Welcome to EAC Montreal! This fabulous city has a lot to offer besides hosting the fifth annual ExamSoft Assessment Conference (EAC). In June, the weather should be amazing with moderate humidity, highs in the upper 70s, and lows in the low 60s. If you’re coming from the south, this will feel glorious! While Quebec is a primarily French-speaking province, anglophones won’t have a hard time navigating the city or conversing with shopkeepers. Many will greet you with, “Bonjour! Hello!”, to let you know they’re bilingual.
EAC is known to be quite foodie friendly, so of course, we’ve scouted out a few local delicacies to sample. Poutine is the favorite comfort food of most Montrealers. Pile some gravy and cheese curds on top of a bed of fries, and voila—a bowl full of deliciousness. Montreal-style bagels are a breakfast staple. They’re thinner than a standard one, dipped in honey water before baking, then covered in sesame seeds. Smoked meat sandwiches, similar to pastrami or corned beef and covered in mustard on rye, are also quite popular.
We know that in your book, EAC is the marquee event in town; however, we are willing to share the spotlight with a few other big happenings. The largest jazz festival in the world begins during EAC with many performances that take over multiple venues around the city. Grammy award winner and pop crossover star Norah Jones takes the stage at the Jazz Festival on the Thursday evening June 27th. The Montréal Impact of Major League Soccer (MLS) will take the home pitch Wednesday and Saturday during EAC week. They play at Stade Saputo in Olympic Park just north of downtown, easily accessible by subway. Cirque du Soleil is proud to call Montreal home. The famous performing troupe often debuts new tours under the big top in Old Montreal; their latest show, Alegría, is open the entire week of EAC.
With so much to do around the city, you may want to extend your stay. Olympic Park was host to the 1976 games and features several permanent attractions, including the Montreal Tower with its unique incline lift and great city views, plus the botanical gardens, planetarium, and biodome. The Old Montréal neighborhood that dates to 1685 has tons of character and unique wonders to explore. Stop at Notre-Dame Basilica for a glimpse at the incredible stained glass and nightly light show. Several renowned art museums are located downtown not far from the hotel, such as the Museum of Fine Arts and Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. Visit Tourism Montreal’s website for more first-time visitor tips and a full activity listing.
Register for EAC today; then this June, you can enjoy your journey to the City of Saints!