Info in English

 

English Press Release – IDEATOPOS

 

IDEA|TOPOS 2012, the 1st Pan-Hellenic Place Marketing and Branding Conference, took place in the city of Volos from March 30th until April 1st, 2012.

For the first time, academics, creatives, entrepreneurs and public servants from all over Greece and the Diaspora engaged in an interdisciplinary dialogue based on 10 themes including Place Marketing for urban and regional development, City and Nation branding, Destination Management and Cultural Planning.

At the same time, a number of parallel events including exhibitions, information points and urban interventions took over the city of Volos, actively involving civil society and disseminating the Conference’s subject.

ΙDEA|TOPOS 2012 was aiming at placing Place Marketing & Branding in the public dialogue, enabling the exchange of knowledge, experience and ideas, as well as setting the ground for creative public-private partnerships for urban regeneration and regional development.

Through an unprecedented network of public authorities, creative enterprises and voluntary organizations, IDEA|TOPOS aims to develop in an interdisciplinary cluster for Place Marketing & Branding, creating new possibilities for the cities and regions of Greece.

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1st Pan-Hellenic Conference on Place Marketing and Branding
Volos, March the 30th –April 1st, 2012
Department of Planning and Regional Development, University of Thessaly & Imagine the City

The Department of Planning and Regional Development of the University of Thessaly and the Initiative “Imagine the City” organized a conference with an interdisciplinary approach and parallel actions such as exhibitions, workshops, debates and urban interventions.

Place identity is increasingly becoming a subject of marketing and branding strategies. The image and the reputation of a place is related to its ability to attract new inhabitants, visitors and investors and create a sense of civic pride and belonging to the existing inhabitants. The increased interest in the fields of place marketing and branding at its different spatial levels – neighbourhood, city, region, country- creates the need for a scientific approach. In Greece the field is developing in a rather slower pace than in other countries and there is still need to trigger a debate. The conference aimed to provide a forum for researchers, local government officials, professionals, designers and planners to exchange findings and review knowledge and understanding on a variety of contemporary themes related to place marketing and branding in Greece.

The Conference included different sub-themes:

  • Place Marketing and Branding as development instruments for urban and regional development. Developing a Local Identity Strategy.
  • The role of the community in place marketing and branding: Participatory planning, stakeholder management and in conflict solving.
  • Local culture and festivals as elements of promoting the Identity of a Place.
  • Connecting sustainable tourism development to destination marketing.
  • Place Marketing and Branding strategies for investments and enterprises.
  • Implementing and evaluating the results of place marketing and branding strategies.
  • The Image of a Place (architecture, urban design, communication design, logo design).
  • Research methods and tools for Place marketing and Branding.
  • Nation Branding: the international promotion of Greece.
  • Place e-marketing and social networks.

Conference Venue:

The conference was held at the building of the Department of Planning and Regional Development of the University of Thessaly in Volos (opposite of the KTEL bus station).

Contact:

Alex Deffner Associate Professor, Chair of the Scientific & Organizing Committee,
e-mail: adeffner@prd.uth.gr, tel: 0030 24210-74428, fax: 0030 24210-74381

Eva Psatha, PhD Candidate, Secretary of the Organizing Committee, email: info@placemarketing.gr tel: 0030 24210-74494, fax: 0030 24210-74381
Pedion Areos, Volos 38334