Bridging Commerce & Creativity: #GetSocial with Anick Beaulieu, CEO of C2

Join us for a #GetSocial with Anick Beaulieu, CEO of C2, as we catch up with her just days before their flagship conference experience, C2 Montreal, on May 21-23 in Montréal, Québec.

C2 Montreal is renowned for its immersive experiences that foster meaningful connections and innovative solutions in the business landscape.

Anick Beaulieu, a dynamic leader, shares insights on creativity fueling commerce, the value of immersive experiences, and the evolving role of human connections in today's business environment.

Let's dive into the transformative power of C2 Montreal and its global impact ?

Q. What do the terms 'Commerce' and 'Creativity' mean within the context of C2 Montreal, and how do they intersect to drive innovation and growth in today's business landscape?

Anick Beaulieu: I like to say that we serve a business audience—mostly. And so, it's creativity at the service of commerce. It's such a complex landscape out there when you look at the challenges we're facing, not just as a business community, but also as a society. You need to be creative to solve some of those pressures. And we are creative by nature.

We've been taught that you're either creative or business-oriented, but I think the best business people are very creative.

For us, that intersection is interesting to highlight. There's no innovation without creativity—they are intimately linked, that's for sure.

Q. How does the immersive experience at events like C2 Montreal add value beyond just content delivery compared to traditional conferences?

Anick Beaulieu: That goes back to the role of creativity.

For us, we believe that investing in creativity will yield better business results. If you look at C2, there’s the content delivery, but there are so many great ways to access amazing content.

When C2 was born, we used to look at TED Talks on Facebook; now things are very different. A lot of what we're doing is designing experiences that facilitate humans connecting faster and more meaningfully. When you look at the formats we're using, very few, if any, are keynotes this year—where one individual talks one way to a crowd.

We like to create moments where different kinds of personalities will shine.

Let's say you're more of an introvert; you might not go out there at a cocktail party and say, "Hi, my name is Anick!" But maybe if you're in a smaller group with a curated conversation and a beautiful environment around a topic you care about with a good moderator, you'll feel comfortable sharing some of your thoughts.

This will lead to meeting the other five or seven people you're surrounded with, which might lead to a great partnership, a new employee, or an investor in your business.

For us, it's really about nurturing these moments of interconnectivity and making sure that as a human, your senses enable you to be in a state of mind that will be open to learning, meeting new people, and letting your own creativity shine.

That's done through beautiful scenography, good sound and light design, collaborative methodology, and the usage of technology. How can technology enable better human connections? These are all things we have top of mind.

Q. Would you say human relationships play a key role in business in 2024?

Businesses don't do business together. Humans do business together.

Anick Beaulieu: We have one life to live, (laughs). Why don't we do business with people we actually like? That's the best possible scenario. That's also the new way business needs to work—it's partnerships, not just transactions.

How do we create something magical together? How does your uniqueness match with mine to create impact? That's the mindset we're going in with when we design an event like C2 or any other event we design.

Q. What makes the Lab stand out from other elements of the C2 Montreal conference?

Anick Beaulieu: The Labs are totally a signature of C2.

It’s our most experiential kind of immersive experience. They really bring to life our capacity to stage content in a collaborative way.?

We call it, content meets context to drive transformative experiences.

The topic we're exploring is treated as a metaphor in the environment we're designing. There’s a very intimate link between the content and its context, and we stage it in a playful way that engages the different senses. There's usually a language that surrounds it that’s not too business-like, more artistic, I would say? This is to stimulate our creativity and thinking outside the box.

Q. What is the core value of these Labs?

When you tap into play, you tap into your inner child.

Anick Beaulieu: There are fewer layers of learned behavior. It’s less about how you behave in a corporate setting and more about tapping into your profound child-like identity. This then becomes very authentic in the way you respond. That goes back to creating those meaningful connections too.

Q. What is your definition of immersive?

Anick Beaulieu: Immersive is when you are part of what’s unfolding. You’re not a witness; you’re a participant. We like to refer to people attending our events as participants, not attendees. It’s not passive. There’s this notion of engaging the different senses.

Q. How does C2 Montreal recognize and cultivate talent within its community?

Anick Beaulieu: There are different layers to that. First of all, there needs to be a direction in terms of programming. What are the topics we want to explore? What are the key discussions within these topics, and who would be the best people to address them from various perspectives?

We create conversations on stage and want people from various backgrounds and perspectives to contribute unique points of view based on their experiences and cultural backgrounds.

When you look at the different methodologies or formats, we approach these topics in various ways. The stage is one way; there are masterclasses, workshops, round tables, and Labs. We take that global direction and fit it into the different experiential buckets we create so that the experience is whole.

