RESEARCH | WRITING | SCANNING | CURATION | TALKS | WORKSHOP | FACILITATION
RESEARCH & WRITING |
Marie-Michèle conducts desk research, interviews and field research with a specific focus on emerging phenomena. She contributed to inspiring and challenging mindsets of organisations and individuals with her writing, she helped implement co-creation methodologies, strategies and took part in the complete or partial development of trend reports for clients from several sectors: creative industries, marketing, design, beauty and wellness, professional services, entertainment, travel + leisure and mobility. See a selection of latest work
Nouveau Monde medias - Exhibition Sustainability
Client: Nouveau Monde medias
Production company that is part of a process of seeking peace, justice and truth Mandate: Write content for 2 banners part of the 10 banner nomadic exhibition Deliverables: The content of 2 banners 6x 250 words on the subject of conscious consumption
Les Éditions de l'Homme - Rien de neuf
Deliverables: Manuscript of 45,000 words. This practical guide teaches you how to acquire the objects you need (and want!) while saving money and reducing your environmental footprint. Each chapter presents life moments that usually require the acquisition of "new" goods: development or renovations, arrival of a child, parties and celebrations, sports and leisure, travel, etc. [Y]our 2040 - Urban Futures
Client: [Y]our 2040
[Y]our 2040 is a collective endeavor designed to influence, accelerate and implement change. Mandate: Write a short speculative essay about our desired urban future Deliverables: Short Essay that was showcased in San Francisco amongst 13 of the amazing stories for the Swissnex SF 20th Anniversary and is challenging enough to turn into the 15 stories featured in a speculative book. 
WGSN - CITY BY CITY TORONTO
Client: WGSN WGSN is the global leader in consumer design trends. Accurate forecasts provide insights into global trends, expert-curated data and industry expertise to help clients understand consumer behavior and lifestyles, create products with confidence and trade at the right price. moment. Mandate: Photographer and editor of the Toronto City By City Guide highlighting the city's innovative retail boutiques, exhibitions, trade shows and key events in fashion, design and architecture. Deliverable: Creation of a 20-page report with photos and descriptions of spots Link (subscriber only) CANADIAN MEDIA FUND - FUTURE OF ENTERTAINMENT
TRENDLAND - ARTICLES ARTS & CULTURE
Client: Trendland
Online Magazine, Trendland.com, redefines new ways of telling stories through a rich visual journey. Mandate: Marie-Michèle is a regular trend researcher and contributing editor covering categories of design, lifestyle, culture and art. The stories published are relevant and defined by pushing the contemporary lifestyle and culture in new directions. Due to her advantageous geographical location, she often explores subjects such as lifestyles, contemporary culture, video games, exhibitions and other artistic hubs concentrated in Montreal. She therefore often explores field research stage, observes and notes artistic critics. Delivrable: Research, writing and visuals in the form of a magazine article Link to articles here 
U+ PLURALITY UNIVERSITY - U+ZINE #7 ''CLOTHES'' & FUTURE OF FOOD
Client: U+ Plurality University
The Plurality University Network (U+) is a network, open and international organization whose mission is to detect, connect and bring together people and organizations who mobilize the resources of the imagination to explore alternative futures. Mandate: Using installations of art and artwork, develop futuristic concepts of what the future holds for us. In the form of an online and print magazine with open call applicants content. Deliverable: Research, analysis and development of concepts in collaboration with other members and in real time following online meetings on a collective board. Link to publication: U+#7 Future of Clothes Link magazine U+ #4 The future of Food Link towards "food web"
In addition, Marie-Michèle publishes every moon cycle her Trendsletter in French and English written with passion around trends, weak signals, foresight methodologies and how to use collective intelligence in inclusive research projects since October 2021
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Scanning |
On a regular basis, Marie-Michèle stays vigilant and informed through scanning, to help organizations be in better position to navigate uncertainties and capitalize on emerging possibilities. This is a practice integrated into her every day: gathering information from various sources such as market reports, technological advancements, social changes, and geopolitical developments and through her expert observations. She also sees scanning as an act of activism: scanning for social change, collective and sustainable initiatives.
