Eight quotes to inspire your place brand strategy
With the first City Nation Place UK conference right around the corner, we’ve collated the eight best quotes to give you a quick teaser for the conference on the 14th May – but they’re relevant to places all around the world. With conversations spanning from international perceptions right down to leveraging neighbourhoods to drive your place brand strategy, the debates at the conference promise to be trailblazing.
Tony Attard, Chairman, Marketing Lancashire
As it seems increasingly unlikely that we will be faced with a hard Brexit, there will no doubt be opportunities that arise as the dust settles. We need to focus our energies where we will have greatest traction, and now is the time to do more, not less.
Brendan Moffett, Director of Centre for Contemporary Hospitality and Tourism, University of Derby
In a post Brexit world, it will be even more important for Britain to have a strong brand internationally. Increasing devolution in the UK and the need to re-balance the economy and not leave regional towns and cities behind also means it’s highly important for towns, cities and regions to organise their messaging and have a strong narrative.
Conrad Bird, Director, GREAT Britain campaign
It’s too easy to fall into the trap of utilising a small budget to try and promote one region or place against another, when we should, in fact, be working as a collective to attract jobs and growth from our international competitors, rather than domestic ones.
Rachel McQueen, Chief Executive, Marketing Lancashire
We have significant heritage stories to tell across the UK, which can both help to attract visitors and provide an impressive backdrop to investment decisions. Many of these stories connect more than just one place, and we could do more to collaborate effectively in telling them. There is also more that we can do to re-interpret these stories for a modern-day audience, in the way that the England Originals project has sought to achieve.
Cat Leaver, Director, Brand Scotland
Being able to illustrate the effectiveness and return of the activity we do is critical, but it is also a long-term game. Awareness of nations and places and the changing narratives being projected take time to communicate, reinforce and bed in. So, we walk a fine line of managing expectations, maintaining momentum and evidencing immediate results.
Jim Dawson, Head of Creative & Digital Marketing, Visit Kent
The key to placemaking is to understand the story of a place. It is only by engaging with the people that live there that the story can be understood and shaped.
Fiona Mulliner, Director of Commercial Ventures & Domestic Tourism, London & Partners
It’s crucial to get local communities and business owners behind our tourism projects and fundamentally supporting the local area – not only because it’s in their interest to boost the local economy, but they are the gate keepers of the best possible content and inspiration which are often central to destination marketing campaigns.
John Till, Director & Founder, thinkingplace
Make [the private sector] central to this journey, empower them and respect their insight. This is what they do every day. Enthuse them so they want to be advocates for the place, they have the networks and contacts to make a difference in telling and selling the story.