The tourism and culture sector plays a key role in Quebec's economic vitality and attractiveness. To support businesses and organizations that innovate and develop digital, tourism, or cultural projects, several grants are available.

At MySmartJourney, we know how important funding is in driving tourism and cultural initiatives forward. Our interactive solution, which optimizes the visitor experience using QR codes and NFC chips, is often integrated into projects that benefit from this financial assistance.

Here is an overview of the main grants available in Quebec to boost your cultural or tourism project.

Regional Action Support Program (PAAR)

The PAAR provides financial support for initiatives that encourage the development of regional tourist attractions. This assistance is intended for projects that promote destinations through marketing, improvement of tourist offerings, and digital development.

How can MySmartJourney be integrated?

You can use this grant to integrate immersive digital tours, facilitating access to tourist content directly on visitors' phones via QR codes and NFC chips.

Regional Partnership and Digital Transformation Agreement for Tourism (EPRTNT)

This program funds projects that aim to modernize and digitize tourism in Quebec. It is intended for businesses and organizations that want to improve their tourism offerings through new technologies.

Why choose MySmartJourney?

Our platform allows you to create interactive and accessible experiences without an app, ideal for destinations wishing to digitize their signage and offer an optimized digital welcome.

Project funding program with MT Lab

MT Lab is an incubator specializing in tourism, culture, and entertainment. This program helps innovative companies develop and test their solutions in real-world environments.

MySmartJourney and MT Lab incubation

Our startup was itself incubated at MT Lab and benefited from this program to develop its innovative solutions. An opportunity for companies wishing to experiment with interactive digital tools to improve the customer experience.

Financial assistance for festivals and tourist events

This grant supports festivals and events in order to maximize their appeal and increase their reach.

Why use MySmartJourney?

Thanks to our solution, organizers can integrate QR codes and interactive terminals to inform the public, offer games, and manage crowds efficiently.

Fund C - Financial support for businesses

Fund C aims to provide financial support to businesses that contribute to the local economy. It is intended for SMEs in the tourism and cultural sectors that wish to develop their activities.

How can MySmartJourney be integrated?

Our solution can help you structure a unique immersive experience for your visitors, while reducing paper use and improving your digital presence.

Explore Québec on the Road Program

This initiative encourages the promotion of tourist circuits throughout Québec by offering attractive packages to visitors. This program offers discounts to Quebecers to encourage them to discover the regions of Québec. It supports tourist packages offered by travel agencies and regional tourist associations.

MySmartJourney and tourist routes

Our technology allows you to create immersive self-guided tours, accessible via QR codes and NFC chips, to enrich the visitor experience throughout their itinerary.

Tourism Business Development Fund (FDET)

The FDET aims to support tourism businesses in their modernization and innovation projects that improve the tourism offering. It supports initiatives that attract new customers and extend the tourist season for businesses.

A solution tailored to current needs

With MySmartJourney, you can digitize your offering, create interactive experiences, and improve the accessibility of tourism content.

Regional and Rural Development Fund (FRR)

This fund finances initiatives that promote economic and tourism development in rural areas.

Digital tools at the service of regions

Our solution is ideal for boosting rural tourism offerings by providing digital experiences tailored to less-visited areas.

Relaunch of the International Events, Festivals, and Museum Exhibitions Assistance Program (PAEF)

This program helps large-scale events increase their visibility and improve the visitor experience.

Why choose MySmartJourney?

Festivals and exhibitions can offer interactive access to their programming, provide digital entertainment, and optimize visitor flow management.

La Ruche - Les Fonds Horizons

La Ruche enables projects to be financed through crowdfunding, while benefiting from strategic support.

An opportunity to integrate MySmartJourney

You can use this assistance to digitize your project and finance the integration of QR codes and NFC chips to make your content interactive and engaging.

Digital Museums Canada - Digital Projects

This grant supports initiatives to digitize museum collections and make them accessible online.

