Montréal’s Bureau du design is issuing a call for proposals for the 5th edition of CODE SOUVENIR MONTRÉAL and invites all Montréal designers-producers to submit their proposals for gift items evocative of Montréal. The purpose of this call for proposals is to select an array of gift items for publication in a catalogue. These souvenir gift items show off the design know-how and creativity of Montréal designers and are intended for dignitaries, partners, business people, VIPs, tourists, and Montrealers themselves. The catalogue is aimed at institutional and corporate buyers, along with the general public.
The 5th edition of the CODE SOUVENIR MONTRÉAL catalogue will continue the goal of giving purchasers more choices when it comes to selecting promotional and official gift items created by Montréal designers.
Gift items are distributed year-round by the City and institutions such as the Palais des congrès de Montréal, Montréal International, Tourisme Montréal, the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, local universities, and other cultural institutions. Large private corporations also have gift-giving needs for their customers, employees, or for special events. Such items are usually customized with the company name.
Recipients are a varied group and include elected officials, dignitaries, convention delegates, international organizations, business executives, investors, and donors.
As part of a comprehensive strategy to foster Montréal design, products in the catalogue are also available to the general public.
This broad promotional strategy has come to fruition in recent years with the creation of an official CODE SOUVENIR MONTRÉAL trademark and by selling catalogue items in six licenced shops. Montréal intends to increase sales opportunities for designers and their products by continuing to roll out a point-of-sale network in the city.
Among the general public, these gift items are primarily purchased by citizens of Greater Montréal or tourists.
Gift items evoke memories of Montréal and personify the city in customers’ minds. They create a representative and recognizable image of Montréal and its identity through their material, manufacturing 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.
The gift items must above all highlight Montréal design know-how through creative and high quality products. They might be evocative or emblematic of the city (its cultural identity, or its geographical, architectural, or heritage features).
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)
- Obviously functional and self-sustainable
- Preferably unisex, and 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 the incorporation of an institutional or corporate logo
- Presented in attractive packaging that showcases the item and the work of the designer (for example, information such as the product name, its function, where it was made, the name of the designer, a short biography or description of the creative process, while not essential, adds value to a gift item).
The call for proposals is open to any designer-producer who meets the following conditions:
- Is already in the gift items market and has, at the time the proposal is submitted:
- a production and distribution network for an existing item(s) or a newly designed item being submitted, and
- a website or other distribution platform that presents the product(s) and leads to an e-commerce site or point of sale
- Is the creator of the gift item(s) being submitted
- Agrees that submitted gift item(s) may appear in a publication and can be ordered by buyers
- Agrees to the commitments required by the City as stated in the Call for Proposals document
- Operates primarily from a head office located in Montréal at the time the proposal is submitted
Publishers are not eligible for this call for proposals. The goal of CODE SOUVENIR MONTRÉAL is to connect designers with purchasers, without other intermediaries.
The selection committee for the gift items has five members:
- Claudine Blais, Boutique manager, Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal
- André Desrosiers, industrial designer, founding member of COOP ÉTABLI
- Arnaud Granata, president and editor, Infopresse
- Pierre Laramée, publicist, design specialist
- Marie-Claude Therrien, Chief of Protocol, Ville de Montréal
Proposals must be sent to the following address no later than April 23, 2018, at noon local time, as stipulated in the calendar:
Bureau du design
Service du développement économique
Ville de Montréal
Attn: Béatrice Carabin
CODE SOUVENIR MONTRÉAL, call for proposals
700 Rue De La Gauchetière Ouest, 28th floor
Montréal, QC H3B 5M2
The City is not responsible for incorrectly addressed submissions or delays in the proposal’s delivery. Nor is it responsible for breakage, damage, or deterioration of a proposal while said proposal is in its possession.
During the call for proposals process, questions should be sent to industrial designer and professional advisor Véronique Rioux at [email protected]
Call for proposals issued
March 1, 2018
Submission deadline (items and descriptions)
April 23, 2018, noon
Selection committee meeting
Late April – early May, 2018
Update of catalogue information and catalogue production
May and June 2018
Catalogue distribution and promotion
September 2018
