MCI Group Canada expands offerings with the acquisition of Conferences, Groups & Incentives (CG&I) Français
-- Growing the special events industry in key markets underscores MCI Group's investment in Canada --
TORONTO, Sept. 11, 2018 /CNW/ - MCI Group Canada Ltd., a branch of MCI Group -- the global leader in engaging and activating audiences with impactful meetings, events and experiences -- announces the acquisition of Montreal-based events planning firm Conferences, Groups & Incentives (CG&I).
"We have a strong commitment to support cities in which we have offices," explained Sébastien Tondeur, CEO, MCI Group. "It's our goal to focus on expanding our growth in Montreal, which represents a significant part of the business in Canada and also support the city on getting in the spotlight of the global events stage."
"MCI is committed to growing in Canada and showcasing it as a destination to attract more international conferences, while supporting local clients," added Juliano Lissoni, managing director, MCI Group Canada Ltd. "Our presence in Montreal is a significant opportunity for us to achieve our objectives. We intend to augment the local market presence by adding new services, which will allow us to challenge both local and international competition even more successfully," he said.
Founded in 2001, Conferences, Groups & Incentives (CG&I) boasts a successful history having been awarded its first international congress with more than 12,000 delegates within months of its inception. It has proudly maintained an impressive list of both corporate and association international clients managed by a solid team of expert talent who provide support for any type of meeting and event needs. The company's co-owner, Carolyn Bourke will assume the directorship of the MCI Montreal office and lead the expansion of the business in Quebec.
"As they say, when people come together, magic happens!" said Ms. Bourke. "We cannot envision a better fit for Conferences, Groups & Incentives (CG&I) than joining the MCI Group, a true global leader in our industry. Under the brand we can offer greater value to both employees and customers, and the additional capabilities this union brings will extend our complete solutions approach in offering a broader range of services."
This significant move underscores the company's mission to contribute to the strengthening of the sector as part of its growth plans for North America and boosts MCI's scale by adding to the current operations in Vancouver and Toronto. MCI continues to build and reinforce its local market capabilities, keeping innovation at the forefront of building communities for helping brands and organizations achieve better business results.
Montreal: a raison d'etre
Montreal ranked first among the top cities in the Americas where international conferences are planned, according to a report issued by the Union of International Associations (UIA) for 2017. The city hosted 149 international conferences, ahead of other North American cities. Overall, Montreal accounted for 61 per cent of all international events held in Canada.* The city has a strategic plan to become a Ville Culturel focusing on arts, heritage and design, as well as supporting international events, including Destination International's Annual Convention and the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships; in addition, the city celebrated its 375th anniversary to revive its tourism pull.
About Conferences, Groups & Incentives (CG&I)
Conferences, Groups & Incentives is a full-service event management company focused on adapting its services, delivery model, expertise, and costs to the benefit of clients. CG&I holds a unique position in the industry, competing both on a Canadian and international level. Our solid client base is diversified, enabling an open mind when it comes to creative solutions and expected outcomes. Having to adapt and respond to a variety of dynamics, environments, cultures and needs has built a solid base of cross-disciplinary experience used to translate our clients' objectives into innovative results. Through a mix of industry best practices and proprietary concepts, our team will guide and assist clients through all major areas of event planning and execution. Our strength lies in our ability to integrate industry trends, participants' expectations and association objectives into key success factors aimed at raising your event profile and attendees' take-away.
About MCI
MCI is the global leader in engaging and activating audiences. Our business is founded on a simple human insight: When people come together, magic happens. This magic is called community. Since 1987 we have been bringing people together through inspiring meetings, events, congresses and association management. MCI helps organizations harness the power of community by applying our strategic engagement and activation solutions to build unforgettable online and offline experiences that foster change, inspire, educate and enhance business performance. MCI is an independently owned company with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and boasts a global presence with +2,300 professionals in 60 offices and 31 countries, who work with clients across Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, India, the Middle East and Africa. Find out more at www.mci-group.com.
SOURCE MCI Group Canada Ltd.
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Juliano Lissoni, Managing Director, MCI Group Canada/Toronto, [email protected], +1 416 481-7776; For all media inquiries, please contact: Susan Willemsen, President & Founder, The Siren Group Inc., [email protected], +1 416 461-5270
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