A turnkey solution

With MySmartJourney, museums can create contactless interactive experiences, offering multimedia content to visitors using QR codes and NFC tags.

Call for projects Early adopters

This program encourages companies to test innovative technological solutions to improve their services.

Why integrate MySmartJourney?

Our platform is easy to deploy and requires no technical development. An ideal solution for companies looking to test an innovation quickly.

Les Fins Stratèges

This program funds companies and organizations wishing to improve their digital and commercial strategy.

An optimized digital strategy

With MySmartJourney, you can strengthen your online presence, optimize your digital welcome, and offer interactive experiences tailored to your visitors.

How can you benefit from these grants?

• Identify the grant that best suits your project.
• Put together a strong application highlighting the impact of your initiative.
• Contact the responsible organizations for advice on submitting your application.
• Combine your project with an innovative solution such as MySmartJourney to maximize your chances of success.

Quebec offers numerous funding opportunities for the cultural and tourism sector. These grants encourage innovation, enhance the attractiveness of regions, and promote digital transition.

To maximize your chances of obtaining funding, make sure you meet the eligibility criteria and submit a strong application.

Want to learn more? Check out our detailed guide to available grants.

Need help digitizing your tourism offering? MySmartJourney can assist you in integrating interactive digital tools to enrich the visitor experience. Contact us to learn more!

The welcome experience at a tourist destination has become essential, but it is not always easy to implement. MySmartJourney is an innovative response to the challenges often faced by tourist sites, including a lack of information available on site, reduced staffing at tourist information offices, and the difficulties inherent in promoting remote or less accessible locations.

This digital tool is a versatile solution to these shortcomings, offering visitors an enriching and autonomous experience. Here's how MySmartJourney can transform the tourist experience, especially in areas where human resources are limited or even non-existent.

Overcoming the lack of information at tourist sites

Traditionally, access to detailed, high-quality information at a tourist site requires the presence of a guide or well-maintained information panels.

MySmartJourney's technology overcomes these obstacles by providing visitors with rich, interactive content directly on their mobile devices. Whether through QR codes, NFC chips, or dedicated URL links, visitors can instantly access captivating stories, historical facts, local anecdotes, and practical information about the places they are exploring, making each visit unique and interactive.

Personalized sightseeing tours

Creating interactive tours that highlight the city's history, architecture, local artists, and notable events adds real value to the visitor experience. Each point of interest offers historical anecdotes, interviews with locals, or artistic demonstrations in the form of video, photo, audio, quiz, or even augmented reality content.

For example, the destination Of Course Le Mans uses MySmartJourney technology to revamp its approach to tourism for both visitors and locals with its “Did you know?” tour. Without the need for a visitor center, printed documents, or mobile guides, the city comes alive and showcases its diversity through interactive display panels. By scanning an interactive point, passersby and visitors can now find out what attractions the city has to offer.

Another telling example is the Vallée-du-Richelieu, which has created a tourist circuit that spans 13 municipalities in a large region. Around 50 digital terminals invite walkers to scan the QR code or activate the NFC chip to access interactive content on their phone that is specific to their location. It's a fun way to encourage tourists to discover activities, places, and businesses throughout the region on their own.

In addition to urban tours, MySmartJourney fits perfectly into natural sites by offering tours through forests, mountains, or along rivers. Visitors can learn more about the fauna, flora, and geological history of the area. The addition of interactive quizzes on biodiversity or species recognition challenges makes the experience fun, as exemplified by Tourisme Edmunston, which enriches the visit to its botanical garden. By scanning the QR code terminals in front of the featured species, walkers can access all the information about the plants and animals in the garden. Video, audio, and photo content complement the information, and quizzes at each point of interest test visitors' knowledge and add a fun dimension to the discovery.

