In the framework of the Mediterranean Pavilion at the World of Travel, Trade & Taste Expo 2025, to be held on the 30th and 31st of May at the Metro Toronto Centre (Toronto, Canada), ASCAME has organised a trade mission in this country to explore business and institutional synergies between the two regions. This trade mission includes several meetings between ASCAME and Canadian companies and institutions interested in exploring synergies and ways of collaboration with organisations from the Mediterranean region. Canadian CEOs and entrepreneurs from a wide range of sectors, from tourism to the most innovative industries, have confirmed their participation in these meetings. We will also count on representatives from chambers of commerce from North America, Europe, and Africa.
These meetings between ASCAME and Canadian companies and institutions will take place in three Canadian cities: Montréal, from the 23rd to the 25th of May, Ottawa, from the 27th to the 28th of May, and Toronto, from the 29th to the 31st of May. There will be also meetings with investment and economic promotion agencies, such as Invest in Quebec (Montréal) and Invest in Ottawa. The objective is to promote the emergence of business opportunities, present Mediterranean players’ products and services, and create lasting partnerships between both regions. ASCAME team will attend any Canadian organisation wishing to facilitate its access to the Mediterranean market and strengthen its international connections.
Coinciding with the meetings in Montréal, ASCAME has organised along with FASKEN, one of the largest business law firms in Canada, the conference entitled ‘Mediterranean Gateway: Opportunities for Canadian Business’. This session, which will count also with the collaboration of the Canadian Chamber in Italy and the Canadian Technology Cluster AIoT Canada, has been designed with the aim of exploring strategic alliances and innovation paths between Canada and the Mediterranean region.
The Mediterranean Pavilion: A space to grow, learn and be inspired
The upcoming trade mission will be complemented by a rich and diverse agenda of conferences taking place on May 30 and 31 at the Mediterranean Pavilion in Toronto. These conferences will offer in-depth knowledge of both the Mediterranean and Canadian markets by highlighting synergies, uncovering emerging trends, and exploring strategic opportunities for collaboration across regions. Specifically, attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of each market’s dynamics, challenges, and growth sectors; insights into cross-border business strategies and investment potential; and real success stories from both regions.
The main highlights of these conferences are: A diverse lineup of keynote speakers and industry experts, interactive panels and hands-on workshops, opportunities to network, share ideas, and build lasting connections, and fresh perspectives on the trends shaping the future. Sessions to be held on the 30th of May will revolve around the topic “Unlocking the Mediterranean Economic and Cultural Potential”. Panelists will talk about intra-regional cooperation, new Canadian-Mediterranean horizons, the Francophonie across North-America, Europe and Africa, entrepreneurial ecosystems, women empowerment & inclusive economies, and Mediterranean-Canadian partnerships.
Next day, 31st of May, sessions will focus on the topic “Entrepreneurship, innovation & Business Growth”. In this case, discussions will be around women-led tourism entrepreneurship -building inclusive and sustainable cross-border economies-; Trade, heritage, and investment in Greece; empowering regional and global entrepreneurship, rethinking tourism flows and opportunities; and the Mediterranean as a global powerhouse.
All these conferences will be complemented by networking and B2B sessions, representing a unique opportunity to promote economic, cultural, and commercial exchanges with the Canadian market.
Promoting the Mediterranean worldwide: New horizons
The Mediterranean Pavilion and the trade mission organised in Montréal, Ottawa, and Toronto, are part of the new strategy of ASCAME to promote the Mediterranean worldwide and look for new horizons. According to Mr. Anwar Zibaoui, ASCAME’s General Coordinator, “it is crucial to improve the Mediterranean emerging sectors’ capacities to present themselves to international investors, especially the sectors that must become an element of competitiveness for the economies of the Mediterranean countries”. In his opinion, “It is important to encourage strategic alliances on the industrial level so that the region can be able to compete with other world powers and attract investments”.
According to Mr. Zibaoui, “the private investments should dominate economic growth in the Mediterranean region”. In this sense, he adds, “by producing new programs of events and projects like this initiative in Canada, we promote our companies and institutions outside the Mediterranean and give worldwide companies good arguments to be set up in the region”.