City Nation Place Lab 2026
CNP Lab: Your digital place brand
18th, 19th and 20th May, Lisbon
We know that perception of place impacts on willingness to live, study, invest and visit – that it has a direct economic impact. It could be called irresponsible not to have a strategic approach to building positive perceptions.
Ten years ago we would say that perception of place could be difficult to shift – often rooted in stereotypes or preconceptions. Now we see that public opinion is impacted on a daily basis by the sheer volume of online opinion and content, controlled by changing algorithms. Whether you’re responsible for a nation, region, or city brand, or for managing perceptions of your place as a great place to invest in, move to, or visit, there’s a fast-shifting landscape of challenges to address to ensure that your place brand values, assets, and story punches through to the surface.
Over the two days of this CNP Lab event, we will aim to decode the impact of developments in AI and the digital landscape not just on your marketing strategy but more broadly on your organisation’s role as a place brand or marketing leader. With the help of our expert host partners, guest speakers, and through sharing learnings with your peers in workshop sessions, you’ll build a clear picture of where you should be investing resources to build place brand resilience.
Monday 18th May
Meet at Hotel Locke de Santa Joana for drinks Dining Al Fresco at the Restaurant Ribadouro, a casual Portuguese brasserie and a short walk from the hotel.
Welcome Drinks
Dinner at Restaurant Ribadouro
Tuesday 19th May
Lab chair / moderator: Katie Parker Transfer from the hotel to the Monument of the Discoveries, Belém Constructed in 1960, the Monument to the Discoveries is a 56-meter high monument, shaped like the prow of a ship, celebrating Portugal’s age of discovery. Located on the Tagus River, the observation deck provides amazing views of Lisbon and provides us with the opportunity to walk at our leisure along the riverside front towards the MAAT, the Museum of Art, Architecture & Technology. Celebrating it’s 10th anniversary, this international institution is located in a converted power station and a contemporary building and is dedicated to stimulating critical discourse and creative thinking. Attendees will have the option of a ticket to their choice of one of these attractions. Lunch is scheduled from 1pm at the Sud Lisboa Restaurant next door to the MAAT. Situated on the Belém waterfront directly adjacent to the MAAT, the space overlooks the iconic 25 de Abril Bridge. The menu features Mediterranean-inspired cuisine that celebrates fresh, seasonal flavors against a backdrop of panoramic views of the Tagus River. Host partners lead on reporting back, participants invited to add comments in open discussion The hotel restaurant is in the renovated chapel of the original convent, and the menu pays homage to Lisbon’s rich cultural influences, led by internationally acclaimed chef and Culinary Director, Nuno Mendes.
Breakfast at leisure
Session 1: Understanding place brand perception in the new digital age
Introduction to The CNP Lab
Using AI to understand and monitor brand perceptions
60-minute round table discussions
Refreshment & comfort break
Cultural tour
Lunch at the Sud Lisboa Restaurant next door to the MAAT
Transfer return to the hotel
Session two: Responding to changing decision-making journeys for investors, talent, and visitors
60-minute round table discussions
Feedback on the full day’s discussion – moderated by Katie
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Dinner, Restaurant Santa Joanna, Hotel Locke Santa Joanna
Wednesday 20th May
We will be hosted by the Mayor of Lisbon and the City of Lisbon team at the Unicorn Factory, a flagship initiative that aims to position Lisbon as a leading innovation centre in Europe. The Unicorn Factory supports founders to start, scale, and become global. We’ll hear how this is working, and how the city brand team tell the story. We will be hosted by the City of Lisbon team at the Unicorn Factory, a flagship initiative that aims to position Lisbon as a leading innovation centre in Europe. The Unicorn Factory supports founders to start, scale, and become global. We’ll hear how this is working, and how the city brand team tell the story. Host partners lead on reporting back, participants invited to add comments in open discussion
Breakfast at leisure [& hotel check-out]
Morning economic development tour
Transfer to the Unicorn Factory
The Unicorn Factory
Transfer return to the hotel
Session 3: Building organisational frameworks and collaborative strategies to create a stronger voice for your place brand in the attention economy
Building an AI ready content strategy that enables a consistent presentation of Estonia’s story from all stakeholders
60-minute round table discussions
Lunch, Santa Maria restaurant at the hotel
Session 4: Re-thinking measurement: It’s less about the volume, and more about the impact
60-minute round table discussions
Feedback on the full day’s discussion – moderated by Katie
Key takeaways summarised by Katie; all participants invited to add comments in open discussion
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Since 2003 Mr. Torres has been advising Countries in the field of Nation Branding and City Branding, working directly with heads of state, directors of National Tourism Organizations and Investment Promotion Agencies.
His clients include Countries, Regions and Cities such as Australia, Brazil, Cleveland, Costa Rica, Finland, Jamaica, Oman, Poland, Riyadh, South Africa, Stockholm and many others spread across all five continents.
Mr. Torres collaborates directly with the World Economic Forum in the matters of Nation Branding and is a guest speaker in some of the most prestigious universities in USA and Europe, such as NYU, HARVARD, the London School of Economics, Stockholm School of Economics and many others, being interviewed by The Economist, BBC, Guardian and CNN.
He is the co-author of the recently published textbook Nation and Place Branding: An Applied Approach to Building the Image of Countries, Regions, and Cities, author of the Nation Brand Builders and co-author of several academic papers covering Nation and City Branding.
Bloom Consulting lead manager on the first-ever study on the impact of Nation Brands and City Brands on local and global economies.
Find out more on Bloom Consulting website: www.bloom-consulting.com
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.
Luca Romozzi, Commercial Director at Sojern, manages the international sales team focused on Destinations & Corporate clients across Europe. He has almost 18 years of experience in the world of tourism, digital technology and destination marketing. Before joining Sojern, he worked for more than 10 years during the Expedia Media Solutions team's expansion into EMEA. He holds a degree in Business Administration from Bocconi University and completed a Master in Tourism Economics and Management from Ciset Ca' Foscari in Venice.
Sarah Volberg is the Executive Director, Growth Marketing and Brand Intelligence at Destination Canada, with over two decades of marketing and communications experience. She leads the strategic use of data and insights to guide domestic and global marketing. A passionate advocate for evidence-based decision-making, Sarah champions a test-and-learn culture, rigorous performance systems, and centralized market intelligence. She also spearheaded Destination Canada’s Brand and Marketing Measurement Framework—adopted by Team Canada partners—to position brand equity as a national driver of wealth and well-being.
University of Southern Maine; 30 years of experience
Matthew Kruchko is the Head of Global Operations for Gravity Global. Over a 30-year career, Matthew has progressed from owning and leading brand marketing agencies for 20 years to serving as a CEO and EVP of Global Strategy and Marketing for a publicly traded company. His expertise, honed in Silicon Valley's challenging environment, combines strategic growth initiatives with a disciplined, collaborative approach to sales, marketing, brand, and operations. He has partnered with clients such as Qualcomm, Warner Bros., Lexus, Smithsonian Institute, Sony PlayStation, the Toledo Region, the City of Detroit, the City of Calgary, UPS, Amway, Detroit Auto Show, and RSA.
Toby has worked in the travel and tourism sector for 13 years, having been plucked from the world of sports broadcasting sales on the promise that it was “more fun honestly”. During that time he has held senior commercial roles at Expedia, Adara, and Epsilon before joining Tiki in June 2025 to spearhead their growth outside the US. He lives in Bath, UK with his wife and two teenage sons.