Interactive signage 24/7

To fill the information gap in tourist areas, MySmartJourney offers to install signs equipped with QR codes or NFC tags at key locations throughout a region. Whether at viewpoints, historic buildings, or outdoor works of art, once scanned, these signs provide details, anecdotes, or even special offers from local businesses. This signage also allows for the integration of practical information, such as interactive maps via Google Maps, recommendations for visits, local event schedules, etc.

Les fouines du Plateau, for example, is an initiative that encourages families to explore and discover their neighborhood during periods of lockdown. Visitors, equipped with a game booklet and an interactive map, explore nine attractive sites in the Plateau, using their phones to access content via a QR code or NFC tag. Each point of interest offers a unique experience that engages the five senses, allowing visitors to discover local scents, murals, architecture, and flavors, thus offering a new perspective on the Plateau Mont-Royal.

A response to the lack of staff in tourist offices

With the digitization of tourist services, MySmartJourney offers an alternative to the traditional need for staff in tourist offices. Interactive kiosks and autonomous virtual offices serve as 24/7 information points where visitors can not only learn about local attractions and services, but also book activities and download tourist guides. This autonomy allows municipalities and tourist organizations to deploy their human resources more strategically throughout the territory, while ensuring a high-quality welcome and orientation for visitors.

Autonomous tourist information office

Setting up interactive kiosks in key locations, such as train stations, airports, or public squares, allows visitors to plan their stay, book activities, and discover personalized tours based on their interests. These interactive stations can also offer the possibility of downloading digital tourist guides and are available at all times.

Tourisme Montréal uses the MySmartJourney solution to support tourist information offices during peak hours. Using the web app, visitors have access to “take-away” information, which has reduced waiting times during busy periods. By scanning posters enhanced with QR codes and NFC chips, visitors can find answers to the most frequently asked questions: what to do, how to have fun, etc. Visitors are now 100% self-sufficient.

Self-guided tours

A self-guided tour allows you to discover picturesque paths or neighborhoods without the assistance of a guide, offering an interactive and unique experience. Nowadays, many companies and tourist sites offer maps, directions, recommendations, information, and points of interest to make self-guided tours as unique as they are immersive.

For example, Destination Rennes allows visitors to Bécherel to enjoy a guided tour experience throughout the year, independently. To compensate for the absence of tour guides outside of predefined periods, the tourist office has set up an independent tourist route in the city, marked by posters equipped with QR codes and NFC chips located near sites of interest. Visitors can access fun content prepared by the tourist office team. This approach provides an enriching and interactive experience for tourists, regardless of when they visit.

Promoting remote locations

Remote or less accessible areas often have untapped tourism potential due to the difficulty of communicating their attractions and providing information on site. MySmartJourney turns this challenge into an opportunity, highlighting the cultural and natural heritage of these regions. Tourist routes and virtual tourist information points ensure that visitors have the information they need to fully appreciate these areas, while promoting respect for the environment and the preservation of sites.

Virtual tourist information centers

In vast, sparsely populated regions, establishing virtual information centers where visitors can access information on nearby services (accommodations, restaurants, gas stations) and tourist attractions in the surrounding area is essential to providing a quality visitor experience.

In Saguenay, the Port wanted to offer cruise passengers easy access to up-to-date information on activities to discover in a region that is both vast and rich. At the entrance to the Cruise Ship Terminal, Promotion Saguenay installed a panel encouraging travelers to scan a QR code or NFC chip, giving them access to all the tourist attractions the destination has to offer. This interactive terminal, connected to the web application, acts as a virtual tourist relay to fill in the gaps in remote tourist areas.

Promoting tourist routes

Promoting tourist routes and themed circuits across vast, sometimes remote territories is a major challenge for tourism professionals. In this context, the MySmartJourney tool makes it possible to create links between different tourist attractions, including those that are less frequented or remote. This digital approach revolutionizes the tourist experience by offering an enriched and personalized exploration that highlights the cultural and natural heritage of the regions.

