In The Spotlight

Collaboration is the name of the game and Philadelphia are nailing it. From launching a new place narrative to driving their recovery after COVID-19, Sylvie Gallier Howard, the Acting Commerce Director at Philadelphia's Department of Commerce, shares how strategic collaboration has been central to their success.

In 2018, Discover Harlow were shortlisted at the City Nation Place Awards for their comprehensive place brand strategy that was overturning decades of negative perceptions. We caught up with Sharon Summerfield, Place Brand Manager at Discover Harlow, to understand how their strategy has evolved over the last years - and how it's underpinned their COVID-19 response.

How can you leverage economic data to drive a comprehensive web strategy as an investment promotion agency? Stéphane Paquet, President & CEO at Montréal International, shares how data, story telling and a sector-specific approach have been central to their success.

DMOs in every continent are pulling campaigns, re-evaluating their role in their community and creating strategies to support the tourism sector when travel bans are lifted. But how can we ensure that sustainability is still a key to our thinking? Nanna Thusgaard, Senior Manager for Sustainable Tourism Development at Wonderful Copenhagen, shared how they are embedding sustainable goals at the core of their strategy.

A clear place brand strategy is more than a nice accessory - it creates a framework for how your destinations should respond to unexpected challenges. Clare Barnett, Director of Economic Development & Culture for the City of Brampton, explains how they have centred their place brand identity at the heart of their COVID-19 response, and how a clear communication strategy and policy advocacy is enabling them to support their private sector through the crisis.

In late 2018 it was announced that the Mexican Tourism Promotion Council would be disbanded. A year and a half on, we spoke with Carlos Alberto González González, Director General of the newly relaunched Visit Mexico, to understand how they’re collaborating with industry partners as well as how data is enabling a low-budget promotion strategy during COVID-19.

Singapore has been praised for its rapid response to the outbreak of COVID-19. We spoke to Keith Tan, CEO at the Singapore Tourism Board, to understand how they played a key role in supporting the Government's containment strategy and how they're supporting their stakeholders through the crisis and the recovery that will follow.

What will the investment promotion landscape look like post-coronavirus? We reached out to Sirpa Tsimal, Director of Investment Promotion at Switzerland Global Enterprise and a creative thinker in FDI promotion, to understand what kind of response might be needed after COVID-19.

Design has never been more beautiful. Video has never been cheaper to produce. But if you don't understand the DNA of your place, you can't land a successful place branding strategy. Todd Babiak, CEO at Brand Tasmania, shares his thoughts for ensuring success.

How have Topeka revitalised their approach to talent attraction? Bob Ross, SVP Marketing & Communications, Greater Topeka Partnership, shared how collaboration between multiple stakeholders has enabled the revitalisation of their downtown and an innovative new programme to entice talent to relocate to Topeka.

How do we move from looking to raise the number of bed nights to looking at the impact 'beyond tourism'? Karen Bolinger, Strategic Advisor at Best Cities, outlines how destination marketing organisations are working to track the social outcomes their events are delivering.

How do you re-brand a city successfully? Thirty years on from the creation of their original brand, the City of Mississauga decided to relaunch their place brand strategy to bring their identity in line with the diverse population of the city. But how have they made this ambition a reality?

There have been many placemaking projects to reclaim disused areas and transform them into green public spaces, but none have the audacity of Raleigh’s 308-acre Dorothea Dix Park project. Sean Malone, President and CEO, of Dorothea Dix Park Conservancy to discover how citizen engagement and collaboration are at the core of their strategy.