The Palais des congrès de Montréal and Polytechnique Montréal join forces for an AI project on sustainable development

MONTRÉAL, March 10, 2025 /CNW/ - The Palais des congrès de Montréal is proud to announce a promising collaboration with Polytechnique Montréal as part of an integrated artificial intelligence project initiated by IVADO. Led by a group of four bachelor's students in Software Engineering, the project seeks to develop an intelligent system to manage waste generated by events at the Palais.

During the 2025 winter session, the students' mission will be to design an intelligent system capable of identifying, characterizing and quantifying waste produced during each event. This process will provide the Palais with precise data on the environmental impact of the events it hosts. Each student will devote 270 hours to this project, for a total of 1,080 hours of work.

Through this data collection, the Palais hopes to acquire a better understanding of consumption habits and waste production related to events. The ultimate goal is to develop customized strategies for each type of event in order to effectively reduce waste production and promote more sustainable alternatives.

A project in great demand

The Palais des congrès submitted this innovative project to Polytechnique Montréal as part of a partnership established in 2019 between Canada's leading engineering university and IVADO, which the Palais has been a member of since 2022. This consortium dedicated to promoting AI played a key role in supporting the Palais in the process and facilitating this collaboration.

The Palais' project generated a great deal of interest among students at Polytechnique Montréal and was among the most prized of the 30 or so projects received. Its innovative character, potential to contribute to sustainable development and undeniable pedagogical appeal were particularly appreciated.

By collaborating closely with the group of students, the Palais des congrès de Montréal reaffirms its commitment to innovation and sustainability, while offering future engineers a practical and enriching experience.

The Palais, an AI trailblazer in the industry

This project is also part of a continuum of successful collaborations between the Palais and Polytechnique Montréal, in particular under a program led by Mitacs, a Canadian organization that promotes research and innovation by creating partnerships between universities, industries and governments.

This initiative also reflects the Palais' desire to integrate AI into is operational processes so that it can improve productivity and offer added value to its clients, positioning it as a trailblazer in the industry. The Palais is developing other AI applications, such as a computer vision system to evaluate room occupation and management, and a performance optimization tool to gradually automate certain administrative tasks.

Quotes

"This is a fabulous opportunity for our public organization to implement and benefit from an integrated AI system in our operational processes. This project reflects our desire to improve our productivity through artificial intelligence, while optimizing the efficiency and precision of our services. The future of our organization rests on technological innovation and this project marks a key step in this digital transformation." – Simon Harris, Director, Innovation and Business Intelligence of the Palais des congrès de Montréal

"Polytechnique Montréal is proud to support technological projects that bring innovative solutions to complex engineering challenges and create value for Québec. Carried by a creative student community and a committed teaching staff, our institution embodies the values of collaboration, openness, integrity and responsible leadership. This project, integrating artificial intelligence in support of sustainable development, will promote the acquisition of skills in line with the labour market and generate positive spinoffs for our partners." – Pierre Langlois, Vice President, Academic Affairs and Student Experience at Polytechnique Montréal

"At IVADO, we believe in the power of data science and artificial intelligence to meet environmental challenges. This project perfectly embodies this vision by mobilizing students around a concrete problem: quantifying and analyzing waste in order to optimize event waste management. By transforming data into action, this initiative will contribute to the emergence of sustainable solutions adapted to the realities of the Palais des congrès." – Nancy Laramée, Director of Partnerships at IVADO

About the Palais des congrès de Montréal
A creative solutions centre and a showcase for the city's spirit and expertise, the Palais des congrès de Montréal has been promoting and hosting large-scale events since 1983. Generating significant economic, social and intellectual benefits, it encourages innovation and acts as a force for progress for both Montréal and Québec. The Palais is firmly committed to sustainability and takes numerous innovative, concrete steps to make it a central component of its business development. With one of the highest customer satisfaction rates in the world, the Palais actively contributes to the international reputation of Montréal, the top host city for international events in America for eight years in a row. congresmtl.com

About Polytechnique Montréal
Founded in 1873, Polytechnique Montréal is one of Canada's largest engineering education and research institutions. It is located on the Université de Montréal campus, the largest French-language university campus in the Americas. With more than 61,500 graduates to date, Polytechnique has educated over 22% of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec's current membership. Polytechnique offers more than 120 programs taught by over 300 professors, and welcomes in excess of 10,000 students yearly.

About IVADO
IVADO is an interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral research and knowledge mobilization consortium whose mission is to develop and promote a robust, reasoning and responsible AI. Led by Université de Montréal with four university partners (Polytechnique Montréal, HEC Montréal, Université Laval and McGill University), IVADO brings together research centers, government bodies and industry members to co-build ambitious cross-sectoral initiatives with the goal of fostering a paradigm shift for AI and its adoption.

SOURCE Palais des congrès de Montréal