Technical director
Jean-Philippe Lapointe

Communication-marketing Coordinator
Aurélie Guilcher

Installation Director
Jean-François Gagnon

Communication and Production Trainees
Marie-Kim Dupuis-Brault
Jennifer Gaudelli

Production assistants
Célya Belayadi
Audrey Vézina

Graphic Designer
Félix Lebel

Press Relations
Lise Raymond
Phone : 450 640-0500
info@clraymond.com

Graphic Designer
Stéphanie B. Gauthier

Photographer
Serge Olivier

The FestiBlues International de Montreal offers four days of blues-infused shows with a distinctive popular edge, from August 9th to 12th 2011 at Ahuntsic Park, at the Ahuntsic-Cartierville Maison de la Culture, and in surrounding bars. This event effectively transports the cultural centre of Montreal to the north part of the island for the month of August, as well as livening up the Ahuntsic-Cartierville neighborhood.

Attentive to the community's needs, the FestiBlues offers a tantalizing cocktail! Its low tariff policy ($7 a night, passport for $18/ 4 days, free for children under 12) is truly exceptional considering the incredible roster of more than fifty national and international artists who will perform for this 15th edition of the festival.

The FestiBlues also adheres to the principle of sustainable development, combining cultural, touristic, and social factors into a visionary event. This vision of an event-based sector promotes the FestiBlues International de Montréal as an accountable not-for-profit organization fostering the awareness of festival goers of the positive impact such an event can have on the community. The festival also takes part in international exchanges for young aspiring professionals 18-35, while maintaining the importance of family and youth.

Due to the important number of blues-related festivals in Canada, the FestiBlues has established La Route du Blues, a network facilitating the exchange of artists from one festival to another. The FestiBlues therefore has partnered festivals within Ontario, New-Brunswick, Quebec, and especially in France through the dynamic pairing, on-going for seven years, with the Festival Blues sur Seine in Mantes-La-Joie, sharing our passion for music and friendship!

The FestiBlues, blues on grass

At the same time attentive and concerned about its impact, the FestiBlues, presented by Loto-Québec, is committed to its development in a sustainable fashion both economically and ecologically.

Since its inception, the FestiBlues has always strived very hard to stimulate and include the Ahunstic-Cartierville neighbourhood in this creative process and this cooperation is increasing each year. In recent months, the Festiblues adopted a three-year business plan for sustainable development.

In 2011, Festiblues reviewed its marketing and communications plan toward optimally reducing its ecological footprint. As a result, we replaced the paper and ink-intensive program brochure with a postcard format. In addition, Festiblues joined RECYC-QUEBEC's ON RECYCLE! program in October 2010 and was certifed Level 2 just in time for the 15th edition of the festival.

• Implementing a carpooling service for festivalgoers.
• Establishment of the Ecological Responsibility Officer post.
• Format reduction of printed material.
• Abolishment of non-recyclable billboards.
• Stimulation of personal initiatives and recognition of ecological actions.
• Promotion of the use of bicycles to attend the festival.
• Favoring the local economy on a priority basis.
• Reducing the energy consumption of the Festival.
• Increase the awareness of Festivalgoers, artists, etc.
• Recycling of waste and obsolete computers both during the event and at our offices.
• Introduce a composting system both during the event and at our offices.
• Reuse of materials, giving them a second life.
• Loto-Quebec initiative of using the old banners to make cushions for the festivalgoers.
• Using recycled paper for most of our printed material.
• Daily struggle against waste.
• Respect for the site and reconditioning after the event.
• Encouraging the public to use mass transit (easily accessible by bus/metro).
• Heightening of the public's awareness to recycling: the FestiBlues Green Squad.
• Use of compostable dishes and utensils for the canteen.
• Use of recyclable beer glasses.

Economic & Society

• Enabling the hiring of French youth in socio-professional insertion.
• Access to the event for people with reduced mobility.
• Active participation of the Ahuntsic-Cartierville neighbourhood community (Maison de la Culture Ahuntsic-Cartierville).
• International exchange program with the Blues-sur-Seine festival (Parisian region) and the Route du Blues festivals.
• Healthy meals served to the production team.
• Sale of "BLANK" clothing, 100% made in Quebec, in the Souvenir Boutique.
• Purchase of "BLANK" clothing, 100% made in Quebec, for the production team.
• Encouraging the food stands to recycle and/or offer products issued from organic or fair trade agriculture.
• Surplus food given to local charities.
• Sollicitation of donations on site for the Fondation Jeunesse Bordeaux-Cartierville.

Links

• www.ecoquartier.ca/
• www.actioncarbone.org
• www.evenementecoresponsable.com