Ville de Montréal’s Bureau du design is issuing the 4th edition of the CODE SOUVENIR MONTRÉAL call for proposals and invites Montréal designers-producers and distributors to submit their proposals in large numbers for gift items evocative of Montréal. The purpose of the call for proposals is to select a bank of gift items to be listed in a catalogue intended to help institutional buyers choose items designed by Montréal designers.
For this special edition, the CODE SOUVENIR MONTRÉAL catalogue will not only pursue its mission of showcasing unique promotional and protocol items, but will also expand its range and be more inclusive, offering rich and diversified gift ideas for the general public on the occasion of the celebrations of the 375th anniversary of Montréal in 2017.
Gift items are distributed year-round by the City and institutions such as the Palais des congrès de Montréal, Montréal International, Tourisme Montréal, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, the city's universities and other cultural institutions. During the 2017 celebrations, the needs of these institutions and businesses will increase, along with those of the Société des célébrations du 375e anniversaire de Montréal and its partners, which will be presenting a large number of mementoes to their guests.
Recipients are a varied group: they include citizens, elected officials, dignitaries, convention delegates, international organizations, business executives, investors and donors.
Gift items evoke memories of Montréal and personify the city in visitors’ minds. They create a representative and recognizable image of Montréal and its identity through their material, technique, use, shape or graphic design. They are attractive, original and high-quality items, worthy of a UNESCO City of Design. They tell a story of an object or its creator.
Specifically, the gift items being sought under this call for proposals are:
- Already existing, revamped, repackaged or designed specifically in response to this call for proposals
- Ready for sale (not under development)
- Functional and sustainable
- Preferably unisex, able to be used as decorative, food or utilitarian items or basic fashion accessories
- Lightweight, fairly small, easy to carry in a suitcase and meet customs regulations
- Able to be personalized, including at least the logo of an institution, company or logo of the City of Montreal;
- Presented in attractive packaging that showcases the item and the work of the designer (for example, the name of the product, its function, where it was made, the name of the designer, a short biography or description of the creative process – while not essential, this information adds value to a gift item)
The call for proposals is open to any designer-producer or distributor who meets the following conditions:
- Is already in the gift items market and has, at the time the proposal is submitted, a network providing for the production and distribution of the item(s) submitted, whether existing or newly designed
- Is the creator of the gift item(s) being submitted or, in the case of a distributor, obtains the agreement of the creator(s) before submitting a proposal
- Agrees to have the gift items submitted appear in a publication and make them available for order by the buyers
- Operates primarily from a head office located in Montréal at the time the proposal is submitted
The selection committee responsible for choosing the gift items that will appear in the catalogue consists of five (5) members:
- Azamit, artistic director, stylist and researcher; founder of souk @ sat
- François Blais, graphic designer, visual communications advisor, Services des communications, Ville de Montréal
- Lynn Gagnon, protocol advisor, Ville de Montréal
- Sylvie Labrosse, boutique manager, Montréal Museum of Fine Arts
- Marie-Claude Parenteau-Lebeuf, executive director, Association professionnelle des designers d’intérieur du Québec (APDIQ)
Proposals must be sent to the following address no later than May 3, 2016, noon, local time, as stipulated in the calendar:
Bureau du design
Attention: Béatrice Carabin
Ville de Montréal
CODE SOUVENIR MONTRÉAL Call for Proposals
303 rue Notre-Dame Est, 6th floor
Montréal, QC
H2Y 3Y8
During the call for proposals process, questions are to be sent only to the professional advisor, Véronique Rioux, industrial designer, at [email protected].
Issue of the call for proposals
March 22, 2016
Deadline for the submission of proposals
May 3, 2016, noon, local time
Meeting of the Selection Committee
May 6, 2016
Production of the catalogue
May and June
Distribution and promotion of the catalogue
End of June
