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City Nation Place UK 2026

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Applying place branding thinking to the challenges of building place economies and pride of place across the UK

 
City Nation Place UK brings together the leadership teams for place, tourism, culture, and economic development to focus on navigating organisational restructures, and funding opportunities and challenges, through the development of a place-led approach to building and managing reputation.
 
Join us in Bradford, a place that is working to cement the legacy of its year in the spotlight as the City Of Culture, to learn from place leaders and place brand and marketing experts….

  • Tools, techniques and best practice for engaging community and stakeholders in your shared vision
  • Building partnerships to ensure greater security of funding and long-term support
  • Building and evolving your place brand story to provide the focal point for community ambition
  • Solving the regional vs local conundrum to build places, and place brands, that work together
  • Leveraging culture as a catalyst for pride and for economic growth
  • Creative solutions for living and activating the brand story

Why attend?


City Nation Place UK provides a fresh perspective on place challenges and actionable ideas to make a difference.

  • 100% of 2025 attendees agreed that this event gave them more confidence to address the challenges in their own place
  • 100% of the 2025 attendees would recommend the conference
  • 96% of the 2025 attendees agreed that they had taken away actionable ideas


At the 2026 conference you will have the opportunity to….

  • Join a pre-conference “insider” tour of Bradford providing insights on how the city and District are building renown as a creative hub for communities and businesses - making the most of being the UK's first UNESCO City of Film. The tour will also showcase how Bradford is maximising the gains from hosting the most successful  City of Culture in 2025 to continue its regeneration as a thriving UK core city.
  • Join a welcome drinks reception on the Wednesday evening to being that all-important networking
  • Join the full day conference on Thursday 24th September at the Bradford Arts Centre in the heart of the city

“In delivering City of Culture in 2025, we knew the real changes would come from confidence, the perceptions and engagement of people - near and far. As Leader I am delighted that this signature event is coming to our district, supporting our ambitions for immediate and long-term positive change. Our place-led work, in one of the biggest Metropolitan areas in UK and one in which 40% of the population is under 30 years old, is a living example of all that CNP, its global community and its delegates are seeking to progress."

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, Leader, Bradford Council

"Bradford has a city centre that has undergone dramatic transformation and there is much more to come. Our district includes Ilkley Moor, Bronte Country and our UNESCO World Heritage Site in Saltaire. We are also the UNESCO City Of Film and with Wuthering Heights, Peaky Blinders and more we are harnessing the power of film, screen and soft power to shape our brand and wider prosperity. Culture is our heartbeat - and we are looking forward to hosting CNP later this year."

Cllr Alex Ross Shaw, Executive Member for Regeneration, Planning & Transport, Bradford Council

"As one of the newest cultural venues in central Bradford, Bradford Arts Centre is delighted to host CNP UK 2026. Autumn 2026 will mark twelve months since our opening and we see conferences such as this as central to the wider showcasing of all the Bradford has to offer"

Alex Croft, CEO, Bradford Arts Centre

Here's just some of the brilliant feedback from last year's conference:


“An inspiring and useful day with plenty of takeaways to inform current and future projects. Always great to take time out and head from like-minded people. Thank you!”
Isobel Pickles, Vauxhall One BID


“Wonderful to see collaboration and sharing to support places and their growth. Thank you!” 

 
“Great number of speakers and findings - loved round tables.” 
Charlotte Howe, Government of Jersey
 
 
“Great to have a breadth of topics covered in a day, from governance to culture.”


"City Nation Place’s conference covered a mix of interesting topics, from challenges facing place management to the importance of investing in culture"
Gemma Ranford, Wychavon District Council


"The conference was a valuable opportunity to hear from experts in place branding and city marketing, learn from case studies across the UK, and connect with colleagues working on similar challenges and opportunities. I look forward to applying the insights gained to support our ongoing work."
Steven Norris, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council 

2026 Partners...