Village Gamer

The first edition of MTL DGTL, held in Montreal from October 31 to November 2 has come and gone. The new festival, which was  organized by Alliance numérique  and sponsored by the Canada Media Fund, drew in nearly 2,100 digital industry professionals from Quebec as well as from other parts of Canada and from around the world. Quebec’s dynamic digital community seized the opportunity to discuss digital content and showcase their work while promoting their services and networking at this three-day festival which included four separate events on mobile technology, the Web, video games, and the development and research of partnerships for projects in media technologies.“We hope that MTL DGTL will position Montreal as a hotspot for interactive digital media,” said Pierre Proulx, General Manager of Alliance numérique. “Quebec companies show excellent potential and appeal for business development opportunities and agreements. In fact, this is the idea behind MTL DGTL’s mission, which is to showcase the province’s creativity and talent on the international scene.”

The various MTL DGTL activities fell under four main conferences, each offering a broad range of content:

MOBIZ – Representatives from the Quebec’s Mobile Industry and their clients attended Mobiz, a conference that explored different technological advancements, integration possibilities, local and global consumer trends, and other hot topics in the field. Speakers from Microsoft, Google, Orange and Samsung captivated audiences with presentations on mobile wallets, the Cloud, convergence, m-Marketing and e-Health. The success of this first edition of Mobiz confirms that the future is bright for Quebec’s vibrant Mobile Industry.

Innovation was on the agenda as the event concluded with the Mobiz Awards, a competition showcasing creative mobile projects. It is through mobile interactive voting from the public that Greencopper (Business Category) and 2XM Interactive (Startup Category) won the first edition of the Mobiz Awards by dazzling participants with their cutting-edge project.

WEB-IN – Breaking from the mould of traditional conferences, the second edition of Web-In featured a series of several 10-minutes presentations. Under the theme of “Reinventing the Web of the Future”, the presentations were given by and for the leading thinkers from Quebec’s Web community. The speakers were carefully chosen for the originality of their topics and their forward-looking vision, ensuring that participants would come away feeling inspired. The discussions were centred on transmedia, user experiences, convergence and accessibility. These issues are sure to influence industry professionals and encourage them to find new approaches when developing concepts for future projects.

CINQ INNOVATION SYMPOSIUM – Collaboration between research and industry was the main theme of CINQ Innovation Symposium, an event that aims to increase the competitiveness and productivity of interactive media firms in Quebec. This workshop included a series of conferences and networking activities relating to various research topics, such as 3D animation, motion capture, previewing, facial animation, interactive projections, design and virtual collaborative environments, and digital content management.

Innovation specialists, researchers and other leading figures from the industrial, university and college communities came together to discuss common problems. This will most certainly lead to new strategies for improving their research and development efforts through collaborative projects.

MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL GAME SUMMIT (MIGS) – MIGS, an annual gathering of gaming professionals now in its eighth year, attracted more than 1,704 participants from all fields and corners of the world, including 92 decision-makers, who came to take part in the Business Lounge, a space entirely dedicated to business development.

In keeping with its reputation for excellence, MIGS offered its participants a full slate of exceptional sessions. Richard Lemarchand, Lead Designer for Naughty Dog and Jason Rohrer, an independent game designer, both keynotes for the event, opened the two days. It is more than 85 internationally renowned gaming experts – from the fields of art & visual effects, audio, business, design, production and technology – who exchanged information and ideas on the next generation of video game consoles, the emergence of social gaming, new business models and more. Yves Guillemot, co-founder of Ubisoft, ended the summit on a high note as he shared his inspiring vision for the future of the video game industry before a packed room.

Once again, the exhibition zone buzzed with activity, proving to be the place to network, as participants visited a wide variety of kiosks, cheered on competitors at the D3D workshops, appreciated the works on display in the Montreal Shines Art Gallery and admired the best of Montreal’s artistic talent during the Sketch Duel. Meanwhile, the MIGS career fair attracted more than 250 visitors, who came to meet industry representatives conducting interviews for positions in the field.

Photos from MTL DGTL can be viewed on the event’s Flickr Feed.