Societe du VieuxPort de Montreal

What Societe du VieuxPort de Montreal does

Société du Vieux-Port de Montréal Inc. is a federally-owned Crown corporation subsidiary of Société immobilière du Canada (Canada Lands Company) that develops, manages, and animates a large urban waterfront recreational, touristic, and cultural site in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1981, the organization operates two core business units: the Vieux-Port de Montréal — a historic waterfront site along the St. Lawrence River offering green spaces, activities, events, restaurants, boutiques, marina services (Port d'escale and Yacht Club de Montréal), and venue rentals — and the Centre des sciences de Montréal, an interactive science center with educational exhibitions. Headquartered at 333 de la Commune Ouest in Montreal, the entity employs 251-500 staff and is led by Isabel Dansereau, COO Attractions (Québec) and Directrice générale, appointed in 2022.

The company generates revenue through five primary streams: venue and facility rentals (salles à louer) for events and corporate functions, recurring marina and yacht club subscriptions, cultural programming events, commercial tenant leasing (restaurants and boutiques), and permitting fees for film and photography productions. Its customer base is broadly diversified across four segments — general public and tourists (primary), event organizers and corporate clients, film and production companies, and commercial tenants — with no disclosed pricing model. Distribution is direct-to-consumer at the physical site, supplemented by online portals for venue bookings, commercial project submissions, programming proposals, and filming requests.

The organization maintains a web presence, social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram under @vieuxportmtl), and a newsletter subscription service, and holds sponsorship relationships with Coca-Cola, Sleeman, Telus, and Rythme FM. No proprietary technology platform, API, or AI/ML capabilities are documented; the core technology stack consists of a standard Drupal-based website with Google Analytics integration. As a Crown corporation subsidiary, the entity does not raise private funding and has no public listing.

Name

Societe du VieuxPort de Montreal

Legal name

Société du Vieux-Port de Montréal Inc.

Website

https://societeduvieuxport.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Société du Vieux-Port de Montréal is a federally-owned Crown corporation subsidiary that develops and manages Montreal's historic Old Port waterfront site and the Centre des sciences de Montréal, serving tourists, residents, commercial tenants, and event organizers through recreation, cultural programming, marina services, and venue rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Venue and facility rentals: Revenue generated from renting out rooms and spaces (salles à louer) for events, corporate functions, and gatherings at the Old Port of Montreal.
2. Marina and maritime services: Revenue from marina services including Port d'escale and Yacht Club de Montréal.
3. Programming and cultural events: Revenue from cultural programming activities and events organized at the site.
4. Commercial tenant leasing: Revenue from restaurants, boutiques, and other commercial tenants operating at the Old Port.
5. Film and photography locations: Revenue from permitting film shoots and photo sessions at the venue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Société du Vieux-Port de Montréal manages, develops, and animates an urban recreational, tourism, and cultural waterfront site in Montreal through two business units: the Vieux-Port de Montréal (a year-round public waterfront park with commercial tenants, dining, and event spaces) and the Centre desciences de Montréal (a science center). It also operates marina and yacht club services, rents venues for events, issues film and photography location permits, and supports cultural programming through project funding calls.

Product overview

The Societe du Vieux-Port de Montreal operates two main business units: the Vieux-Port de Montreal (a major urban recreational and tourist site along the St. Lawrence River) and the Centre des sciences de Montreal (a science center). The organization manages activities, events, restaurants, boutiques, maritime services including a marina (Port d'escale) and Yacht Club de Montreal, and rental facilities for events and filming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vieux-Port de Montréal
• Centre des sciences de Montréal
• Marina services (Port d'escale and Yacht Club de Montréal)
• Event venue and room rentals
• Commercial tenant leasing (restaurants, boutiques, bars)
• Film and photography location permits
• Cultural programming project funding

