[Vues sur la Bourgogne, Vol 6, no 2 – Summer 2017]

For three manic days in late May, the streets of Little Burgundy and Griffintown were taken over by the C2 Montréal business and creativity conference. Founded by advertising agency Sid Lee and the Cirque du Soleil group, C2 has now been running for six years, and is billed as a venue where commerce and creativity collide.

This year’s conference featured keynote speeches by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, and a forum on artificial intelligence (AI) and Montreal’s role in this emerging business area. Held at the Arsenal contemporary art gallery on William Street, C2 is well known for its closing-night dance parties (this year with a DJ set from Montreal duo Chromeo) and other conference activities like meetings on chairs suspended in mid-air.

Despite weekend passes going for more than $3,000, the event, which wrapped up on May 26th, was sold out.