Brand Scotland's collaborative approach sets it apart from many other place brand organisations. With six different agencies involved, Cat Leaver, Brand Scotland's director, shares how stakeholder management is key to the success of the collaboration.

What does digital transformation actually look like in the destination marketing and investment promotion space? Emma Håkansson, Head of Destination Development for the City of Helsingborg, Sweden, explained how they transitioned from tourist information centres to a digital-first approach.

How can rural destinations differentiate themselves with a clear place branding strategy? Andrew Redden, Hastings County's manager for tourism and economic development, outlines the challenges they face and how collaboration can unlock new opportunities.

The City Nation Place Awards set the benchmark for quality place brand and communication strategies around the world – what lessons can we learn from the winning case studies of 2019?

Most Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) today rely to some degree – if not a great extent – on traditional survey research. Surveys enable DMOs to ask tailored questions to a targeted demographic, resulting in meaningful insights. Surveys are, and will continue to be, an important component of marketing and branding strategies.

When countries are trying to create a Country Brand strategy, they frequently do it without a strategic approach in mind and often lack a proven methodology or model for doing so. In practice, these countries learn the process as they progress and consequentially make unforeseen mistakes. As they lack comprehension of this task’s complex nature, they don't manage the process effectively.

Last week, two hundred place branding practitioners gathered in London for the fifth annual City Nation Place Global conference. It has been fascinating to see the conversations at City Nation Place evolve over the last five years, but these were the five ideas that really got us thinking.

A central facet of our ongoing age of uncertainty is the increasing overlap of political and commercial behaviours. Identities and spaces that were a generation ago seen as separate have increasingly overlapped, leading to new challenges in shepherding organizational reputations. Nowhere is this trend more apparent than when chaotic political environments impact how people view the health of nations. The United Kingdom's ongoing struggle with the implications of Brexit and the responses from the rest of the world provide a fascinating case study.

With just two weeks to go until City Nation Place Global 2019 kicks off in London, we gathered some of the best quotes from our speakers to give you a little preview of the wonderful work that destinations around the world have been undertaking...

Estonia and Costa Rica have learned how to turn nation and place branding theory into practice - but what is the key to their nation branding success?