IPBA2023: Seventh Annual Conference of the International Place Branding Association (IPBA) Lund University Campus Helsingborg Helsingborg, Sweden, October 18-20, 2023

The International Place Branding Association invites research papers, doctoral colloquium presentations, panel proposals, practitioner case-studies and artwork for its seventh conference, which will take place in Helsingborg between Wednesday 18th and Friday 20th October 2023. The conference builds on the collective success of IPBA’s previous conferences (London 2016, Swansea 2017, Macao 2018, Volos 2019, Barcelona 2021, Aix-en-Provence 2022) and the earlier International Colloquia on Place Brand Management (London and Aosta), the International Conference on Destination Branding and Marketing series (IFT Macao, University of South Carolina, and Swansea), the City Branding Symposia (Stockholm and Beijing), the Corfu Symposia on Managing & Marketing Places, and the Poznan Best Place Summit.

AIMS AND THEME OF THE CONFERENCE

The conference aims to bring together scholars, practitioners and students of place branding and related fields (nation branding, public diplomacy, city branding, country branding, destination branding). It is the main vehicle to advance the aims of the International Place Branding Association, which include providing a forum for the exchange of ideas around the theory and practice of place branding, linking the members of the international place branding community in a beneficial manner, bringing scholars and practitioners closer together and advancing the professionalization of the field. 

The conference gathers place branding experts from academia, practice and policy making for  valuable discussions around this fascinating cutting-edge intersection of marketing, tourism, economic development, events organisation, heritage management, spatial design, public diplomacy and human geography. Special opportunities for networking will be offered.

The theme of the 2023 IPBA conference is Place branding in times of crisis and uncertainty. We invite submissions from scholars and practitioners that examine place branding discourse and practice against the momentous challenges of current global crises and experiences of uncertainty. From the calamities of climate change, the broken security architecture in Europe following the war in Ukraine, damages to the global economy, to the global expansion of authoritarian rule, there is growing sense of living in an age of everlasting crisis and uncertainty. What are the implications of crisis and uncertainty for place branding scholarship and practice? How can the engaged scholarship of place branding contribute to strengthening dialogue and collaboration concerning challenging issues? How can places be reimagined in a crisis-ridden world and under uncertain circumstances?

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Please ensure that you consider the following general guidelines when preparing your submission:

Submissions must not contain any identifying information. Please remove any mention of author names from the actual submission. All papers must be original and not simultaneously submitted to another journal or conference. The following paper categories are welcome:

• Research presentation based on abstract only. Submit your abstract (250-500 words) by May 5. Please note that there will be no opportunity to submit a full paper afterwards. You will not be considered for the best paper award and may miss out on the publication plan.
• Research presentation based on full paper. Submit your full paper (3,000-5,000 words) by May 5. Full papers are considered for the best paper award and inclusion in the publication plan.
• Practitioner case study presentation based on abstract only. Submit your abstract (250-500 words) by May 5. Please note that there will be no opportunity to submit a full paper afterwards. You will not be considered for the best paper award and may miss out on the publication plan.
• Practitioner case study presentation based on full paper. Submit your full paper (3,000-5,000 words) by May 5. Full papers are considered for the best paper award and inclusion in the publication plan.
• Panel sessions. Panel sessions are intended to stimulate public discussion about critical issues or core challenges to place branding research and practice. Panels consist of four presenters and a discussant, or five presenters. Panel proposals should include 1) a 350-word rationale for the panel; 2) names and affiliations of all presenters; 3) a title and 150-word abstract from each presenter. Panel proposals should include contributions from at least two different countries, feature gender balance, and include not more than two contributors from a single faculty, department, or school. Panels consisting of researchers and practitioners are encouraged.
• Doctoral presentations. All submissions for the Doctoral Colloquium will be reviewed based on abstract. The deadline for submission is May 5. In addition, PhD students can also submit full papers (usually with their supervisors) for presentation at the main conference; in which case, the standard guidelines for a research presentation based on a full paper applies, as noted above.
• Artworks. Review, selection and acceptance will be based on the abstract. The abstract should include 1) a summary overview of the submission, 2) a clear description of the general approach and main theme of the work, 3) a clear statement of the purpose of the work, 4) a justification of the chosen medium, and 5) a statement of how the work will contribute to an enriched understanding of the theory and/or practice of place branding and related topics. The work itself should be in PDF, MP3, JPEG or other appropriate format (please see below for details) or mention a link to access it. Presenters must ensure that they provide the work in appropriate format for physical exhibition (where appropriate). Exhibition space, a standard projector and stereo speakers will be available but presenters must provide any additional equipment they require. The works will be presented during a special session and, where appropriate, exhibited during the conference in public areas. 
  • Poems: Participating poets will perform original work in the English language, which will also be printed and exhibited. Please send poems no longer than 3 A4 pages. 
  • Songs and music: songs and musical pieces by participating singers and musicians will be played in recorded form for the audience. The lyrics of the songs should be in English and must be sent in written. Maximum length of audio submissions is 5 minutes. Please send an MP3 file of the song or musical piece or a link to the video of its performance and include the lyrics in the submission.
  • Films, videos and animations: Films and videos by participating presenters will be shown on screen. The length of the videos must not exceed 8 minutes. Please upload the video on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com) and include the Vimeo link and password in the submission documents. Films, videos and animations: Films and videos by participating presenters will be shown on screen. The length of the videos must not exceed 8 minutes. Please upload the video on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com) and include the Vimeo link and password in the submission documents.
  • Photography: Photographic essays (but not single photographs) will be accepted for presentation in gallery format. The essays must include between 4 and 10 photographs. If accepted for presentation, presenters must bring to the conference (or send by post) a good-quality print of the work for exhibition. Drawings, paintings and collage: Accepted submissions will be displayed in gallery format.
  • Submissions should not be larger than 1.5mx1.5m. Please discuss any size specifications beyond these boundaries with the curators. Please send digital photos of your original work. Please also clearly indicate its size. To facilitate the creative process, we will also be accepting partially completed work at the time of submission. In this case, the submission must clearly show what the final piece will look like. Partially completed work will be accepted on the condition that a digital photograph of the final work will be submitted (by email to the curators) by September 1st.

