Meet Rachel Parent, the co-executive director of HUB Montréal

Have you heard about HUB Montréal? It’s an international business accelerator event for creative industries in the entertainment, cultural, and experiential marketing sectors. Mark your calendar because, from October 21-23, 2024, members of the international digital creative community will come together at The 7 Fingers, Montréal, for networking opportunities, workshops, presentations, and off-site experiences.  

Ahead of this year’s event, we spoke with Rachel Parent, the co-executive director of HUB Montréal, to gain insights into the event, what attendees can expect, and trends she sees in the industry.   

Tell us a little about yourself!  

My name is Rachel and I’m the co-executive director of HUB Montréal, an international event-market for digital creativity. I started working at HUB in 2021 as the programming coordinator and I made my way to an executive role – passing by project manager and head of programming.  

I was truly lucky to have the support and trust of Sebastien Nasra, founder of HUB Montréal, to grow in this digital creativity ecosystem.  

I didn’t study new technologies or even digital creativity, but I’ve always been intrigued by it: the creative expertise of Quebec and Canada, the producers, artists, and all these passionate individuals who make up this ecosystem-it’s truly a treasure! 

What was the catalyst to start HUB eight years ago? 

The idea of HUB Montréal was born from the desire to showcase the expertise and skills of Quebec studios. At that time, this expertise was increasingly recognized and even sought after, but I think the ecosystem was still somewhat emerging. HUB Montréal wanted to give studios the opportunity to showcase their capabilities on stage and to shine in front of an audience of industry experts on an international scale. 

Sébastien Nasra [the founder] was inspired by South by Southwest (SXSW) and wanted to create an event where people meet up every year to discuss the future of the industry, exchange ideas, and help to grow the cultural and economic sectors.  

How has the event changed since its inception? 

Initially, HUB Montréal was born amid Montréal's 375th anniversary in 2017. The event was not originally intended to be an annual gathering, but due to the success of the first edition and the clear demand, HUB Montréal was reimagined to become the marketplace for digital creativity in Quebec. 

Over time, we expanded the programming by offering more activities and networking opportunities, especially with international buyers. We are truly committed to enhancing the positioning of our industries and the event on an international scale by collaborating with key international partners and other events around the world like SXSW, SEGD, Tribeca, and others.  

We’ve been lucky enough to generate more than CAD$16 million in revenue last year due to new business collaborations, and we aim to do more this year! 

Can you tell us a little about what you have planned for this year’s event?  

This year’s theme is Horizon(s): Technologies of perception and action. 

We'd like to project ourselves as an ecosystem and question the future and the impact of the latest technological innovations on everyday life, with a particular focus on creativity: its process, consumption, and evolution. With greater accessibility to new technologies, digital creativity is taking on a central role in today's world. With the 8th edition of HUB Montréal, we'd like to discuss its role in driving change and innovation. How will digital creativity and new technologies influence our lives on an individual, collective, and global scale? 

We’ve decided to organize our programming by key tracks from the industry, such as architecture and real estate, public space, museums, VFX / animation, brand and activations, performing arts, and immersive, which will also represent the profile of our participants. 

“With greater accessibility to new technologies, digital creativity is taking on a central role in today's world.” - Rachel Parent, co-executive director, HUB Montréal

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We are also bringing back our Techno Classes, which were first introduced in 2019. These classes allow our technological partners to present their latest innovations based on case studies and concrete examples and exchange with the industry to get direct feedback.  

Are there any sessions or speakers that you’re particularly excited about? 

With the innovative and creative ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, we have prepared a great session around sports and entertainment... but we can’t say too much for now! You’ll have to come and see. 

Are you seeing any trends in this year’s programming or submissions? 

There’s definitely a trend in performing arts to use new technologies to enhance or diversify operas, theatre pieces, or concerts. We’ve been lucky enough to showcase amazing projects over the years in this area, such as Madonna’s Super Bowl Half-Time show or Robert Lepage’s plays but I’m sensing a change in the possibilities of creation with innovative tools or locations lately.  

For example, if we talk about the Sphere in Las Vegas, it has definitely changed the way we consume a concert and/or a movie, but it also allows the artist to go further in their scenography: PHISH was able to produce a 4-night show without ever having the same content play around them due to the incredible work of Moment Factory and the use of generative AI.  

How does HUB support the development of digital creative companies? Is this exclusive to Quebec, or does this extend internationally? 

In addition to our annual event, we participate in various key international industry events to pursue our mission of significantly contributing to the business development of Quebec’s creative industries and positioning Montréal as a city of creativity. Our annual international cycle ends with HUB Montréal in October. We call this cycle “HUB on the road”. 

In 2023, we went to the Immersive Tech Week in Rotterdam as a partner but also to accompany Félix and Paul and PHI studios, the winners of our Immersive Award from the 7th edition of HUB Montréal. During this event, we had the chance to meet exciting and exceptional people from the industry to learn more about immersive technologies and, more particularly, the Dutch know-how in this sector. Thanks to this participation and the connections we made, we will be welcoming a delegation from the Netherlands to the 8th edition of HUB Montréal! 

I would say that our main mission is to promote the development of Quebec creative businesses, but thanks to HUB on the road, it is a “win-win” situation: taking the example of the delegation from the Netherlands, during the 8th edition they will be able to learn more about our creative know-how here, about new techniques and trends in the industry on an international scale, and they will be able to bring this knowledge back to their studios. 

Is there anything else you’d like to add? 

We are truly honored to have Christie as our key partner this year and we hope to pursue this collaboration in the future – building an international ecosystem for the growth of digital creativity!