Nantes, September 16, 2025 – During the launch of Nantes Digital Week at the Data & AI Salon, four leading organizations from the French-speaking digital ecosystem came together to sign a Joint Charter for Responsible Digital Practices in the Event Industry.
This milestone agreement brings together Capitale Numérique (Quebec), Printemps numérique (Montreal), La Cantine x La French Tech Nantes, and La Cité des Congrès de Nantes, united by a shared vision: to build a digital future that is ethical, sustainable, and inclusive.
A transatlantic collaboration built on shared values
The charter formalizes years of collaboration between the ecosystems of Nantes and Quebec, outlining four key commitments for a more responsible digital sector:
- Promoting ethical artificial intelligence, building on the 2023 declaration signed between La Cité des Congrès and Printemps numérique.
- Driving ecological transition, by integrating sustainable and low-impact practices in digital event production.
- Advancing gender parity and women’s representation in the digital industry, ensuring fair participation and visibility of female role models.
- Supporting local digital ecosystems, through mutual visibility, the exchange of best practices, and preferential access for delegations at each partner’s flagship events.
A strong commitment from Francophone digital leaders
According to Francky Trichet, President of La Cité des Congrès de Nantes, the initiative demonstrates “a strong commitment to building an ethical and civic-minded digital future rooted in our territories.”
Mehdi Benboubakeur, Co-founder and Executive Director of Printemps numérique (Montreal), emphasized “the urgency of placing artificial intelligence at the heart of our priorities, while strengthening the diversity of voices shaping our digital future.”
Carole-Ann Labrie, Co-founder and Executive Director of Capitale Numérique (Quebec), highlighted that “responsibility must be embedded in how we design and deliver international digital events.”
Meanwhile, Adrien Poggetti, Director of La Cantine x La French Tech Nantes, pointed to the “shared values connecting Nantes and Quebec — inclusion, innovation, ethics, and sustainability.”
Building a lasting bridge between innovation and responsibility
Beyond a declaration of intent, this charter launches a collaborative reflection process among the partners to explore how digital innovation can better serve the common good.
It continues a long-standing partnership between Nantes and Montreal, two pioneering cities known for advancing ethical and human-centered digital transformation.
Toward a global model for responsible digital events
By uniting their efforts, the four organizations aim to inspire other actors across the Francophone and global digital communities to follow suit. Their shared ambition is to make the event sector a laboratory for responsible innovation, where technology becomes a true driver of ecological transition, inclusion, and sustainability.
“Digital technology should bring people together, not divide them. Together, we have a duty to make it a space of trust, equity, and positive impact,” concluded Mehdi Benboubakeur.