This is the case with La Route des Navigateurs, which accompanies travelers on a 470-kilometer journey along the St. Lawrence River. Terminals equipped with QR codes and NFC chips have been installed at specific points along the route. During their journey, travelers can access content that enhances their experience of this vast and expansive territory. Using MySmartJourney not only makes the visit more interactive and informative, but also promotes sustainable tourism by spreading visitor flows across a greater variety of sites, thereby contributing to the conservation of less-frequented places and the revitalization of lesser-known areas.

Boost your destination with MySmartJourney

Design and deploy engaging digital journeys for tourist destinations and cultural sites with MySmartJourney. MySmartJourney's approach, leveraging technology to enrich the tourist experience, offers a concrete response to the modern challenges facing the tourism sector. By enabling in-depth, self-guided discovery of sites, this digital tool promotes a more sustainable, inclusive, and interactive approach to tourism that benefits both visitors and local communities.

Gain speed and quality by building on existing technology

Existing technology has the advantage of allowing the project to be deployed quickly. It does not require development and does not have to go through testing and bug-fixing phases that can slow down the deployment process.

It also allows users to quickly produce a prototype of their experience and test it in the field and in real life with the public. This saves time for content creators, who can then easily modify and adjust their project based on initial feedback.

Adopt technology that has been validated by real-world experience

In addition, an existing technological tool has already proven itself. It has already been tested to create projects by other users. The technological robustness is thus validated, and you know that your project will be bug-free!

What's more, it is often possible to try out the technology beforehand. This allows the project manager to test the technology before deciding whether or not to purchase it, but also to find out the budget required for such an experiment.

Ask us for a demo!

Savings

Choosing to develop an application from scratch can be very costly, as it requires taking into account factors such as development and maintenance costs, as well as content creation costs.

Carrying out a technology project yourself requires you to be a true project manager: you have to bring together experts, get them to collaborate, and validate the quality of intermediate deliverables. All of this is new to you. Carrying out this project will certainly teach you a lot, but it will also take up a lot of your time.

Using an already developed technological tool allows you to avoid some of these costs (financial, time, and emotional!), as they are shared among all its users. In fact, the development and maintenance of a technology such as MySmartJourney is shared among all its customers. This gives you access to a myriad of features without having to bear the cost. What's more, it's easier to plan your budget: you can choose the technological solution that best suits your budget and project (as some technological tools are more expensive than others).

MySmartJourney, a technological tool already used in nearly 200 digital projects

The MySmartJourney content management platform is a simple and intuitive tool. It allows you to create and manage content quickly and easily. Once you have mastered the solution, you are completely autonomous in the creation, integration, and management of your experiences.

The solution we offer is the result of a collaborative effort between our teams and our clients. We have designed a tool that meets industry best practices thanks to our 200 projects completed over the past seven years.

Avoid trial and error and adopt ready-to-use technology!

Discover some of our projects.

Attract visitors using codes they are familiar with

Whether they are standing in front of a display in a museum or looking at their phone, visitors do not have the same attitude. On their phone, they will expect content that is familiar to them in order to hold their attention. That's why reusing social media codes is always a good idea. The use of engaging and familiar media makes it easy for them to consume content.

As on social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, visitors are surprised by the content they discover. We also make sure to maintain their interest and keep their dopamine levels high. For example, they are never blocked by a quiz or a topic thanks to action buttons and shortcuts that allow them to delve deeper into the content that interests them. They navigate through the content as if they were on a social feed where they can scroll through the topics they want and skip those that no longer interest them.

Sacrés artisans: a smart heritage tour

Combining content creation and curation

Using web codes also saves time, energy, and money by combining content creation and curation through the reuse of existing information.

By “curating” content, you quickly become an interesting source of information. Using a variety of external links to provide additional information means you don't have to “reinvent the wheel” or create new content that already exists and is of high quality. MySmartJourney stands out as a content “curator” by deploying multimedia content via QR codes and NFC tags.

GIFs are an engaging format that is popular with the general public.

