protected]