2nd International Place Branding Conference 'BRANDING CITIES: THE SEARCH FOR PLACE IDENTITY' 2011

2nd International Place Branding Conference

BRANDING CITIES: THE SEARCH FOR PLACE IDENTITY

20th - 22nd January 2011 Bogotá Colombia

With Special Issue in Journal of Place Management and Development

THEME OF THE CONFERENCE The 1st International Place Branding conference in Berlin in 2008 brought together a variety of academicians and practitioners and triggered a lively discussion that has been kept very much alive ever since. Yet, theoretical and methodological approaches on the one hand as well as case studies of implementation on the other, opened a vast range of unanswered issues; and with it, a vague promise of the community that we shall ‘meet again’ to share experiences, doubts or ideas. There is still little consensus on the exact nature of place branding, its relations to product branding or marketing, visual branding, promotion, advertising as well as its interaction with other forms of local development. At the same time, a growing number of consultancies claim to specialise on place branding exhibiting, however, an arguably limited understanding of the scope of the activity. In particular critical theorization of the issue has led us to a series of unanswered questions: How do we define a place identity which is not static or essentialist, which both respects the internal contradictions of places and yet grasps their distinctiveness? How does branding places involve local communities without being imposed upon them by external consultants? Is there a way of understanding place branding in the context of the interdependence of places and not always against a background of competition?

In this 2nd International Place Branding Conference we hope to get closer to developing a ‘common language’ among the different disciplines involved. Also, the conference aims at enriching the dialogue between academics, practitioners and city representatives who often approach very similar issues from different angles. Therefore, the conference adopts an interdisciplinary and international perspective aiming to address the theme in its full complexity.

Bogotá, Colombia is a city of contrasts, one of the most vibrant metropolises in Latin America, a lively hub of economic and cultural life. The city has recently designed a place branding strategy to bridge the gap between reality and image, so that placing the conference there seemed like the natural thing to do.

CONTRIBUTIONS

Contributions by scholars, researchers, doctoral students, practitioners, consultants and local/regional authorities are invited that address the general conference theme in divergent places, at different scales and in varied contexts. Empirical work and case studies that can offer new insights and best practice guidance are particularly encouraged. Contributions will preferably (but not exclusively) focus on one or more of the following conference sub-themes:

• Theoretical and methodological issues of place branding/marketing • Conceptualization of place identity • Involving local communities in place branding/marketing • Place branding/marketing as a tool of urban and regional development • Experiential Place Branding • Assessment methods: how to measure place branding/marketing success • Place branding and management of tourism destinations • Branding the cultural and creative city • Branding the green city • International networks and place branding • Place Branding through storytelling

TIMETABLE

Abstract submission ended: 30th June 2010 Notification of acceptance: 15th July 2010 Early registration starts: 16th July 2010 Early registration ends: 15th September 2010 Late registration starts: 16th September 2010 Full paper submission (for conference proceedings) 31st December 2010

FEES (PLEASE SEE ATTACHED PDF FILE)*

CONFERENCE INFORMATION

The conference will be held in the city of Bogotá, Colombia between Thursday 20th and Saturday 22nd January 2008. The conference programme will include keynote lectures, paper sessions and panel discussions. Delegates will have the opportunity to follow a technical tour of various interesting sites in the city demonstrating a range of relevant issues. A social programme will also be devised to foster interaction and networking opportunities.

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

• Gregory Ashworth (University of Groningen, The Netherlands). • Mihalis Kavaratzis (INPOLIS GmbH, Germany). • Kathy Parker (Institute of Place Management UK/Manchester Metropolitan University). • Gareth Roberts (Institute of Place Management UK). • Andres Coca-Stefaniak (Journal of Town and City Management). • Johannes Novy (Technical University Berlin/University of Columbia New York) • Ares Kalandides (INPOLIS GmbH, Germany/National Technical University of Athens, Greece). - Edna Esperanza Rozo Bellón (Universidad Externado de Colombia)

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