City branding key to drawing global talent, investment, tourism, experts say in advance of Global City 2009

The 'city branding' session at Global City will emphasize the themeworld approach that combines a city's development plan with a branding strategy to create a city's identity and positioning in the global context.

During this session, four different 'city branding' case studies will be presented: Greater Zurich Area, City of Melbourne, Italian towns and villages, and Abu Dhabi.

Session chair Thomas Sevcik, CEO of the Switzerland-based Arthesia, said:

"There is a complex interplay of factors that determine how cities and urban regions evolve over time and the way they can be marketed. It is not enough to design a new logo or a tagline. The image of a city is very strongly influenced by its on-ground reality and therefore any plan for its positioning has to be closely integrated with its development."

"Global cities compete for talent, investments and tourists, and need to better differentiate themselves from their competitors. Conventional city branding using logos or advertising campaigns are not enough to have a long-term impact. A more comprehensive, sustainable approach is needed, and the Global City Abu Dhabi session will discuss issues including generating buy-in from all stakeholders in this process and implementing branding themes across a city's operations," he added.

Walter Anderau, Member of the Board of Directors, Greater Zurich, Switzerland; Carol Coletta, CEO and President, CEOs for Cities, USA, co-speakers at the session, will discuss the principles behind successful city branding. Dr Kathy Alexander, CEO, City of Melbourne, Australia;, and Reem Al Shemari, General Manager, Abu Dhabi Brand Office will also address the City Branding session.

Pierciro Galeone, Director, Res Tipica, Italy, will explain how cultural tradition can be used to create premium gourmet and artisanal products that reinforce a city's brand globally and boost economic activity at home.

Global City, organized by Reed Exhibitions Middle East is a unique knowledge-gathering, networking and business platform dedicated to mayors, urban planners, decision-makers and leaders.

In a recent development that provides a considerable boost to the event, the Department of Municipal Affairs and the Municipalities of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, have confirmed their support for Global City 2009. The Department of Municipal Affairs and the Emirate's Municipal entities join two other key government bodies - Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Development (ADCED) and the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) - in backing the two-day Global City that is being held for the very first time in the Middle East. Abu Dhabi-based Aldar Properties and Sorouh Real Estate are platinum sponsors of Global City 2009.

Besides city branding, other discussions at this year's Global City will centre around climate strategy, globalization of the world's sustainable cities, culture and immigration, city branding, developing sustainable downtown areas, smart cities and public transport, among other issues.

Reed Exhibitions will also organize specialised workshops at Global City 2009 on the array of business opportunities made available as cities pursue their sustainability agenda. The workshops, conducted by Cisco, Siemens, EUROCITIES, Lord Cultural Services and EPAD (La Defense, Paris) among others will provide participants a platform for speed networking and information sharing.