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Société immobilière du Canada (CLC)flagshipOthersParent Crown corporation that owns and oversees the Old Port of Montreal site. The Société du Vieux-Port de Montréal is a subsidiary managing the site on behalf of CLC.
• Centre des sciences de MontréalcoreOthersSecond business unit operated by the Société du Vieux-Port de Montréal alongside the Old Port waterfront.
• Coca-ColaminorOthersSponsor visible on the footer of the website.
• Sleeman (Brewery)minorOthersSponsor visible on the footer of the website.
• TelusminorOthersSponsor visible on the footer of the website, associated with the Centre des sciences de Montréal.
• Rythme FMminorOthersMedia sponsor visible on the footer of the website.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Direct peers

• Granville Island (CMHC): Granville Island is a federal public waterfront peninsula in Vancouver operated by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, combining a public market, restaurants, arts/cultural venues, marina-adjacent activities, and event programming. Its federal ownership and mixed-use recreation/tourism mandate make it a structural twin to the Société du Vieux-Port's role as a federal Crown operator of a publicly-owned waterfront destination.
• The Forks (Winnipeg): The Forks is a public waterfront destination in downtown Winnipeg operated by a nonprofit that combines market halls, restaurants, event programming, and outdoor recreation on the Red and Assiniboine rivers. It is the closest Canadian analog to the Old Port's mix of cultural programming, commercial tenancy, and event-driven foot traffic, with similar seasonality and tourism-driver economics.
• Fisherman's Wharf (San Francisco): Fisherman's Wharf is a major urban waterfront tourist district in San Francisco combining a working marina, restaurants, retail, museums, and cruise/pier operations. Comparable in tourism-driven foot-traffic economics, maritime heritage positioning, and tenant/event revenue mix, though operated as a Port of San Francisco commercial district rather than a Crown corporation.
• Toronto Harbourfront Centre: Harbourfront Centre is a federally-incorporated nonprofit operating an urban waterfront cultural and recreational destination on Lake Ontario in downtown Toronto. It runs year-round arts programming, venue rentals, and a marina, closely mirroring the Old Port of Montreal's combination of culture, recreation, event hosting, and water-based services.
• IGY Marinas: IGY Marinas is the world's largest luxury marina operator, managing a global network of recreational berths with subscription and transient mooring revenue. Directly comparable to the Old Port's Port d'escale and Yacht Club de Montréal subscription/recurring marina business line, and a useful benchmark for marina unit economics and yield management.
• Navy Pier (Chicago): Navy Pier is an iconic urban waterfront entertainment destination on Lake Michigan operating attractions, event venues, restaurants/retail, a marina, and cruise departures. Comparable to the Old Port in scale (multi-million annual visitors), revenue mix (venue rental, tenants, programming, marina), and city-tourism dependence.
• Suntex Marinas: Suntex Marinas is a leading US owner/operator of recreational marinas with a subscription and seasonal-contract model. Comparable as a direct marina operations peer for benchmarking slip pricing, occupancy, and recurring revenue management against the Old Port's marina/Yacht Club business.
• Halifax Waterfront Development Corporation: Develops and animates Halifax's downtown waterfront boardwalk, managing events, public spaces, commercial tenants, and marina-adjacent activity along the Halifax Harbour. Comparable to Société du Vieux-Port as a Canadian municipal/crown waterfront operator running programming, rentals, and tenant leasing on a single downtown harbor asset.
• South Street Seaport (NYC): The South Street Seaport is a historic Lower Manhattan waterfront district combining maritime heritage, retail/dining, event spaces, and a marina. Like the Old Port of Montreal, it depends on tourism foot traffic and operates a historic waterfront with mixed commercial, recreational, and cultural programming, with Pier 17's event venue offering a direct comparison to the Vieux-Port's venue rental business.
• Old Port of Quebec (Parks Canada / SPIPQ): The Old Port of Quebec is a historic Lower Town waterfront site administered under Parks Canada with similar mixed commercial, recreational, and cultural programming serving a major Quebec tourist corridor. It is the most direct geographic and functional analog within Quebec and competes for the same cruise-ship and tourist spending.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Societe du VieuxPort de Montreal