ICPBM 2025 - 6th International Colloquium on Place Brand Management

Hotels, Hospitality and Holidays, strategies for successful place brands in the post-pandemic “new normal”

The Colloquium aims to bring together scholars, practitioners and students of place marketing, branding and management. It aims to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, bringing scholars and practitioners closer together. The Colloquium will gather experts from academia, practice and policymaking for a discussion around this cutting-edge intersection of marketing, tourism, economic development, events organisation, heritage management, spatial design, public diplomacy and human geography. Special networking opportunities will be offered.

The utilization of marketing principles, including the application of branding concepts to places, has experienced a substantial global upsurge over the years, as noted by Gertner (2011). While this trend has garnered significant attention in recent times, its roots extend back several decades, particularly within the realm of tourism literature. The study of destination image, for instance, can be traced back to the 1970s. However, it was not until the late 1990s that destination branding emerged as a prominent subject of interest among scholars. Since then, it has witnessed a burgeoning body of theoretical contributions and practical applications (Kavaratzis and Dennis, 2018; Foroudi et al., 2021). Businesses, marketers, investors, policymakers, destination managers, national and local governments use place and destination branding to enhance product value and attract skilled workers and visitors, helping to achieve competitive advantage and generate added value (see, e.g. Ageeva and Foroudi, 2019; Foroudi et al., 2020; Kavaratzis and Dennis, 2018; Marcoz et al., 2016; Melewar and Dennis, 2016; Melewar and Skinner, 2020). The growth has been notably fostered by platforms such as the International Colloquium on Place Brand Management and its organizers, as exemplified by the works of Alqayed et al. (2022), Foroudi et al. (2021), and Rodrigues et al. (2020).

The global landscape, however, underwent a profound transformation with the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic (Covid), which wrought havoc on industries reliant on physical travel, such as hotels, hospitality and holidays (Günaydın et al., 2023; Khan et al., 2021) (the ‘three Hs’). In response to the pandemic’s restrictions, virtual reality, the Metaverse, and hybrid events assumed a novel role in filling the void left by traditional travel, and they persist as promising channels in the post-Covid era (Uçgun et al., 2023; Wong et al., 2023). The three Hs are rebounding from the adversities imposed by COVID-19, with Europe taking the lead, closely followed by America, as indicated by sources like Credit Connect (2023), Smallman (2023), and STR (2023).

Despite this resurgence, scant research has been dedicated to the development of strategies for post-pandemic recovery and safeguarding against future crises (Gu et al., 2023; Tiwari and Mishra, 2023; Zapata-Cuervo et al., 2023). Consequently, there exists a timely and pressing need for an examination of post-Covid strategies, tactical approaches, and shifts in consumer behaviour within the domains of the three Hs. Such an inquiry will serve as a valuable compass, guiding both academics and practitioners towards navigating the dynamics of the ‘new normal’. The organisers therefore particularly encourage contributions that address these pressing concerns and provide insights into the evolving landscape that addresses those issues.

We invite scholars and practitioners to submit abstracts for inclusion in the conference programme. Conceptual, empirical, case study and practitioner papers are welcome. The conference intends to be inclusive of good quality papers and presentations that cover a wide range of topics in the field of place brand management but we particularly welcome contributions that:

• Advance the theoretical understanding of the field incorporating cross-disciplinary knowledge, particularly in relation to consumer behaviour, strategy and tactics for the three Hs in the post-Covid new-normal;
• Use multiple, comparative case studies that reflect on cross-case conclusions;
• Critically examine the use and potential of social media, digital technologies, metaverse, virtual, augmented and mixed realities within place brand management;
• Elaborate on the role of history and heritage in the marketing, branding and management of places;
• Examine the role of creativity and innovation in the marketing, branding and management of places;
• Analyse the significance of stakeholder engagement for effective marketing, branding and management of places;
• Present a potential future research agenda for marketing, branding and management of places in the post-Covid era.

This interdisciplinary colloquium welcomes academic papers from researchers in any field of place brand management, destination marketing and tourism studies, and also related areas of the humanities, geography and social sciences. Doctoral students are particularly welcome. The colloquium organisers also extend an invitation for collaborative papers between academics, practitioners and policymakers.

Venue

The colloquium will be held at Middlesex University London, where we have the bright lights, theatres, shopping, historic sites and world-leading branding organisations on our doorstep, but without the expense and crowds of central London. London’s green belt is just a stone’s throw from our beautiful campus.

Submission guidelines

Abstracts of 1000 words maximum (with up to six keywords) will be published in the Colloquium proceedings. Prospective contributors with queries concerning the potential suitability of topics or other matters concerning contributions are invited to contact the Founder and Chair, Professor T.C. Melewar via [email protected].