Although less conventional and sometimes considered “old-fashioned,” GIFs are nevertheless very engaging. They combine the animated aspect of a video without the risk of losing the viewer's attention.

Our experience in creating journeys with our clients has taught us that inserting videos longer than 20 seconds causes us to lose the user's attention. Indeed, outdoors, in a context where our users are subjected to numerous visual, auditory, sensory, and other stimuli, keeping visitors focused on their phones is a real challenge.

What's more, they are easy to source through a content curation process:

• You can produce them from video clips you already have.
• You can download them from image bank platforms if you have a subscription. (They can sometimes be purchased individually as well.)
• Or you can “borrow” them: these moving images are royalty-free (transfer of ownership) via Giphy. They have a strong impact on the collective unconscious of those who consume them and are easy to use and distribute. MySmartJourney has a Giphy module that allows you to do this very easily.

Deploy an engaging journey that adopts social media codes via MySmartJourney

MySmartJourney offers a solution that makes it easy to create and distribute interactive, fun, entertaining content that uses social media codes. In particular, we allow the use of “gifs” in your mini-sites.

In general, MySmartJourney offers a contactless, download-free solution that is easy for visitors to use. Increasingly used by companies in the tourism and culture sectors in Quebec and France, our clients use us to tell a story and convey emotions to their visitors, and it works!

Visiting a public indoor or outdoor venue has never been so much fun!

Check out our case studies for inspiration.

What is employer branding?

Employer branding represents a company's image and reputation as an employer. It encompasses everything that makes your company a unique and desirable place to work, including corporate culture, values, benefits, work environment, and professional development opportunities. A strong employer brand can attract high-quality candidates, improve employee retention, and increase the satisfaction and engagement of current employees.

To effectively promote your employer brand, it is essential to understand its key components.

Corporate culture

Corporate culture refers to the values, beliefs, and behaviors that characterize your organization. It must be authentic and well-defined to attract candidates who share the same values.

Employee Value Proposition (EVP)

The EVP is the set of benefits and opportunities you offer your employees. This includes salaries, benefits, work-life balance, professional development opportunities, and more.

The candidate experience

This refers to all the interactions and impressions candidates have with your company throughout the recruitment process. A positive candidate experience can greatly influence their decision to join your company.

Communication and Marketing

The way you communicate about your company, both internally and externally, plays a crucial role in how your employer brand is perceived. Using a variety of appropriate platforms, such as social media, blogs, and job sites, is essential.

Strategies for effective use of technology

Invest in the right technology tools

Companies must first identify and invest in the technology tools that best meet their needs. This includes human resources management systems, internal communication platforms, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and online collaboration tools. For example, using platforms such as Slack or Microsoft Teams can improve communication and collaboration among employees.

Analyze data to make informed decisions

Analyzing HR data can provide valuable insights into employee engagement, retention rates, and training needs. Companies can use this information to identify areas for improvement and implement corrective actions. For example, regular employee engagement surveys can help identify potential issues before they become critical.

Training programs

Continuing education and professional development

Implementing continuing education programs is essential to maintaining employee competitiveness and helping them develop new skills. Companies can offer online training, workshops, and mentoring programs. A concrete example is Marriott International, which offers continuing education programs for its employees through the Marriott Global University.

Training in the use of new technologies

To ensure the effective use of technology, employees must be trained in the use of the tools available to them. This includes not only initial training, but also regular refresher sessions to familiarize themselves with new features and best practices.

Implementation of policies and control mechanisms

Clear policies and transparency

Companies must establish clear policies on human resources management, technology, and internal communication. These policies must be communicated transparently to all employees. For example, clear policies on teleworking can help manage expectations and ensure consistent productivity.

Control mechanisms and evaluation

It is crucial to put control mechanisms in place to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies and policies implemented. This may include regular audits, performance evaluations, and ongoing feedback. Companies can use performance dashboards to track progress and adjust strategies accordingly.

