Private Sector

Globally, FDI inflows are expected to decrease up to 40% according to the UN and competition is fierce as places look to shore up shaken economies and the pressure on governments to create employment increases. Now more than ever, investment destinations need to stand out.

Pittsburgh is revolutionising their talent attraction strategy – and having the hard conversations about racism and inequality. Alison Treaster, Senior Director of Talent, at the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, shared how the Pittsburgh Passport initiative is connecting to talented individuals around the world and helping the region move towards a more equitable future.

If there are any silver linings to the COVID-19 pandemic, the renewed spirit of global collaboration and creative innovation would be one. As one of the few EDOs to collaborate with the private sector in the UN's Global Hack, Locate in Kent share advice for EDOs looking to ensure their organisations are sufficiently resourced and agile to survive and thrive through the crisis and the recovery period.

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.

A global recession is unavoidable. UNCTAD [The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development] are estimating that global FDI could drop by as much as 40%. And with companies likely to look towards regionalising their supply chains, a comprehensive Aftercare strategy has never been more important. But how has Aftercare evolved to meet the demands of a COVID-19 world?

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.

While tourism and promotion campaigns have mostly ground to a halt, DMOs and EDOs around the world are reinventing themselves to take a more active role in destination and community management. How are they achieving this?

What happens when place branding becomes separated from the government? What changes when the private sector becomes the leading driver of a place brand strategy?  Can it work?  We looked to three contrasting examples of private sector-led place branding initiatives to understand some developing trends in private sector engagement.

The 2020 Global Talent Competitiveness Index ranks 132 countries and 155 cities for their ability to attract, grow and retain talent. What can we learn from cities who have mastered the art of competing for talent against the economic might of the tier one cities?

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.