Abstracts should be submitted to [email protected] in the following format:

• Microsoft Word document, Times New Roman 12 font, double-spaced, justified paragraphs.
• Margins: 25cm top, bottom, and sides.
• Author(s) name and affiliation should be included on a separate page (i.e. cover page)
• References should use the APA referencing style

Content

• Purpose and objectives of the paper
• Originality – what is new about it?
• Research methodology
• Findings and discussion
• Theoretical and practical implications
• Conclusions

Key dates

Submission of extended abstracts opens: 9 September 2024

Deadline for the submission: 9 November 2024

Feedback to authors: 10 December 2024

Early bird registration: 11 December 2024 – 20 January 2025

Organising committee

Dr Pantea Foroudi Brunel University London, UK Colloquium Director	Professor TC Melewar Middlesex University London, UK Colloquium Founder and Chair
Professor Charles Dennis Middlesex University London, UK Colloquium Director	Ms Gulbin Durmaz Glasgow Caledonian University, London UK Associate Director
Professor Chiara Mauri Dean of the School of Economics and Management LIUC - Università Cattaneo, Italy Associate Director	Ms Umme Kalsoom Middlesex University London, UK Organiser
Dr Michael Kourtoubelides Middlesex University London, UK Organiser	Miss Nicola Skinner Middlesex University London, UK Organiser

References

Alqayed, Y., Foroudi, P., Kooli, K., Foroudi, M. M., & Dennis, C. (2022). Enhancing value co-creation behaviour in digital peer-to-peer platforms: An integrated approach. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 102, 103140.

Credit Connect (2023). Hospitality sector bounces back to growth, available from https://www.credit-connect.co.uk/news/hospitality-sector-bounces-back-to-growth, posted 19 May 2023, accessed 8 October 2023.

Foroudi, P., Dennis, C., & Melewar, T. C. (2020). Place/nation branding and marketing: Rethinking synergies and relations. Journal of Business Research, 116, 595-596.

Foroudi P, Dennis C, Stylidis, D and Melewar TC (2021) ‘Branding and place branding management: theory, research, and practice‘, Qualitative Market Research an International Journal 23(4), 541-547.

Gu, H., Li, B., Ryan, C., Tang, Y., & Yang, X. (2023). From Darkest to Finest Hour: Recovery Strategies and Organizational Resilience in China’s Hotel Industry During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of China Tourism Research, 19(1), 7-30.

Günaydın, Y., Kozak, M., & Çınar, K. (2023). Impacts of the pandemic on hospitality operations: the managerial perspective. Tourism Analysis.

Kavaratzis, M., & Dennis, C. (2018). Place branding gathering momentum. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 14, 75-77.

Khan, A., Bibi, S., Lyu, J., Latif, A., & Lorenzo, A. (2021). COVID-19 and sectoral employment trends: assessing resilience in the US leisure and hospitality industry. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(7), 952-969.

Marcoz, E. M., Melewar, T. C., & Dennis, C. (2016). The value of region of origin, producer and protected designation of origin label for visitors and locals: the case of fontina cheese in Italy. International Journal of Tourism Research, 18(3), 236-250.

Melewar, T.C. & Dennis, C. (2016) Place Marketing and Nation Branding, International Journal of Tourism Research, 18(3) 1099-2340.

Melewar, T. C., & Skinner, H. (2020). Territorial brand management: Beer, authenticity, and sense of place. Journal of Business Research, 116, 680-689.

Uçgun, O.G., & Şahin, S. Z. (2023). How does Metaverse affect the tourism industry? Current practices and future forecasts. Current Issues in Tourism, 1-15.

Smallman, S. (2023). Travel Advertising Report, All Response Media, Available from https://allresponsemedia.com/travel-advertising-report, posted 14 March 2023, accessed 8 October 2023.

STR (2023) Hotel Industry Analysis: Impact of COVID-19, Inflation, Tourism, Labor, & More available from https://str.com/data-insights-blog/coronavirus-hotel-industry-data-news, posted 5 October 2023, accessed 8 October 2023.

Tiwari, V., & Mishra, A. (2023). The effect of a hotel’s star-rating-based expectations of safety from the pandemic on during-stay experiences. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 71.

Rodrigues, C., Skinner, H., Dennis, C., & Melewar, T. C. (2020). Towards a theoretical framework on sensorial place brand identity. Journal of Place Management and Development, 13(3), 273-295.

Wong, L. W., Tan, G. W. H., Ooi, K. B., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2023). Metaverse in hospitality and tourism: a critical reflection. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.

Zapata-Cuervo, N., Montes-Guerra, M. I., & Jeong, M. (2023). How do restaurants respond to the COVID-19 pandemic? Lessons from Colombian restauranteurs and their survival strategies. Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 26(2), 186-207.