Sales mission to Quebec pays off for francophone businesses on P.E.I.
Shared language, connection with Montreal chamber of commerce helped facilitate meetings
A recent sales mission to Quebec was a success for some bilingual businesses on the Island, according to an official with the francophone economic development network on P.E.I.
Five participating businesses were able to sell hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of their products and services, according to a news release from Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité.
Robert Maddix, a business development officer with RDÉE, says the shared language is one of the main reasons for the Quebec mission, but also a connection with the chamber of commerce in Montreal.
'French capacity'
"We are promoting the Island businesses that have French capacity, either a French sales manager or a francophone owns the business," he said.
"It was very successful for the businesses. We had businesses that actually signed contracts with different buyers. We have businesses that did direct sales. Out of the five businesses, we have to say that all five have made some inroads to sell their products or services."
Doubled number of buses
Representatives of the Acadian Musical Village were able to double the number of buses coming to the tourist attraction this year through the sales mission.
Other business making deals included Atlantic Safety Wear, Charlotte Eco Dryer Balls, Navigate Food Safety Solutions and RecordFund.
Maddix says the sales mission focused mainly on Montreal, but also included Quebec City, Sherbrooke and Ottawa.
It was the sixth sales mission since 2015.