The Palais des congrès de Montréal hosts MT Lab’s first innovative business in residence

The Palais des congrès de Montréal has partnered with MT Lab under its Innovative Business in Residence program, an initiative offering a young innovative business a strategic location in the heart of downtown to test and refine is solutions in real conditions.

A hand on a table with sheets of paper and colored pencils is drawing, illuminated by a small table lamp. Opposite her is a giant screen, and in it we see an artist in his studio, seated at a table.

For this pilot project, the Palais is making a space available in its shopping mall for an MT Lab-incubated company so that it can benefit from a stimulating environment, exceptional visibility and privileged access to a varied business clientele to help speed up its development

This collaboration between the Palais des congrès de Montréal and MT Lab is part of a continuum of shared initiatives to support innovation and offer a showcase for Montréal entrepreneurs that are shaping the future of tourism and business events. For instance, in May 2023, both organizations launched the tourism Innovation Showcase, an immersive journey highlighting new experiential technologies offered by four young MT Lab-incubated businesses.

With the Innovative Business in Residence program, the Palais des congrès and MT Lab are strengthening their commitment to promoting Montréal’s entrepreneurial savoir-faire and offering emerging entrepreneurs a springboard for testing and validating their solutions in a dynamic and strategic setting.

ESPACE RECHARGE, the first innovative business in residence

Founded in 2024, ESPACE RECHARGE specializes in wellness experiences for a corporate clientele. Its flexible and customizable service includes some 50 turnkey individual and group activities. Developed in close collaboration with several local partners, they encourage cognitive and physical recovery, while taking into account the constraints and pace of professional life. Meditation, floral arrangement, clay modelling, yoga, Pilates, watercolour, photography, embroidery and strength training are all experiences designed to promote rejuvenation, vitality and creativity.

At the very heart of this offer is the Chambre immersive^TM, a unique device in which participants can teleport to another place—in sounds and images—to experience an individual activity of their choice. A transformed closed room becomes a cocoon offering a multitude of 30-minute activities, combining virtual, immersive and in-person experiences. To maximize the impact of this change of scenery and reduce the stress of mental overload, participants are encouraged to relinquish their cell phones before entering the Chambre immersive^TM.

Thanks to this demonstration space, ESPACE RECHARGE benefits from the Palais’ effervescence to adapt its solutions to the needs of the surrounding businesses and the members of the local business community who transit through the centre every day. Immersed in the heart of a dynamic and international environment, it enjoys a unique showcase to test its services and strengthen its impact with a broad network of professionals.

In a small room, a woman dressed in white sits in a grey armchair facing a giant screen. On the screen, another woman sits on a chair in a forest.

Quotes

For the Palais des congrès, hosting an innovative business in residence represents a concrete opportunity to highlight ground-breaking initiatives emerging from the Montréal ecosystem and to strengthen our role as a catalyst in transforming business tourism. We’re delighted to host ESPACE RECHARGE and offer this business a unique framework for developing and adapting its offer to the needs of the business community.

Emmanuelle Legault, President and CEO of the Palais des congrès de Montréal

MT Lab is driving innovation by connecting industry leaders with solutions that have an impact on their market, such as ESPACE RECHARGE. With our Innovative Business in Residence program, the Palais is positioning itself and, once again, placing Montréal as a competitive and visionary destination that is fashioning the future of tourism and business events.

Martin Lessard, General Manager of MT Lab

Workplaces and tourism sites both have an interest in integrating a wide variety of wellness experiences in their offer in order to improve their allure as well as the health of the individuals frequenting them. Buoyed by our highly successful pilot project with Énergir, where more than 250 participants expressed a 98% satisfaction rate, we now wish to deploy our concept with new organizations that will be able to benefit from, among other things, the regenerative power of our Chambre immersive^TM. The residency program at the Palais des congrès represents an extraordinary strategic opportunity for us.

Hélène Beauséjour, Co-founder and Executive-Director of ESPACE RECHARGE