You are both winners of the ICC Immersion United Arab Emirates program. The Paris Opera also participated in the South Korea program, while Augmenta was selected for Canada. Can you present your organization, its export project, and the reasons why you chose to participate in ICC Immersion? 

David-Alexandre Chanel: At Augmenta, we build technology that enables the deployment and addition of interactivity in cultural public spaces and on stage. It is used to design immersive rooms, especially for digital projections and interactions with the audience. We have participated twice in the ICC Immersion program: in Canada, through two phases—a first phase of collective immersion and a second phase of complementary individual immersion—and once in the United Arab Emirates. This support was very valuable because, in the case of the UAE, it allowed us to observe more precisely how the landscape was evolving and what it looked like today in terms of business development prospects. With the cohort, we were able to visit many places and meet various stakeholders, which gave us a clearer vision of the current state of the creative industries and the needs related to our product in the region. 

Éric Grebille: The Paris Opera is a public institution, 350 years old, that produces and presents opera and ballet performances. We have more than 400 curtain raises per year, with nearly 900,000 spectators. To create this magic, we also have a dance school, the oldest classical ballet school in the world, and a whole universe of expertise within our workshops. By participating in the ICC Immersion program, we wanted to explore international markets to develop cultural engineering actions abroad and showcase our expertise. Our goal was to export this expertise, offering our assistance, perspective, and experience to those interested in receiving training in French academic dance and benefiting from the expertise developed within our teams and workshops. 

The program includes a preparation phase with online collective workshops. How was this step useful for your export strategy and for preparing your meetings on-site in the UAE? 

David-Alexandre Chanel: The collective workshops I attended were very interesting. I’ve traveled to the UAE regularly, but since it’s a rapidly changing region, the workshops helped us stay updated and understand what had changed, as well as how things work today. I gathered valuable information on how to conduct business in the UAE at this moment and was able to connect with stakeholders in advance. 

Éric Grebille: This whole workshop phase allowed us to acclimate to the country where we would be immersed, understanding its various aspects and stakeholders. It also provided an opportunity to meet, albeit virtually, all the cohort members going to the UAE, as well as to observe the different facets of French ICCs and what might interest our international contacts. It was only in retrospect, once we were in the country, that I fully appreciated all the workshops and how the information they provided came to life and made sense. 

What were the highlights of the on-site immersion? What type of structure or event impressed you the most?

David-Alexandre Chanel: I’d like to commend the fantastic work of the team that accompanied us during the UAE immersion. I also had great moments with the entire cohort and the organizing team. We visited very diverse creative industries: theaters, museums, more metaverse-oriented spaces, and independent cinemas. The diversity of locations allowed everyone to find something relevant and gain a comprehensive view.

Éric Grebille: I echo everything David-Alexandre said. If I had to single out something, it would be a few cultural sites we visited, which really showcased the level and quality of what’s happening in the UAE. First and foremost, the Louvre Abu Dhabi stands out as an exceptional and inspiring element. But there are other incredibly interesting structures, such as those in Sharjah and the Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai. We saw that the country is already very advanced and engaged, with sophisticated and challenging initiatives. This means that our offerings and work must meet the high standards already in place, ensuring that we can provide a distinctive contribution. 

What concrete actions were implemented to best support you in this specific ecosystem?

David-Alexandre Chanel: Regarding the support provided, there was great responsiveness in arranging meetings with specific stakeholders we wanted to connect with, and the meetings were well-chosen. I was very pleased with the connections made and even impressed by some of the meetings, especially one with a very high-ranking individual at Emaar, a massive organization in Dubai. Even when there were additional requests during the week, they were accommodated, and I greatly appreciated this aspect of the personalized support.

Éric Grebille: I agree with David-Alexandre; it was almost bespoke for us. The meetings were well-prepared in advance by the Embassy, the Institut français, and Business France teams. When we arrived at the meetings, the people we met were well-informed about who we were and already had ideas about potential collaborations. In the preparatory phase, as a French institution, it was interesting to get familiar with this Anglo-Saxon culture of presenting a project—being efficient and getting straight to the point on concepts and projects to be effective. 

A third phase of the program involves additional individual immersion in the second half of 2024. Do you plan to participate? Augmenta has already completed this third phase for the Canada program; what were your takeaways?

David-Alexandre Chanel: For Canada, I did both phase 2 and phase 3. Phase 2 was similar to that of the UAE, and I have good memories of it. Phase 3 was a bit more challenging because I expected the support to be similar to phase 2, and I wasn’t able to make the most of it as I had hoped. For the UAE, I don’t think we’ll pursue the next phases because phase 2 already gave us a clear understanding of the needs, and in our case, it doesn’t justify opening a dedicated office there. Instead, we aim to develop partnerships in the region and maintain a presence without the need for a large-scale structure.

Éric Grebille: This is still under consideration. For both South Korea and the UAE, we’ve developed quite a few serious contacts, and now we’re entering a longer phase to refine ideas, projects, and sort through the contacts. I can’t say yet if we’ll engage in phase 3 immediately or if we’ll activate it later. There’s also internal feasibility work to determine which teams we can mobilize. I’m closely monitoring this because we’re interested in continuing this approach. 

Do you already have development opportunities following the ICC Immersion program? Did it provide you with contacts and opportunities for the future?

David-Alexandre Chanel: We’re still in discussions with some individuals, notably the Museum of the Future, which we visited during the collective immersion phase. We have a major project with a well-known artist that will take place between October and November and will be joining the museum for the years to come. We’re still connected with a few other stakeholders and have potential projects in Dubai, but none have been finalized yet.

Éric Grebille: There are real opportunities being created. We’ve been in discussions for several weeks with two stakeholders we met through this program for the UAE. It’s the same for South Korea, where we’re currently engaging with three stakeholders. It’s still a bit early to say what will come of these, but the serious contacts and opportunities offered are the direct results of this program.