Speaker and full session details to be confirmed.

The term “sharp power” refers to the manipulation of diplomatic and economic policies to influence and undermine the political system or policies of another country.  Is “sharp power” the new soft power – or can public diplomacy effectively counter malign intentions as well as promote the nation brand story you want to tell?

COP 26 will take place in Glasgow over the first two weeks of November. Join this discussion to catch up on everything you might have missed and to begin rethinking what sustainable development should look like in the near future.

Join this member-led round table to explore how place brand and marketing teams are developing values-based strategies. It’s long been recognised that destination marketing strategies cannot effectively gloss over issues of governance, policy, or values that might impact negatively on international opinion. But how can a clear understanding and expression of values provide the rock on which a place brand is built? And how do you identify and formulate these values – through citizen engagement, through a changed relationship between political leadership and place brand and marketing teams?

In our 2021 place branding survey, 93% of our respondents believed that having a sustainable approach to tourism or economic development would provide a competitive advantage – but only 54% promoted their sustainable approach in their place brand storytelling. How can you ensure that your more sustainable approach does deliver competitive advantage? And how can you speak with authenticity?

Speaker and full session details to be confirmed.

Investment promotion strategies are frequently criticized for their lack of differentiation and for making the same promises.  In this session we plan to explore how some places are enjoying greater success in attracting investment and working with the private sector by being more open and honest about the challenges their place faces and that they hope to solve through economic development. How can a more collaborative approach with your investors deliver more equitable economic benefits for your place?

COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the cultural life of nations, cities and places around the world. Your cultural heritage and cultural sector provide the desired differentiation and attractiveness for people to want to live in, study in, visit, and invest in your place. Join this discussion to share practical advice for supporting the recovery of your place’s cultural attractiveness and find out how other places work with and leverage their cultural sector to tell a strong place brand story.

What are the advantages to having a destination management focus rather than a purely marketing-driven approach? And what does it really mean for your destination? The Travel Foundation will be joining us to explore the structural changes you need to successfully transition from marketing to management, and top tips to ensure this strategy will make your place more resilient.

Join this member-led round table discussion to share approaches for improving collaboration between economic development, tourism, investment promotion, talent attraction, place making, diplomacy and other place brand and marketing teams.  How are places adapting organisational structures to foster better relationships? Are teams taking on changing roles or KPIs to reflect their different strengths and better support the common goals?  What data are places using to demonstrate that better collaboration delivers more effective results? 

Join this session to hear from the participants in the “Roots to Recovery” project run by the Travel Foundation in partnership with City Nation Place ahead of last year’s Global conference. What are their ongoing learnings? As a group, how can Connections members work together to identify solutions to the ongoing challenge of balancing the desire for sustainable development with the need to urgently recoup revenues for their tourism sector?