Concrete examples and results in the tourism industry

Airbnb: Promoting corporate culture

Airbnb has successfully promoted its employer brand by emphasizing its unique corporate culture. They have created a friendly, inclusive, and innovative work environment with flexible work policies and attractive benefits. The result: high retention rates and a solid reputation as an employer of choice. Airbnb has succeeded in attracting the most creative and passionate talent in the industry, strengthening its position as a market leader.

Hilton: Training and Development

Hilton Worldwide has implemented robust training and professional development programs, such as Hilton University. These programs offer opportunities for continuing education and career development for employees. Thanks to these initiatives, Hilton has been recognized as one of the best employers in the tourism industry.

Accor: Use of Technology

Accor Hotels has invested in advanced technologies to improve the employee and customer experience. They use talent management systems, internal communication platforms, and performance management tools to ensure effective human resources management. The group has also recently defined a new value proposition to restore the magic to the hotel industry. At Accor, people are at the heart of everything we do: they are the very DNA of the Group and the reason why it has created a strong employer brand focused on talent development. This has led to improved employee engagement and customer satisfaction.

Promoting the employer brand is essential for attracting and retaining the best talent in the tourism industry. By adopting effective strategies for using technology, implementing ongoing training programs, and establishing clear policies and control mechanisms, companies can create an attractive and competitive work environment with a real impact on recruitment. Employer branding helps attract qualified candidates, strengthen employee loyalty, and project a positive image of the company to its customers and partners.

Save time in your creative process

One of the most obvious advantages of content curation is the time it saves. Since a lot of content has already been created and is accessible on the web, project creators can save time and devote it to creating other content. Thanks to links to specialized sites, it is possible to offer additional and complementary information to audiences who are interested in learning more about a specific topic without weighing down the experience of other users.

Start with codes that are familiar to the general public

Content curation also encourages the reuse of codes from the web that are well known to the public, such as GIFs or memes. These tools allow you to gamify content and keep users' attention.

These are very often nods to popular cultural references from movies, TV shows, video games, TV programs, etc. They can be shared by the general public or understood only by certain communities.

Using them in the right context is a good way to connect with your visitors.

Best practices for content curation

Add value when reusing a reference

Although curation offers many advantages, the creative phase of your project should not be neglected. It is necessary to enhance the elements you reuse. (At the very least, link them together! ) This involves creating an original link between the reference you are reusing and the current experience. You need to identify the elements that will appeal to your audience (visitors, citizens, guests, customers, etc.).

Adapt your references to your visitors

In addition, you must adapt your references to your visitors. Depending on the age of the users, not all redirects to specialized sites are relevant! Also, some content must be simplified and gamified to be understandable to younger users. Be smart; it is sometimes easier to create original content directly than to try to repackage content that is too far removed from your subject matter and not really relevant.

Don't take your visitor out of your experience

Similarly, taking users out of your experience too much through links to external sites can be detrimental to your experience. It can cause them to lose focus.

Find the right balance between curation and original creation

Striking the right balance between curation and content creation is therefore fundamental to developing a good digital experience. It's important to develop a narrative process that combines the two, always keeping the visitor's experience at the center to provide an experience that your users will enjoy.

Create content through a curation process with MySmartJourney

MySmartJourney has developed a website creation tool adapted to the creation of original content or the curation of amalgamated content. Our website editor allows you to integrate external content such as memes, GIFs, YouTube videos, audio files, links to external sites, 360° visualizations, 3D modeling, and much more!

You can enhance these references with text or fun features such as quizzes, random redirects, riddles, choose-your-own-adventure stories, observation games, or anything else you can think of! Create content directly in our tool, immediately view the results in a website generated on the fly, and iterate as you go. (You can see the results immediately!)

What's more, our websites are very easy for your readers to navigate. MySmartJourney offers a contactless, download-free solution. Increasingly used by companies in the tourism and culture sectors in Quebec and France, our web platform allows you to distribute interactive, fun, entertaining, and easy-to-use content.