The Economic Impact of Place des Arts

Place des Arts is the largest performing arts centre in Canada. Each year, it attracts nearly a million visitors. Place des Arts offers its audience a rich and diverse programming through its close collaboration with over 110 producers and other cultural and commercial partners that occupy its premises, such as the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MACM).

The performing arts and culture ecosystem of Place des Arts has a considerable annual economic impact, totaling $212 M in spending across the ecosystem. This includes $148 M in spending on goods and services, wages and benefits, and investments, and $64 M of spending by its visitors. These expenditures impact numerous actors in the value chain, leading to a total (direct and indirect) added value of $154 M. Additionally, the ecosystem of Place des Arts generates 1,816 jobs as well as $29 M in revenue for the government of Quebec and $11 M for the federal government.

Beyond these figures, Place des Arts has the potential for significant social impact given its three main roles as a major distributor of performing arts, a gathering space for the community, and an organizer and facilitator of social impact programs. Through these roles, Place des Arts can have a positive impact on education and talent, health and well-being, pride, and social cohesion, as well as cultural diplomacy.

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank their BCG colleagues Carlie Naidoo and Jacob Connolly for their valuable contributions to this report.