More Than Half a Million Montréalers Won Over by the Digital Season

Printemps numérique clearly has the wind in its sails. For its third edition, a record number of partners mobilized to offer a showcase of Montréal’s digital know-how, said Suzanne Gouin, chair of the board of Printemps numérique. From March21 toJune 21, 514,592 people took part in 282 digital activities made possible by the collaboration of 269 organizations. Printemps numériquesupports the growth of creators, producers and presenters here and internationally. It contributes to Montréal’s reputation as a world

capital of digital creativity.

Printemps numérique is much more than a calendar. The 2016 edition marked the beginnings of Printemps numérique as a nonprofit organization. Its mission includes promoting digital creativity, connecting the arts, industry and education sectors, and highlighting

• emerging talent. Severalprojectswere createdto contributeactively tothe vitality of thecommunity:six Digital Fridays, VN#1 to VN#6, featuring discussions on digital-creativity
• issues and showcasing the expertise of around twenty leading figures; five DigiLabs, where digital creators received a $4,000 grant
• to take part in an applied research laboratory within a company, with projects to be unveiled in thefall; DigiCamp,where elevenstudent teams tookpart in an interuniversitycompetition
• to solve social-innovation challenges through digital creativity with six organizations, STM, Desjardins, Journal Métro, Quartier des spectacles, Moment
• Factory and Ellicom; Hackcité, where digital, biodiversity and planning experts worked together to create a needed technology tool, the mapping ofMontréal’s

green corridors; and Game Jam Battle, where five video-game prototypes were created by about thirty students guided by industry mentors, creating a real

recruitment opportunity. Over three months, energetic spokesperson Vanessa Pilon helped raise the profile of Printemps numérique by giving more than twenty interviews in major media to celebrate digital culture and encourage visitors to take part in the many activities. Digital is so much part of our everyday lives that we often do not even realize it, and it is more intuitive than ever, she noted. Printemps numérique democratizes

it; we only need

• our human sensitivity
• and our curiosity
• to
• appreciate
• it. This distinct digital ecosystem is
• the result of
• world-renowned expertise. As
• a capital of digital arts, third
• in the world for video games, the fourth
• global hub for visual effects and a new centre

for virtual reality, Montréal 

positions itself internationally as a digital crossroads. Printemps numérique 2016 in brief: 90 days of digital creativity; half a million participants; 269 partners; 282 activities; a major launch at the McCord Museum with 1,100 people; 16,700 Facebook subscribers; 605 curious participants

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at Digital Fridays;
392 interviews and mentions in local and international media; more than 24,000 Slack messages exchanged by team members; and the year of virtual reality, virtual reality and virtual reality. The major partners of Printemps numérique. Produced in association with Journal Métro, Printemps numérique benefits from the support of Concertation Montréal, Tourisme Montréal and

La
Vitrine. The project also received non-recurring financial support of $250,000 from the City of Montréal, thanks to funding from the Government of Québec under the Montréal 2025 Agreement administered by the Secrétariat à la région métropolitaine. About Printemps numérique. Printemps numérique introduces a broad public to the works of digital creators and attracts an international clientele through the scale and diversity of its programming. This major initiative strengthens Montréal’s position as a creative capital, supports emerging and unprecedented practices, and encourages collaborations by connecting the communities that drive it: creation, production, presentation, research, industry, tourism and institutions such as museums and universities. Participating organizations included 3DVF, ACM Siggraph, Agence f&co, Agence TOPO, AKOUSMA, Alchemy 24, Allied, Alsago, Anagraph, Anges Québec, Animation Magazine, Animation Xpress, Animaze, Arc Productions, Archives de la Ville de Montréal, Arbres-Canada, Arsenal Montréal, Art and Earth Magazine, Art of VFX, Artbangbang, Artifact 5, ArtStation, Acfas, AQT, Atomic Fiction, Autodesk, Banque Nationale, BCF, Beam Me Up Games, BAnQ, BIAN, bleuOrange, Bloc Oral, BMO Groupe Financier, C2 Montréal, CAMPUS ADN, Cathédrale Verte, Cégep de Matane, CCA, CDRIN, Centre des sciences de Montréal, CIRMMT, Centre Phi, Centre TURBINE, Chromatic, Cinéfilm, Cinémathèque Québécoise, Cinesite Studios, CIRCA, Club Conjure de l’ÉTS, Communautique, Culture Montréal, Desjardins, DHC/ART, DHX Media, Dix au carré, Eastern Bloc, ÉTS, Effects Montréal, ELEKTRA, ELLEPHANT, Ellicom, Espace pour la vie, Espresso-Jobs, Execution Labs, EY Canada, Fantasia, FIFA, FTA, Float 4, Google Project Tango, Hacking Health, Hibernum, Hydro-Québec, INIS, Isart Digital, Jeune Chambre de commerce de Montréal, Kohlenstoff, KONTEJNER, Ladies Learning Code, La Vitrine, MASSIVart, McCarthy Tétrault, Mitacs, Moment Factory, Montréal International, Montréal NewTech, Mosaic HEC Montréal, MTL Data, MTL NewTech, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Musée McCord, MUTEK, NAD, OBORO, Office National du Film du Canada, Osmos Academy, OVH, Piknic Électronik, Pixomondo, Place des Arts, Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan, Prix Numix, Quartier de l’innovation de Montréal, Quartier des spectacles de Montréal, Québecor, Radio-Canada, RECODE, SAM, Société des arts technologiques, SOVERDI, Spearhead Games, Studio XX, TACT, Théâtre Centaur, Université Concordia, Université de Montréal, UQAM, UQAT, Vidéographe, Volta, WearHacks, Wework, WikiFX, WSP and many others. Institutional partners included Alliance numérique, Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec, Concertation Montréal, Conseil des arts de Montréal, CQAM, Government of Québec, La Vitrine, TechnoMontréal, Tourisme Montréal and City of Montréal. Media partners included CIBL, CTVM, Destination Centre-Ville, Infopresse, Journal Métro, Les Affaires, Le Lien Multimédia, L’initiative, Magazine Convergence, Magazine ETC, Montréal Centre Ville, MTL Blog and

Narcity.
Sponsors included Allegorithmic, Bec Soda, Brasseur du Monde, Cafe Rico, Harris & Wolff, Lezar 3D, Les Gamins Gourmand, Luxia Kombuchia, Madame Virgule, Prana,

Rubika,
Saint-Hubert, Smart-Halo, Subway and ZooFest. For full details, consult the related page, event page,

exhibition
page and partner links provided here.