Case Study: National Conference on Ending Homelessness The 2025 National Conference on Ending Homelessness brought decision makers, researchers, community organizations and people with lived experience together in Montréal to exchange knowledge, explore solutions and advance action. Organized by the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, with Mouvement pour mettre fin à l’itinérance à Montréal (MMFIM) serving as local host, the impact process began well before the conference began. “We had to put on paper our strategic pillars, our expected outcomes and more. As the local host, our key goals included the participation of Indigenous people and ensuring the voices of people with lived experience were heard,” says MMFIM executive director Michèle Chappaz. “It was a lot of work, but we did it with Tourisme Montréal and #MEET4IMPACT facilitated the whole process. It helped us think out, put into words and clarify our specific goals.” “I think the greatest value we received was the anecdotal experiences and personal stories the interviews were able to capture, including a Calgary councillor who had connected with other municipalities and learned new ways to strengthen their own circular economy regulatory initiatives and policies,” says Kiana Klassen, Communications Lead Consultant, Circular Construction Canada, who played a key role in organizing the 2025 summit through her work with CELC. “The report did a lot to synthesize not only the content included in the summit sessions, but also the impact of the event, which gave us a holistic perspective that we didn't previously have,” Klassen adds. “Business Events Montréal was very good at piggybacking on our event objectives and plans we already had in place. It was a guided experience and was really smooth in the sense of not adding a lot to our own workload.” Additional surveys and interviews analyzed through ImpactAIQ revealed outcomes that attendance figures and satisfaction scores alone would not show, including stronger engagement with MMFIM’s mission, business support and potential influence on public policy. “The project pulled out outcomes that were totally unexpected based on some of the attendee interviews,” Chappaz says, referring to a policy analyst who said ministerial National Conference on Ending Homelessness commitments made at the conference could be used to advance the social-housing agenda. The findings are also helping identify where more work is needed, including stronger relationships with Indigenous organizations. More broadly, the conference reinforced Montréal’s reputation as a meeting place for organizations tackling complex social issues and advancing public-policy innovation. Is Your Event a Good Fit? Hosting in Montréal can do more than bring your community together. It can connect your event with local expertise and stakeholders, amplify its mission and help reveal the value it creates. ImpactAIQ projects are selected based on fit. If your event has a clear purpose, strong stakeholder engagement and the potential to advance Montréal’s economic, social, environmental or intellectual priorities, start a conversation with Business Events Montréal to explore what could be possible. Charlotte Laurin Manager, Strategic Alliances and CSR [email protected] meet.mtl.org PHOTOS: CIRCULAR ECONOMY SUMMIT (SYLVIANE ROBINI PHOTOGRAPHE); ENDING HOMELESSNESS CONFERENCE (IMPACT PRODUCTION); CHARLOTTE LAURIN (JS DÉNOMMÉ) Sponsored Feature | Ignitemag.ca | 27
