During a rather blurry moment, some time between Thursday and Friday as I bounced along to James Murphy’s remix of Paul Simon’s Diamonds on the Souls of Her Shoes, I was abruptly reminded that just when I thought I had C2MTL figured out … she threw me a curveball.

C2MTL – Creative & Commerce Montreal – is a one-of-a-kind conference, hell bent on mashing creativity and commerce from the minds of Sid Lee, Cirque du Soleil, Fast Company and Microsoft. It’s the kind of event that blows minds and leaves scars … the good kind.

Having attended the first two installments, I felt I had a pretty good grip on things that would transpire over my three days ‘n’ change in Montreal. Serving as an ambassador for the non-conference, I had an unfair advantage, having been given a few peeks behind the curtain, a few notes of direction and all the input that comes with being part of an international collection of advocates.

Of course, things would evolve. Spaces would be shuffled, minds boggled, spirits elevated and goosebumps perked. But it wasn’t until a moment … a collision … that I came to the realization that maybe no one is meant to fully understand C2.

An engaged observer would have readily taken some common themes from the week, notably Community & Culture. Tony Hsieh kicked this thread off with compelling coverage of how his passion for culture at Zappos has dovetailed into the embrace of an entire community, manifesting itself as the Downtown Project.

Along the same lines, Nobel Peace Prize winner, Professor Muhammad Yunus, inspired us all with his micro-lending initiatives and the philosophy of “copyleft” vs. copyright.  Zita Cobb, who was a personal highlight for me, drew gasps and squeals when proposing that along with nutritional information, everything we purchase should disclose where the money goes, thus elevating the economic health of the product.

Bjarke Ingels outlined how he and his firm, BIG, are reinventing what communities look like, how they function and even how they come to be. Ray Davis, from Umpqua Bank, taught us to consider a bank store. And Bobby Dekyser, of DEDON, invited us all to his island (not all at once), so that we could absorb the passion and drive for life that he has instilled in his organizations.

There were other highlights of course – presentations given by fantastic people that orbited the primary and growing themes.

Philip Sheppard bamboozled us with his mind and his music, while Denys Lapointe danced to the sound of his own three-wheeled, electric instruments of inspiration. Jonas Tahlin spoke of ABSOLUT’s movement into the “experience economy,” while Esther Lee demanded that we find the business that we are in … not what we make or deliver, but rather the emotional business we partake in.

Andrew Wilson made us all feel a bit better about ourselves when he acknowledged that the best, most creative ideas often do not lend themselves to easy execution; while Abigail Posner peeled the onion on our culture of content, showcasing a beautiful world of connectivity and creativity.

Stefan Sagmeister’s presentation on happiness, was indeed, really happy. As a slightly hungover attendee, I embraced each installation and nugget of information as my own Prozac, chomping down and speeding up as he got us standing and singing.

Catherine Hoke proved to be the bravest person in the room, while James Murphy convinced me that someone needs to produce a TV show of him and Louis CK walking around New York City making fun of life, and themselves.

Finally, James Cameron. Standing out as the best keynote of the three C2MTL events, Cameron dazzled with his engagement, taking each and every question on as if it were one of his adventurous expeditions or audacious movie productions. He had many great quotes … which I highlight here. I was left with a feeling of invincibility. A sense of freedom. The warmth of knowing fulfillment was, and is, possible.

Of course there was more. The space was fantastic, once again. Cirque and their troupes added the usual sense of wonder and levity. The Habs won … then lost. Networking evolved into ‘friendshipping,’ as I once again left Canada with more personal, real, human connections than I arrived with.

Cindy Gallop said it best when noting that this conference … event … or whatever it is … was different. We often sign up for conferences we dread attending … and do so at arms length. Why do we go?  Because we’re social animals … and the social aspect is enough to draw us out of our burrows and Hobbit holes. But C2MTL has become something bigger. It has become an idea … an ideal … that we seek not just while bouncing around Montreal, but in our daily lives as well.

To learn more about what was learned at C2MTL, please contact Scott at scottb@theswitch.us.