Trend watching - INNOVATION OF THE DAY & Collective brain
Client: Trendwatching | tw:in
TrendWatching's extensive content team is a community of over 800 trend-driven professionals and enthusiasts in over 65 countries who aim to create a better business world through meaningful, goal-driven trends and innovations. Mandate: Marie-Michèle is a member of the TWIN community since 2020, on a volontary basis spotter share on TWIN slack their findings and interesting purpose-driven innovations from around the globe. Marie-Michèle's findings were featured numerous times as innovation of the day. The purpose of the newsletter is to encourage and inspire companies to do better for better good, small changes count. Incremental innovations is also innovative. 👉 Normandy's attractions now offer reduced fees to tourists arriving by bike, train or bus
👉 In Austria, supermarket SPAR prints number for domestic violence helpline on receipts 👉 Energy company Dalkia adds 'delete by' dates to social media posts 👉 Project translates sign language to non-sign language users during video calls
Client: Trendwatching | tw:in
TrendWatching's extensive content team is a community of over 800 trend-driven professionals and enthusiasts in over 65 countries who aim to create a better business world through meaningful, goal-driven trends and innovations. Mandate: Shared alongside 86 other experts methodology derived from Canada's cultural environment and references used on a daily basis: accelerators, news, magazines, etc. Collective Brain is an ever-evolving intelligence hub from the hand of the Insight Network (TWIN). A collection of 1800 sources (and more) organized by industries, regions and centers of interest that will guide the next research project to better understand culture, trends and unveil new business opportunities. Deliverable: Additions to a shared document of personal methodology Link towards Collective Brain (restricted access)
Business of Purpose - COVID INNOVATIONS
Client: Business of Purpose & Trendwatching
Business of Purpose is a global community of motivated business professionals with a mission to build a business world that champions sustainability, fairness and well-being. Mandate: In a time of inspiration blackout and a global pandemic, the goal of participating in this project was to inspire businesses with failure of ideas and bring out the positive aspect and innovations brought by the Covid-19 pandemic. The mandate for Marie-Michèle Larivée specifically was to monitor, research and add innovations from Canada as well as in the global retail sphere. Link CovidInnovations website Link report
Copenhagen Institute of Future Studies (CIFS) - Global Scanning Network
La Piscine - Studio
Client: La Piscine
Created in 2015, La piscine is a non-profit organisation whose mission is to provide cultural and creative entrepreneurs with support growing and structuring their companies through programs, workspaces, tailored event programming and innovation services. Mandate: The mandate was to revised the research methodology of the team, implement better practices and conduct large scale qualitative research resulting in themes for Studio. Marie-Michèle helped bring to life this ambitious project at the same time managing two (2) research assistant: Studio is built for experiments, provides insights and brings to life new businesses. Link Studio
Marie-Michèle is an active member of trend & innovation research units around the world like TrendLocals (previously TW:IN) by Trendwatching. In the past, she also contributed to SoonSoonSoon and Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies global scanning units. She reports on consumer, design, retail, innovations and trends seen in North America, more specifically in Eastern Canada. She collects her findings weekly and contributes to experts discussions providing insight converted into observations, writing and reports.
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CONFERENCE, COURSE & TRAINING
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Marie-Michèle has participated in several events around the world. She provides to professionals the insight and necessary sensitivity to create, observe and inspire sustainable, ethical and colorful future. Encouraging professionals to take the future of their community in their hands and review their trend methodology, that is what motivates her to speak on camera, in class or on stage.
