On the 24th and 25th June, at the National Stadium in Warsaw, the during the Welcome Festival , The First International Festival of Destination Marketing took place. The culmination of the event was the festive gala competition, ‘Welcome to 2013’, during which the Brief’s Efficiency Triangle award was presented for the best projects in the field of brand building -the competition being conducted by both governments as well as local businesses and universities.
The second edition came forward for municipalities and regions, tourist organisations, as well as companies which have carried out projects in 2012 designed to build brands in selected cities and regions.
The highest number of points the jury confessed to notifications that create brand space, actually involving many entities associated with a particular location – government, local business, university.
The Grand Prix, undisputedly the most important award in the contest, was won by draft Industriada 2012 – Feast of Industrial Monuments Route of the Silesian Province – the greatest embodiment of the ideas of the Brief’s Efficiency Triangle, effective and creative use of the industrial tradition Silesia to build brand space. The main prize was handed presented by Grzegorz Schetyna, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Committee, who took the honorary patronage of the Welcome Festival 2013.
The jury awarded three main prizes, five standard awards and two special awards.
First place was taken by the Municipality of Lublin City for Carnival Arts-Masters. The jury assessed the creative cooperations of the city’s business and culture, which resulted in the creation of the original design, part of a long-term strategy of the city.
Second place in the main awards coincided with winning the Grand Prix, by the Marshal Office of the Silesian Province. For creating Industriada, which is unique on a European scale, creating industrial heritage holidays helping to build a strong brand around the province of Silesia.
The final place on the podium was taken by Tumult Foundation of Torun, which entered the contest with the 20th International Festival of the Art of Cinematography Plus Camerimage 2012 in Bydgoszcz. The jury appreciated the implementation of social inclusion and business.
The Foundation has contributed to the spread of festival events in the city, meaning that the events were open to local residents and that visitors can learn more about the festival city.
In addition, the jury awarded several special prizes. The winners were:
1. The Wieliczka Salt Mine Tourist Route and Locativo for “Route Mining – a new way in the Wieliczka Salt Mine,” in which the mine increased its appeal in the eyes of tourists and investors.
2. The city of Poznan for the project “Poznan can work”, which is a prime example of a campaign to promote investment in intellectual capital. This action is consistent with the image of Poznan, which involves the implementation of public-private cooperation.
3. Pruszcz Gdansk for the project “Zulawski tulip” logo Football Federation arranged with 1.2 million flowers during Euro 2012. This idea was unique in not only Polish but also in the world.
4. The Czech Tourist Board – Czech Tourism for the project: Campaign ‘Land of Stories’ in a new visual style. In accordance with a new marketing strategy, the Czech Republic has been positioned as a land of stories. Their aim is to inspire and attract associations to a place full of interesting people, sites and landscapes. The campaign “Land of Stories” consistently achieves this aim.
5. The Cultural Agenda of Torun for the International Festival of Light Skyway ’12. The jury found that light installations that are moving in the custom manner themes of heaven and astronomy are achieved at the global level and consciously refer to the tradition of the city.
The jury also awarded two special prizes: the Centre for City Glass Heritage, which revived the Krosno and attracted tourists, while stressing its industrial identity, and the Gdańsk Tourist Organisation for increasing the attractiveness of Gdansk with innovative mobile applications GCBeVENT Gdansk4u Mobile App and consistent with the concept brand and strategy development.
The jury consisted of: Dr. Marta Hereźniak, Wojciech Pronobis, Marek Staniszewski, Paweł Trochimiuk, Paweł Patkowski, Leszek Kurnicki, Krzysztof Candrowicz, Wojciech Borowski, Bartłomiej Walas,
Leszek Stafiej (chairperson)
Verification of the authenticity of the entries and voting system during the contest was done by an auditor – Deloitte.
The report on the festival is available at Brief.pl, profile on Facebook and Brief’s YouTube channel.
The Welcome Festival is a two-day international meeting for those involved in building brands of places – government, business, and university representatives, together with experts in the field of marketing. The festival hosts representatives of the local administration responsible for the development, investment and promotion, representatives of institutions responsible for investment and tourism development, and builds a strong brand of Poland, marketing and communications experts, media representatives of regional and national organisations, consulting organisations and firms, representatives of business schools and entrepreneurs.
