Call for mission projects for professionals listed in the Montréal designers directory

Montréal was named a UNESCO City of Design in June 2006. In granting Montréal this title, UNESCO acknowledged the creative potential of Montréal designers to shape the city’s future, and of the commitment and determination of Montréal, other levels of government, and civil society to build on these strengths to enhance Montrealers’ quality of life.

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), which has 180 members, including 31 Cities of Design, aims to promote cooperation with and among member cities. Montréal’s Bureau du design regularly receives invitations to take part in international events from these cities (calls for proposals, projects, and communication; competitions; awards of excellence; professional development programs; etc.).

The Bureau du design wishes to share these outreach opportunities by urging designers to pursue international missions in order to:

• develop their markets
• stimulate the network and its many opportunities
• share and promote Montréal-based expertise internationally
• share their experience with the local design community upon their return

To this end, the Bureau du design is inviting professionals listed in the Montréal designers directory to propose a mission program in a UCCN member city. This initial call is aimed at supporting Montréal’s presence at the following three events in the fall of 2018:

• Detroit Month of Design, Detroit, United States (September 1 to 30, 2018)
• Torino Design of the City, Turin, Italy (October 12 to 21, 2018)
• Biennale Interieur, Kortrijk, Belgium (October 18 to 22, 2018)

Designers whose proposals are chosen by the selection committee will be given a representation agreement along with a contract for professional fees of up to $5,000 per firm. This call will select up to five mission projects, though the City of Montréal reserves the right not to select any proposals.

How to submit a project

Professionals must complete this form, and include their CV. Both documents must be emailed in PDF format to Sylvie Champeau, counseler and management analyst at Montréal’s Bureau du design, before August 16, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. All questions concerning the call for mission projects should be emailed to Sylvie Champeau. Applicants will be notified of the decision before August 30, 2018.

Evaluation criteria

The selection committee will use the following criteria in considering the proposals:

• Relevance of chosen destination to the proposed mission objectives
• Relevance of identified contacts, proposed meetings, locations visited, etc.
• Scope of event and related opportunities (level of visibility for the designer and for Montréal)
• Quality of mission proposal’s presentation
• Applicant’s ability to represent Montréal, UNESCO City of Design
• Overall feasibility of proposal

Selection committee

The selection committee, formed by Montréal’s Bureau du design, will be composed of:

• Marie-Josée Lacroix, design commissioner and head of Montréal’s Bureau du design, department of economic development, Ville de Montréal
• Catherine C. Lareau, economic development commissioner, creative and cultural sector, entrepreneurship division, department of economic development, Ville de Montréal
• David Gobeille-Kaufman, cofounder, Mangrove MTL

Conditions of contract

For the selected projects, a contract will be drawn up between the Ville de Montréal and the professional. By agreeing to the contract, selected professionals will become ad-hoc representatives of the city when they travel to a UCCN member city. As such, they agree to promote the values and messages of the Bureau du design and of Montréal, UNESCO City of Design. This includes:

Before the mission

• Familiarizing themselves with the information dossier on Montréal, UNESCO City of Design, produced and provided by the Bureau du design.
• Attending a planning meeting with the Bureau du design to draw up the mission’s development strategy (contacting UCCN partners, communication strategy for social networks, and other information related to preparing for the mission).
• Planning their own transportation and lodging.

During the mission

• Pursuing the planned mission program and keeping a mission log.
• Generating at least 10 unique messages on social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), using relevant hashtags.
• Producing 10 high-quality photos of their experience, with captions and photo credits for (royalty-free) use by the Ville de Montréal.

After the mission

• Writing a full mission report to share their experience and their qualitative and quantitative assessment of the event and the City of Design.
• Attending various knowledge transfer activities (e.g., workshop, presentation, networking activity).
• Invoice the fees stipulated in the professional services contract with the Bureau du design and the Ville de Montréal.