Monday Mashups: The Transformation of Meeting Space

Montreal’s landmark Fairmont the Queen Elizabeth hotel reopened last summer after a yearlong renovation—but the $140 million (Canadian) project didn’t just overhaul the downtown hotel’s decor. It also reimagined its meeting spaces through a new partnership with the business conference C2 Montréal, bringing escape rooms, ball pits, and swing sets as conference seating to what had been traditional hotel meeting space. A true transformation!

The renovation of the luxury hotel, which opened in 1958 and has nearly 1,000 rooms, was led by the architecture division of Sid Lee, the creative agency behind C2. The annual international business conference focuses on commerce and creativity—BizBash named it the most innovative meeting of 2017—and was developed with founding partner Cirque du Soleil. The partnership allows the AccorHotels property to position itself as a venue with spaces designed to facilitate innovative meetings and events.

Along with a new urban market, restaurant and bar, and coffee shop, new spaces for meetings and events at the hotel include the Agora, a lobby-level space with built-in food stations that can serve as a pre-function area; CoLab 3, a third-floor business hub with seven gaming-theme rooms and 13 meeting spaces; and Espace C2, a 21st-floor rooftop meeting and event space named after the city’s signature festival of innovation. (It still offers traditional meeting venues such as the 17,000-square-foot Place du Canada ballroom.)

We're all about this nontraditional approach to meetings. The goal to inspire business-goers with this type of creative environment really changes the outcome of these gatherings. It encourages efficient and effective problem-solving and more importantly—fun! The space gives you insight on the direction you want to take the experience you're planning. It's so unique and nothing like you've experienced before; you can't go wrong with holding a meeting here!

Espace C2 serves as a C2 Montréal preview with built-in areas that offer teambuilding activities inspired by the conference, which will have its seventh edition May 23 to 25 at the Arsenal. The space can accommodate as many as 220 people in a variety of configurations, and the activities can be customized for particular events. Facilitated by C2 team members, activities include brainstorming exercises in elevated ball pits; a white, multi-sensory “cloud” tent; drawing sessions that use the venue’s windows as canvasses; Lego-building activities; and a room that offers escape room-style puzzles.

Aside from the meeting and event venues, the hotel’s renovation also focused on keeping the interior aesthetic local to the city. The hotel has 123 original pieces of artwork in public spaces and suites, which celebrate Montreal and local Quebec artists. And room 1742, which is famously known as the location of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1969 Bed-In for Peace, is now open for public tours when it’s not booked.

Innovation is key when it comes to meeting planning. A nontraditional environment leads to creative thinking. We commend the Queen Elizabeth hotel for taking the opportunity to explore this new way of engaging attendees and look forward to seeing other venues devour the details of this up-and-coming trend!