C2 Bets on Creativity as the Strongest Event ROI

C2 Montreal, a 5,000-person conference known for theatrical flair and unusual meeting formats, has been reshaping the city’s image since 2012. However, CEO Anick Beaulieu insists the point is not spectacle but business impact.

“We’re all human, and business for now is still done between humans,” she said. “If you approach business from a transactional lens, the best you’ll get is a transaction. If you approach it from a relationship-building lens, you might discover a partner, an investor, or a new idea.”

At the opening session of the Skift Meetings Forum 2025, Beaulieu argued that integrating brand experiences into the conference experience rather than plastering logos creates stronger results. “It’s not just a logo or a sales pitch,” she said. “There’s actual thought about the value a brand can provide.”

Many planners face pressure for quick sponsorship exposure, but Beaulieu pushes back. Thought leadership and innovation should be the focus, not logo placement, she said. “The average time spent on TikTok is three seconds. On YouTube, maybe 10. We get people’s attention for two or three days,” she said. “So what are you going to do with that time?”

C2 tracks revenue, attendance, session participation, and surveys business deals six months later to demonstrate ROI. Before the Covid pandemic, the event generated $600 to $700 million in economic activity and “deal flow.”

For Beaulieu, the next step is proving softer returns. She asked, “How do we measure sentiment? How do we prove that investing in creativity yields better business results?”

Built on Montreal’s Strengths

Created by the city with Cirque du Soleil and creative agency Sid Lee, the event runs as a nonprofit under the C2 brand. A “down under” version of C2 was announced for 2018, but C2 Melbourne was ultimately axed altogether. The organization has since resisted expanding abroad, but Beaulieu has not given up on the concept. “I think it can work in another city, but it would need a strong buy-in from the local community.”

By design, C2 Montreal is focused on highlighting the strengths of the city and does not stray into areas where Beaulieu feels it would be less credible. She said, “Why would I go to Montreal to hear about fashion? I’ll go to Paris. I’ll go to Milan, New York.”

Unlike sprawling festivals such as SXSW and Cannes Lions, C2 is contained to a single venue, though it occasionally spills into the city with pop-ups. The goal is to “create FOMO within one event,” but it occasionally extends beyond the venue with pop-ups around the city. Beaulieu said, “We’re a bit of control freaks. But we want people to feel like it’s a village.”

C2 Studio, the organization’s for-profit white-label agency, produces creative events — mostly incognito — for brands worldwide.

Having C2 Montreal as a flagship event functions as R&D for C2 Studio and gives it an edge with clients. “People come to C2 expecting innovation, so it lets us push the envelope,” she said. On the flip side, delivering C2 Studio projects adds a different perspective.

Lessons from The Hotel Years

During the Covid pandemic, restrictions pushed C2 Montreal virtual in 2020, then hybrid in 2021, followed by two years at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth. Beaulieu credits partnerships with the host hotel for the event’s survival during the recovery years.

The ready-built conference setting had financial advantages, but also posed creative limits. “From an environment design perspective, it was quite the puzzle,” said Beaulieu. 

She joked that hotel carpets were a design barrier but the more traditional venue made C2 more relatable for planners seeking inspiration. Hotel rooms were used for labs and hospitality suites, without the need to build from scratch. But the C2 team employed creativity in different ways, for example playing with “hotel codes” using actors to create immersive experiences, including staging a wedding crisis while conference attendees checked in.

Future of C2 Spaces

In 2022, C2 unveiled a branded, flexible event space at the Pullman Paris Montparnasse. The reveal was part of a larger partnership with Accor, but the hotel giant is yet to scale the concept. Real estate ownership and complex hotel management structures are a stumbling block. “In hotels or convention centers, deals are very complicated,” Beaulieu said.

Beaulieu wants to revive the concept. One idea is to create C2-branded spaces inside convention centers. “I think there’s something there to be done. I just haven’t quite fully nailed the model.”