It’s very structured. It has to be. I wouldn’t even want to see what it looks like in a non-structured way, (laughs). There are moments where it’s free thinking, but there’s a methodology and a way we approach it—there’s a science to it.

Q. When organizing a conference, what metrics do you use to gauge success and return on investment (ROI) beyond simply counting participants?

Anick Beaulieu: Leading up to C2, we look at all the marketing metrics: social engagement, email newsletter open rates, ticket transactions, and partnership sales. These are pre-event metrics.

During the event, the ultimate metric is the economic impact, measured six months after the event. We survey what kind of business was conducted during C2, whether participants met someone they ended up doing business with, and the value of those deals. This gives us a benchmark for creating business impact.

We also measure how much the event content travels beyond the event itself, media impressions, client feedback, satisfaction surveys, and the overall vibe.?

The vibe is intangible but palpable; you can feel the energy and sense if the event was successful.

Event technology now allows us to be very precise with these metrics, including social engagement and the number of connections made, such as through our Braindates. High engagement metrics often correlate with high business metrics.

Q. Do you think the unique conference experience of C2 Montreal, tied closely to the city itself, could be successfully recreated in other locations globally?

Anick Beaulieu: There’s a few things that we need—I’m not saying it couldn’t live somewhere else, but certain factors need to be present. C2 was born out of Sid Lee and Cirque du Soleil leaders wanting to create a platform to showcase the creativity and innovation of Montréal.

The close-knit community of business leaders and the authenticity of what this city stands for are important. C2 Montreal embodies the city's unique approach to business and creativity.

This year, we’re focusing on three main topics: creativity, immersive technology, and sustainable innovation, intersecting with AI and commerce.

Montréal has amazing entrepreneurs and businesses in these industries. We also incorporate culinary experiences, reflecting Montréal's reputation as a foodie city, and a free-flowing yet smart business style that is true to our DNA.

If we were to do something elsewhere, we would need to understand and embody the DNA of that place to ensure authenticity.

Q. What is the importance of authenticity in branded experiences?

Anick Beaulieu: It needs to be authentic. It needs to feel real and connected. Branded experiences must align with the vision, values, and mission of the company or city to drive engagement. People need to feel that the experience is true and resonates with the ethos of the brand or place.

Q. How has the pandemic influenced the need for human connections in events?

Anick Beaulieu: Since the pandemic, there’s a true longing for human connections. We’re more dispersed in terms of work, with teams working from various locations.

The moments we connect in person are essential, not just for formal conversations but for real human interactions outside the boardroom.

People need this—there's a thirst for it. However, we haven't seen the full extent of how digital natives will adapt to these needs. In the conference setting, it’s exciting to see how physical and digital experiences will evolve and complement each other.

While digital connections have their place, there’s still something powerful about being together in person, experiencing something sensory. I’m excited to see how these worlds will merge in the future.

Q. What are the challenges of hybrid events?

Anick Beaulieu: The reality is hybrid events are expensive. If you want to do both well, it’s essentially two events: one live and one digital. Each requires its own design, content capture, and budget. Right now, people are making choices about what to do live and what to do digitally, based on the main focus and objectives.

For us, it’s about experiential and human connections, which don’t translate as well online. Content delivery, however, works well in a digital format for learning or traditional education settings, but that’s not where we sit.

It's a different skill set. The best virtual reality designers are not necessarily the best at real-world scenography and environment design. It requires a cohesive strategy to make both possible.

All that being said; I think there's still something really strong about a bunch of humans together: Eating; having an experience that’s very sensorial, but I'm still excited to see how these two worlds will merge in the future. I don’t think we’ve seen the full extent of it yet. There was a big buzz at some point because we couldn’t be together: How do we create digital experiences that make us feel like we’re together?

Q. What's your top advice for newcomers to C2 Montreal? Is it better to book your schedule and plan meetings in advance, or leave room for the unexpected?

Anick Beaulieu: I’m always running around, so tip number one is good shoes!

You need to anchor your experience in moments you don’t want to miss. We put a lot of effort into curating the best talks, labs, and cocktails. Choose those key moments based on what you want to dive into, but also leave space for serendipitous encounters.

It’s about choosing strategically and leaving room for the unknown. I wouldn’t recommend doing all conferences or just Braindates. Do a mix of conferences, Braindates, and labs to fuel conversations and keep you stimulated throughout the three days.

And drink plenty of water (laughs)!

C2 Montreal: An Experience to Live

Inviting all those in Montréal to come and immerse themselves in this truly sensorial experience! Don't miss out on the opportunity to be a part of something transformative at C2 Montreal from May 21-23.

?? www.c2montreal.com #C2MTL24