Authors who do not intend to submit a full paper to the conference at all can submit their abstract by May 5, but they will not be allowed to submit full papers afterward. Authors who wish their papers to be considered for publication or for the Best Paper award must submit full papers by May 5. A double-blind review process will be applied to all submissions. Revised and final versions of abstracts, cases, full papers or artworks should be uploaded to EasyChair by August 15. 

During the submission process, authors will be asked to indicate whether their submission is a) an original research contribution; b) a practitioner case study contribution; c) a doctoral colloquium contribution; d) a panel proposal or e) an artistic contribution.

At least one author of accepted submissions must register to present by September 15, 2023. Abstracts, cases, full papers, panels or artworks submitted, but not registered after this date, will not be published in the conference proceedings nor included in the final programme. Delegates at the main conference will only be programmed for a maximum of one presentation. PhD students can participate in the doctoral colloquium as well as present another paper at the main conference.

LIST OF TOPICS

The conference intends to be inclusive of good quality papers and presentations that cover a wide range of topics. This year we particularly welcome contributions that:

• Advance the theoretical understanding of the field incorporating cross-disciplinary knowledge.
• Use multiple, comparative case studies that reflect on cross-case conclusions.
• Develop an agenda for engaged scholarship in place branding.
• Focus on the intersection between crisis communication and place branding.
• Examine the overlaps between place branding and public diplomacy.
• Advance the clarification of major concepts (e.g., place marketing vs. place branding vs. place promotion vs. diplomacy).
• Explore and analyse the differences between major application fields (e.g., tourism vs. resident attachment vs. investment attraction) and/or major place scales (cities vs. regions vs. nations).
• Critically examine the use and potential of digital technologies and social and mainstream media in place branding.
• Reimagining place branding for uncertain times.
• Elaborate on the role of identity, history and heritage for brand resilience during crisis.
• Examine the role of creativity and innovation in place branding strategies.
• Analyse the significance of stakeholder engagement for effective place branding and methods to facilitate it.
• Detail a potential future research agenda for place branding in times of crisis and uncertainty.
• Branding local food and culture; geographical indications; gastronomy in destination branding; culinary and cultural diplomacy.
• Country of origin effects; soft power; branding for talent attraction and investment promotion.
• Place branding and the arts: discussing creativity and converging artistic and social vision(s) by listening to the plurality of voices during the times of crisis.
• Practitioners’ learnings (from policy makers or consultants) based on cases or applied research.

We also invite doctoral candidates to submit presentations to the doctoral colloquium; and scholars, researchers, practitioners, students and artists to submit Place Branding-inspired artistic work for presentation at a special session called the ‘IPBA Art Gallery’.

PARTICIPATION IN THE DOCTORAL COLLOQUIUM

PhD students are invited to submit an abstract of the presentation that they intend deliver during the Doctoral Colloquium. All submissions for the Doctoral Colloquium will be reviewed based on abstract. During the colloquium, all students will get a chance to present and discuss their work with a panel of experienced place branding researchers and their peers. In addition, PhD students can also submit full papers (usually with their supervisors) for presentation at the main conference if they wish. The doctoral colloquium requires a separate registration.

