Inform, entertain & inspire: let’s look back on 2024

With 2024 freshly in the rearview, we’re taking a moment to look back at the stories and trends that shaped the last year. Did you go all in on accessibility? Catch a can’t-miss concert? Make something out of this world? Let’s take a look. On the Blog The Simpleview, now a part of Granicus, blog is…

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Why famous cities stagnate while hidden gems innovate

Cities don't die: the life cycle of a place Cities don't die. Once declared bankrupt, Detroit has now bounced back. Anyone visiting the city today will have to admit that cities do recover. Who could have predicted forty years ago that the coal and steel industrial cities like Newcastle, Lens…

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Why city marketing tastes like meatball sundae

Helsinki’s question about identity is a question about authenticity. First of all, do you know what a meatball sundae is? It’s a dish that makes most people cringe: meatballs with ice cream. Seth Godin used it as a metaphor in his book of the same name for a common mistake in marketing: combining…

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Why tourism doesn't need heroes

Every place is unique, even if it doesn’t have unique attractions to offer I first heard the term "moonshot" in the early 2010s in Stratford, Ontario. Someone had a very ambitious idea (in this case : Tom Patterson, an Ontarian journalist), and although it seemed far too grand (becoming the largest…

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