Quebec City, September 26, 2022 – MT Lab, North America’s leading innovation incubator for the tourism, culture and entertainment sectors, is delighted to welcome Destination Québec cité (DQc) as a major partner alongside more than ten of Quebec’s leading tourism organizations. This historic $300,000 agreement, spread over three (3) years, will give Destination Québec cité access to innovation solutions and enable it to carry out concrete sustainable tourism initiatives with young companies in the Quebec City region.
From left to right: Benoît Vuignier – Director of Partnership and Ecosystem Development at MT Lab, Robert Mercure – Director of Destination Québec cité, Carl-Frédéric De Celles – Member of the MT Lab Board of Directors, Frédérick Roussel – Deputy Managing Director of MT Lab.
Like the MT Lab’s major partners, DQc will be involved in the incubator-accelerator‘s activities throughout the year, both financially and in terms of human resources, whether to support its Incubation Program, network activities, or to advise or even implement the solution of young companies of their choice within its organization.
This partnership is part of DQc’s commitment to combining innovation and responsible tourism, as the MT Lab supports both the industry and start-ups such as Otis nature, Momentum, Retournzy and Arrivage . The MT Lab’s first step in Quebec City was to support the startup My Smart Journey.
The key player in open innovation for tourism
In its five (5) years of existence, theMT Lab has established itself within the industry as a key player in tourism innovation. Since then, the incubator-accelerator has supported over 100 Quebec start-ups through its various programs. The results have been positive in the medium and long term: 91% of them are still operational (1) year after completing an MT Lab program, and 75% are still operational four (4) years after following one of itsprograms.
In a collaborative mode, the MT Lab is also a meeting place where partners share their respective innovation experiences with the startups they have set up, discuss their challenges and create business opportunities between players in the tourism industry.
Quotes
“Destination Québec cité is excited at the prospect of joining the ranks of MT Lab, and already foresees countless networking opportunities. Ultimately, although it is DQc that is directly associated with this organization, it is the entire Quebec City region that will benefit from this knowledge, which will undoubtedly be transposed through the knowledge that will be acquired and the pool of contacts that will be made.” Robert Mercure, Director of Destination Québec cité.
“The tourism organization responsible for the Quebec City tourism region, with its historic heart and its own creativity, will perfectly complement the various areas of expertise that MT Lab finds within its current partners. By pooling acceleration, experimentation, discovery and innovation services for tourism players, MT Lab has become an essential national platform and a gateway to open innovation in tourism, culture and entertainment.” Martin Lessard, MT Lab General Manager.
About MT Lab
North America’s first incubator-accelerator dedicated to tourism, culture and entertainment. The MT Lab is both an incubator and gas pedal for startups, a platform for open innovation and networking, a space for experimentation and monitoring, as well as a place for co-working and entrepreneurial support. The MT Lab was created in 2017 by UQAM and Tourisme Montréal, it accompanies more than a dozen major corporate partners to spark innovation and accelerate opportunities in their field.
About Destination Québec cité
Destination Québec cité brings together more than 825 member companies in a territory that includes Quebec City, L’Ancienne-Lorette, Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Wendake and the MRCs of Portneuf, La Jacques-Cartier, Île d’Orléans and Côte-de-Beaupré.
Media contact:
Laurie Gagné-Sansfaçon I Fernandez public relations |
laurie@fernandezcom.ca I C. 418 933-7143
