Even though it abandoned the events sector during the pandemic, a Quebec SME specializing in the programming and design of smart bracelets received a hard-to-refuse offer from the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) in anticipation of the Paris Olympic Games.
Connect&GO, which collaborated with the COC at the PyeongChang Games in 2018, will be tasked with deploying its new technology platform and smart bracelets at Team Canada’s home venue in Paris.
“It gives us international visibility and credibility,” says president and founder Dominic Gagnon. “It was the Canadian Olympic Committee that called us back because they really liked our innovative technology in PyeongChang.”
Connect&GO President and Founder Dominic Gagnon is pleased to once again collaborate with the Canadian Olympic Committee.
Photo Mathieu Boulay, Journal de Montréal
The 15,000 smart bracelets will be used to control access points and security at the Canadian home. With its platform, the Quebec company will also be responsible for ticketing and all catering transactions within the walls of this gathering point for friends and families of the athletes.
“Most places in the world don’t want cash anymore,” Gagnon says. “You can put money on your bracelet and it’s encoded.
“You can also link a credit card to your bracelet. Your bracelet becomes your credit card for your purchases.”
According to some statistics, an environment where cash is non-existent would increase spending by between 15% and 30% per individual.
Photo Mathieu Boulay, Journal de Montréal
From dream to nightmare
Before the pandemic hit the world, Connect&GO was heading for the best year in its young history. However, the situation turned into a nightmare in a matter of weeks.
“We lost 90% of our revenue,” explains Gagnon. “We were supposed to do the Tokyo Games, the Super Bowl and the PGA that year. [2020].
“We had events all over the world. We experienced the torture of the last straw with the cancellation of all the events one after the other. I was sure we were going to go bankrupt.”
Quickly, Gagnon and his investors reached a crossroads. They had to find a solution to allow the company to survive.
“The event industry was fun, but it was tough. We turned to a more permanent and stable sector, namely amusement parks. We started from scratch,” emphasizes the Quebecer.
Getting back on track with parks
The “permanent installations” division was then created with an investment of $5 million.
“We targeted zoos, water parks and amusement parks. Today, this represents 99% of our revenue. People can use our technology at the Granby Zoo or the Parc Safari.”
Connect&GO technology is now well established in parks in Europe, the United States and even Qatar.
“We want to become one of the biggest international players,” explains Gagnon. “We aim to exceed a billion in revenue.”