Université du québec à Montréal (UQAM) - Intuition, innovation & Creativity video
Fashion spectrum - Innovation during crises
RCCAQ - TOMORROW'S CLIENTELE
Client: Regroupement des cabinets de courtage d’assurance du Québec
RCCAQ is a professional union whose mission is to promote and defend the socio-economic interests of member firms as well as to support them in their design. Mandate: Demystify the myths about generations, unravel them and enlighten the participants of the annual conference on marketing, technological and social media trends for Generation Y (millennials) and Z. Deliverable: “Brain date” style workshop with Congress participants, answering their questions and guiding them towards their strategies to adapt to meet the insurance needs of the next generations. Ahead of the event, a sheet was created as an additional guide to take home. Link recap sheet 
INFOPRESSE - ANNUAL TREND PRESENTATION
Client: Infopresse
Infopresse is the training expert in communication, marketing, media, digital, and leadership in Quebec: 300 in-class, in-company and online training, 20 specialized conferences and hundreds of articles and tips for companies. Mandate: Analyze new trends due to the pandemic and inspire change motivating innovative strategies for the audience of over a hundred professionals at Infopresse's upcoming annual year-end trends event Deliverable: One hour presentation & short report Link the whole presentation 
Marie-Michèle has often set up internal training courses for professional organizations, companies and academic institutions. Foresight and trend forecasting are disciplines that are hardly taught. She is remedying the situation by sharing her expertise as much as possible with the next generation. In 2020, she built the Trend and lifestyle analysis class from École supérieure de mode de Montréal ESG-UQAM and have been teaching it since. Her engagement are fun and energetic. Her favorite subjects are: Trends, Marketing, Strategy, Design, Creativity, Innovation. Whether you want to build a new course / training, integrate a foresight (futuristic) part into your program or have any suggestions on how to go about it, contact her
Academic institutions with which she has collaborated with: École Supérieure de mode ESG-UQAM | Temple University, Klein College of Media and Communication | Université Concordia | Campus Notre-Dame de-Foy | Collège Lasalle (LCI) | Collège Marie-Victorin | Notre-Dame University | & +
Marie-Michèle is also often interviewed by journalist about trends, emerging movements and consumer (human) behavior by magazines, reviews, podcasts, radio:
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WORKSHOP & FACILITATION |
Imagining the future : A collective workshop
Client: DX3 DX3 is Canada's largest conference and trade fair dedicated to retail, marketing and technology. Through engaging content and immersive experiences, DX3 connects the world's leading technology brands with Canada's leading brands, retailers, marketers and agencies. Description: In the current state of flux, it can be difficult to imagine the future. How will these movements emerge and create new behaviors for the future of our society? In this participatory workshop, you will team up, break the gray veil that is affixed to the future, and reflect using techniques for forecasting values, trends and strategies relevant to your organization in the years to come. After a brief introduction to trends and innovation, Marie-Michèle will guide you towards developing an enlightened vision. Deliverable: Facilitation and creation of the online workshop Ideas/ Output:
Link Miro board The Clientele of 2035
Client: ShwapClub
The Shwapclub is a clothing exchange shop. Its mission is to facilitate the reuse of clothing to fight against wasted clothing. Mandate: Using a participatory workshop, each team member was had to take an active role in brainstorming and developing ideas. The aim of the workshop was to imagine the clientele of the future of the company and at the same time to consolidate the team's vision regarding the challenges to come and the strategies to be adopted. Deliverable: Facilitation and creation of the workshop Ideas / Output:
Workshop on intuition
Client: Campus Notre Dame-de-Foy The CNDF, a private college in Quebec, also welcomes international students with pre-university, professional and technical programs. Mandate: Get students to work on their intuition, their inhibition and share their ideas by collectively creating a futuristic vision of what awaits them as a cultural sphere in the coming years. Through a participatory workshop and sharing tools, the barriers were broken down and the students were no longer afraid of copying existing ideas but worked together to create a future. Deliverable: Facilitation and creation of an online workshop Ideas & Output:
speculative Futures Montreal
Client: Speculative Futures Montréal
Montreal chapter of Speculative Futures, an international dating community that focuses on work and practice in the areas of speculative and critical design, design-fiction, future studies and strategic foresight. Mandate: Bring a local expert's eye to a global topic. Deliverable: Two-hour online co-conference with visual exploring the themes and pitfalls of foresight, followed by a workshop facilitated by SFM and guided by our experts reflections. Ideas & Output:
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RESEARCH | WRITING | SCANNING | CURATION | TALKS | WORKSHOP | FACILITATION
