What Aire Ouverte does

Aire Ouverte is a virtual gathering space targeting the Canadian francophone arts and culture sector. Launched in May 2021 and operated under the Spectacles Bonzaï umbrella, the platform is built on Gather.town's interactive video conferencing technology and recreates real-world Canadian geographic and cultural venues as a navigable virtual environment accessible via web browser without registration. The platform serves arts and culture organizations, music industry associations, film festivals, and cultural nonprofits with proximity-based audio/video interaction for networking, conferences, showcases, and hybrid events. Its customer base includes named organizations such as FCCF, ANIM, ROSEQ, SOCAN Foundation, RAFA Alberta, CCAFCB, AFY, Pleins écrans, Taverne Tour, FME, POFF, Global Toronto, GAMIQ, Bonsound, PASA, and Music NB.

The company operates a hybrid business model: a free, self-serve, always-on virtual gathering platform supported by quote-based professional services for custom virtual environment creation and event hosting. The core product is the virtual gathering space itself, supplemented by a community Directory (R?pertoire) and a service offering to recreate offices, venues, cities, or build unique tailored virtual spaces for clients. Aire Ouverte monetizes through custom event and environment services rather than subscription or per-seat licensing, with no publicly disclosed pricing tiers. Distribution is driven by organic community adoption, partner referrals within the Canadian francophone arts and culture network, an email newsletter, and a press kit. The platform expanded from Quebec to representing all of Canada in April 2023, positioning itself as the first country in the world recreated virtually.

Name

Aire Ouverte

Legal name

Aire Ouverte

Website

https://aireouverte.quebec

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Aire Ouverte is a free, self-serve virtual gathering space built on Gather.town that recreates Canadian francophone cultural geography for arts and culture organizations, music associations, and film festivals, monetizing through custom virtual event services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Virtual Event and Gathering Services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual Worlds & Social Sandbox Experiences (persistent social spaces) (MPAFAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Virtual Community Festivals & Cultural Events (Online Celebrations) (MPAGAOAK), Hybrid/Virtual Meetings Production & AV Services (THACAFAM)

Keywords

• Virtual gathering platform
• Virtual event hosting
• Arts culture networking
• Cultural virtual space
• Remote collaboration platform

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Virtual Event Services: Custom virtual environment creation and event hosting services for organizations seeking unique virtual gathering experiences. Services include recreating offices, venues, cities, or building unique tailored spaces for networking activities, conferences, showcases, concerts, or hybrid events.
2. Platform Access: Free instant access to the virtual gathering space for general users with no registration required. Revenue generated through service engagements rather than platform licensing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aire Ouverte operates an always-open, browser-based virtual gathering space built on the Gather.town platform that recreates Canadian francophone cultural geography for networking and remote work in the arts and culture sector. The free public space requires no registration, while the company also delivers paid custom virtual environment design and event hosting services for organizations seeking tailored virtual or hybrid experiences.

Product overview

Aire Ouverte is a single unified product — a virtual gathering space platform — with supplementary services and features. The core offering is the interactive virtual environment (built on Gather.town technology) that recreates physical spaces for virtual networking and remote work. Supporting offerings include a community Directory and custom event organization services. The platform launched in May 2021 representing Quebec's music scene geography, and expanded in April 2023 to represent Canada's entire arts and culture sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aire Ouverte Virtual Gathering Space A free, browser-based virtual gathering space built on Gather.town that recreates Canadian francophone cultural geography for networking, professional and informal meetings, and remote collaboration. Accessible 24/7 without registration, it serves arts and culture professionals and the broader francophone community.
• Directory (Répertoire) An online directory listing members and partner organizations of the Aire Ouverte community, enabling users to discover and connect with cultural organizations, venues, and professionals active in the virtual space.
• Event Organization Services Custom virtual and hybrid event services for arts and culture organizations, including networking activities, conferences, showcases, concerts, and bespoke virtual environment design (recreating clients' offices, venues, or cities). Sold on a quote basis to Canadian francophone cultural organizations.

Named customers16 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Gather.towncoreTechnology or IntegrationAire Ouverte is built on the Gather.town interactive video conferencing platform, which enables proximity-based audio/video interaction and spatial navigation in virtual environments. This is the core technology infrastructure powering the entire virtual gathering space.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bizzabo: Bizzabo is an event experience platform offering virtual, hybrid, and in-person event solutions with a focus on enterprise customers. It overlaps with Aire Ouverte's professional services for organizations seeking hybrid event production.
• Hopin: Hopin is a broad virtual and hybrid events platform serving conferences, expos, and networking events worldwide. It overlaps with Aire Ouverte's virtual event services offering but operates at significantly larger scale and across multiple verticals beyond arts and culture.
• Eventbrite: Eventbrite is a large-scale event management and ticketing platform serving cultural, music, and arts organizations globally. While it does not offer persistent virtual spaces, it overlaps with Aire Ouverte's arts/culture customer base and event-related service offerings.
• ON24: ON24 is a webinar and virtual event platform used heavily by B2B marketers and enterprises. While more webinar-focused, it competes for the same virtual event production and engagement budget that Aire Ouverte's services address in the arts/culture vertical.

Direct peers

• Remo: Remo is a virtual events platform that replicates in-person networking through interactive floor plans and table-based conversations. It directly competes with Aire Ouverte's virtual gathering and networking experience, though it targets a broader enterprise audience.
• vFairs: vFairs is a virtual events and hybrid event platform that builds custom 3D environments for trade shows, job fairs, and conferences. It is comparable to Aire Ouverte's custom virtual environment creation and event production services.
• Socio: Socio is a virtual and hybrid event platform that enables organizers to build branded event hubs with networking, live streaming, and engagement features. Comparable to Aire Ouverte's custom virtual environment services for organizations and communities.
• Gather.town: Gather.town is the underlying spatial video conferencing platform on which Aire Ouverte is built. It is the direct technology provider and the closest functional comparison, offering the same proximity-based virtual gathering mechanics to enterprises and communities globally.

Emerging players

• Run The World: Run The World is a virtual events platform focused on community-driven events, conferences, and networking experiences. It is comparable to Aire Ouverte's custom virtual environment and event production services for niche communities.
• Spatial: Spatial is a metaverse-style spatial collaboration platform for meetings, events, and creative work, using VR/AR and web. It is comparable to Aire Ouverte's persistent virtual gathering space concept and targets similar creative-industry communities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aire-ouverte

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Aire Ouverte