ORGANISING A PANEL SESSION

Panel sessions are intended to stimulate public discussion about critical issues or core challenges to place branding research and practice. Panels consist of four presenters and a discussant, or five presenters. Panel proposals should include 1) a 350-word rationale for the panel; 2) names and affiliations of all presenters; 3) a title and 150-word abstract from each presenter. Panel proposals should include contributions from at least two different countries, feature gender balance, and include not more than two contributors from a single faculty, department, or school. Panels consisting of researchers and practitioners are encouraged.

PARTICIPATION IN THE ART GALLERY

For artwork, submissions may include explorations or interpretations of historical and current place branding themes. All works submitted must be original and inspired by the contributors’ research, practice or wider engagement with place branding, place marketing and related issues. The main aim is to allow members of the community to express their ideas, concerns, ambitions, reflections, questions or conclusions around place brands in ways outside the constraints of usual scientific and academic formats. In this way, we might be able to further inspire each other’s future explorations and direct our research to new avenues. As Albert Einstein said, “Creativity is contagious; pass it on!” Artwork submissions are welcome in any of the following formats: poems and lyrics; songs and music; films and videos; collage; photographic essays; drawings and paintings; sculptures and mixed media. 

PUBLICATIONS PLAN

Selected full papers from the conference will feature in a Special Issue of Place Branding and Public Diplomacy. The organisers are pursuing further publication opportunities in relevant journals. All abstracts submitted and accepted will be included in the Book of Abstracts, which will be shared with all conference participants in electronic form. Accepted full papers will be made available to delegates in proceedings (in public electronic form with ISBN number) if the authors so wish.

COMMITTEES

Program Committee

• Cecilia Cassinger, Lund University, Sweden (Co-chair)
• Olga Rauhut Kompaniets, Halmstad University, Sweden (Co-chair)
• Lisa Källström, Kristianstad University, Sweden (Co-chair)
• Ola Thufvesson, Lund University, Sweden (Co-chair)
• Don Dioko, IFT Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao SAR, China
• Nigel Morgan, University of Surrey, UK
• Magdalena Florek, Poznan University of Economics and Business and Best Place Institute, Poland
• Hong Fan, Tsinghua University Beijing, China
• Mihalis Kavaratzis, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK

Organizing committee

• Cecilia Cassinger, Lund University, Sweden (Co-chair)
• Olga Rauhut Kompaniets, Halmstad University, Sweden (Co-chair)
• Lisa Källström, Kristianstad University, Sweden (Co-chair)
• Ola Thufvesson, Lund University, Sweden (Co-chair)
• Robert Govers (Representing IPBA)

Conference Scientific Committee

• Christophe Alaux, IMPGT, Aix-Marseille University, Aix-en-Provence, France
• Eli Avraham, University of Haifa, Israel
• Cecilia Cassinger, Lund University, Sweden
• José Fernández Cavia, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
• Alex Deffner, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
• Keith Dinnie, University of Dundee, UK
• Don Dioko, IFT Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao SAR , China
• Jasper Eshuis, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands
• Hong Fan, Tsinghua University Beijing, China
• Joao Freire, IPAM - Marketing School for Business, Portugal
• Magdalena Florek, Poznan University of Economics and Business and Best Place Institute, Poland
• Massimo Giovanardi, Universitá di Bologna, Italy
• Sonya Hanna, Bangor University, Wales, UK
• Marta Hereźniak, University of Lodz, Poland
• Andrea Insch, University of Otago, New Zealand
• Lisa Källström, Kristianstad University, Sweden (Co-chair)
• Mihalis Kavaratzis, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
• Arja Lemmetyinen, University of Turku, Finland
• Andrea Lucarelli, Stockholm Business School, Sweden
• Chiara Mauri, LIUC - Università Cattaneo, Italy
• Nicolas Papadopoulos, Carleton University, Canada
• Cecilia Pasquinelli, University of Naples ‘Parthenope’, Italy
• Annette Pritchard, Leeds Beckett University, UK
• Olga Rauhut Kompaniets, Halmstad University, Sweden
• Efe Sevin, Towson University, USA
• Gary Warnaby, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
• Staci Zavattaro, University of Central Florida, USA
• Sebastian Zenker, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark

Art Gallery Curator

• Mihalis Kavaratzis, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK

VENUE

The conference will be held at Lund university, Campus Helsingborg, Helsingborg, Sweden

CONTACT

All questions about submissions should be emailed to info.ipba2023@isk.lu.se

SPONSORS