How are skilled talent making decisions about where to live and work? Global forces, from AI disruption to rising housing costs, are redefining what is desirable to talent – and how place marketers and policy leaders need to respond in order to put their best foot forwards.
This March 24th, C Studios’s Steve Duncan and DCI’s Patience Fairbrother will take you behind the scenes of their sister reports, Talent Wars and What Talent Wants, to unpack what the data shows about the future of work and mobility. They’ll also identify the top five trends you need to be aware of as a place brand and marketer, including:
- Why upskilling is becoming the new ‘signing bonus’
- What it means when ‘quality of life’ transitions from lifestyle amenities to financial security
- How to speak the language of talent to ensure you’re showing up where they’re searching
- Strategies to integrate arriving talent into your destination
- How to attract international talent in an increasingly fragile political landscape
You’ll also hear from a panel of place leaders who will provide the on-the-ground perspective and share how they’re adapting their strategies to meet these new challenges and opportunities.
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Steve Duncan is Managing Director of C Studios (www.c-studios.com), the marketing communications agency for places. With over two decades of expertise in place marketing, Steve has collaborated with cities, regions, countries, research parks, and real estate developments across virtually every major world region to reach executives and skilled talents.
A vocal advocate for digital place promotion, Steve has authored multiple studies on investment promotion, talent attraction and digital marketing. Those include "What Talent Wants: Capturing What Europe's Workforce Seeks in Jobs & Locations," “Winning Strategies in Investment Promotion Marketing,” and "The State of Digital Advertising in Economic Development." His speaking roles on these core topics have featured at City Nation Place Global, FDI Leaders Network, IEDC Annual & Leadership Conferences, MIPIM and various client stakeholder events.
At C Studios, Steve leads a team specializing in elevating place brands globally, focusing on strategy and implementation for international talent attraction, investment promotion, and trade promotion initiatives. Previously, he spent 19 years with Development Counsellors International (DCI), the New York-based leader in marketing places. His strategic approach and innovative thinking have made him a trusted advisor to organizations like Costa Rica's CINDE, Austrian Business Agency, Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency, Luxembourg Let's Make It Happen, EDB Singapore, Invest Alberta, and Invest Puerto Rico.
A journalism graduate from Pennsylvania State University, Steve has dedicated his entire career to place marketing, continuously adapting strategies to meet the evolving digital landscape. His experience spans lead generation, public relations and advertising, all aimed at enhancing a destination's findability, credibility and lovability among decision-makers in an increasingly online world.
When not working to put places on the map, Steve is usually trying to put himself somewhere on it. He has cycled some of the world's most famous passes and mountain roads, is a wine enthusiast that has tasted grapes on four continents, and is known to get up before dawn to capture the perfect sunrise photo.
Patience Fairbrother is Senior Vice President, Talent Attraction at Development Counsellors International (DCI), where she oversees the place-marketing agency’s Talent Attraction practice area, helping cities, regions, and countries to attract and retain a talented workforce through custom research and targeted marketing campaigns. Patience’s work has been recognized in the Summit Creative Awards, AVA Digital Awards, Horizon Interactive Awards, International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Excellence in Economic Development Awards, and MarCom Awards. Most recently, Patience was selected as one of PRSA NY’s 15 Under 35, celebrating excellence in the public relations and communications space.
Patience has been a featured speaker on place marketing research and best practices at conferences including Young Smart & Local, Destinations International, IEDC’s Annual Conference, ECONOMIX, the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) Annual Conference, and City Nation Place Americas, and in communities from Buffalo to Birmingham. She also hosts the podcast “Talent Wars,” which goes inside the global battle for talent and what destinations are doing to attract and retain the workforce they need.
Based in Brooklyn, Patience is a graduate of Kenyon College and a native of the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts.
Ileana leads the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia’s talent attraction and retention strategy, working across employers, institutions, and regional partners to position the region as a viable destination for talent. Her work sits at the intersection of workforce development, place branding, and economic competitiveness, aligning regional storytelling with business needs to strengthen Greater Philadelphia’s talent pipeline. With a professional foundation in the arts and cultural sector and a Master of Science in Arts Administration from Drexel University, she brings a creative, audience-centered lens to talent attraction and regional strategy.
Anita Lankinen is a Marketing Manager for Talent Attraction at Helsinki Partners, the city’s international marketing and investment promotion agency. Together with the team, she works to attract senior international talent by showcasing Helsinki’s innovation ecosystem and outstanding quality of life in the capital of the world’s happiest country.
As an international talent who relocated to Helsinki herself, Anita brings a firsthand perspective to her work — communicating the city’s value with authenticity, empathy, and credibility, and connecting opportunity with lived experience.
With over 14 years of experience across IT, agency, and diverse industry environments, she has led strategic marketing initiatives, built brands, and driven growth in competitive markets. Her experience enables her to translate complex value propositions into clear, compelling narratives that resonate with international decision-makers and senior talent.