It’s always a challenge to summarise a day and a half’s worth of content into a single article (the wine at the after party almost certainly didn’t help!), but here are our key takeaways from the conference.

Many DMOs are searching for a new model as they emerge from the COVID rubble and start to think of building back for the longer term. Some leaders in our sector have brought out strategies announcing a “stewardship” approach but are now realising more fundamental change is needed to enable their destinations to thrive in the 21^st Century.

After everything that’s happened over the last few years, we began to ask ourselves – what is actually driving people to choose a city or region to visit or live in? Have the motivators for travel and relocation changed at all? Ipsos have been researching which factors matter most to Americans and Canadians in 2022 when selecting one location from another.

From uncovering your place DNA, to advocating for your work, to amplifying the voices of your locals, here are some of our favourite citizen engagement strategies to inspire your own approach.

To understand which areas are overlooked in developing and delivering a place brand strategy, we asked our place experts what they considered to be the most common mistakes made by cities, nations, and regions…

Cities have complex pasts that have left complex legacies – much more so than employers who have only existed for a fraction of most cities and nations. How can you ensure that you don’t resort to copy-paste cliches and tokenistic efforts, and that you’re developing a place narrative that acknowledges the past while still looking to the future?

There’s a quiet revolution growing in food production that will have a profound impact on our collective futures. Rural economic development may not seem sexy, but we all have a lot riding on how successfully communities support and sustain their natural environments, green spaces and food producers. So, what does it take to nurture the places that feed us all?

Imagine. The year is 2025. Take a moment to picture it, and then ask yourself – what will have changed? What trends will we see continuing to grow? How will place branding have continued to evolve?