Let’s build Montreal Stores around the world
City must advertise what it has to offer on the international stage, Jonathan Brun says.
The economic and political power of cities is on the rise due to changes in the economy and continued migration to urban areas. Montreal, like other cities, must continue to invest in itself if it hopes to compete on the global stage.
Montreal must focus its attention on its killer features. Of course, I think most will agree that we need political and economic reform along with more devolution of power from the province to the municipality and an integrated transportation system to efficiently move goods and people. But beyond reforms, we need something essential to our growth — investment. The quickest path to more revenues is more people, leading to higher property value and more economic activity.
If we want Montreal to become a strong city, it must advertise its specificities on the competitive world stage. We cannot and should not compete with such major financial centres as London, Hong Kong and New York, or with mega-cities like Mexico City, Istanbul and Shenzhen. Montreal is unique in many ways and we should advertise that uniqueness to attract business and tourism. I propose we capture and bottle the unique Montreal flavour, creating a physical presence for others to taste and visit at home: Montreal Stores.
One simple solution to some of our economic woes is to drive more tourism dollars to our economy. With a powerhouse country next door and its strong dollar, this should be a straightforward proposition. Instead of promoting ourselves through embassies or delegations, we should build on success in the private sector and perhaps the greatest retail experience of all, the Apple Store. An Apple Store lets you test new products, get consultations and even attend courses, lectures and musical events centred around the company’s products. A Montreal Store would follow a similar model.
Having recently visited to New Orleans, I was struck by the number of people who travelled there to visit the old French Quarter, listen to jazz, drink cocktails and enjoy fantastic food. Montreal has many of the same cultural and culinary attractions as New Orleans and we are as close to the United States as one can get. The same tourists who visit New Orleans for a modest amount of diversity and culture are the same tourists we want to visit Montreal. Curious Americans who want some culture, but might not be inclined to travel to Europe or Asia can come to visit us, in Montreal.
To promote our unique attributes and drive tourism to our city, Montreal should establish storefronts in cities around the world. I would start with a storefront in the busy tourist filled French Quarter of New Orleans. The same tourists that travel to New Orleans are ones who would be thrilled to come to our jazz festival and enjoy our amazing choice of restaurants. This storefront, with an operating cost of a few million dollars a year could be modelled on the Apple Store. Instead of iPads and iPhones, we would promote our music, innovation, language, culture and food. The side-by-side promotion of our cultural uniqueness with our high-tech industry and generous tax credit system might even incite some companies to open offices here. The goal of each Montreal Store would be to generate more revenue through tourism than it costs to operate, which strikes me as an easy target. The stores could host and promote Montreal musicians, innovative companies, art and culinary showcases to lure new people to our island city. It’s time that Montreal take the bull by the horns and unabashedly promote itself as the fun, francophone and high-tech hub that it is.
We should build on success in the private sector and perhaps the greatest retail experience of all, the Apple Store.