What is VivaCITY?
The VivaCITY project was launched at the CityDNA Spring Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, April 2023. Destinations were invited to complete a 2-page essay, listing their challenges and why they need help in future proofing their destination.
The prize consists of 3 years of consultancy work for free, offering the 2 winning destinations support in the next evolution of their cities.
The VivaCITY Team
The Short List
There was a tremendous response to the challenge and 9 cities were shortlisted, of which 5 have become peer cities. Peer Cities are able to learn directly from the two winning cities, take part in the workshops, should they wish to and essentially, share their own valuable experiences with the full VivaCITY group, providing further learning opportunities for everyone.
The Winners
Helsinki and Torino were announced as the VivaCITY challenge winners at the CityDNA Autumn Conference in Valencia, October 2023.
What’s happened so far?
Helsinki Challenges
- How can you be truly sustainable when you need to fly to our destination?
- What’s our identity? What sets us apart from other destinations?
- Domestic marketing isn’t a priority
- We’re sitting on a mountain of data - how do we show stakeholders the value of tourism?
- We lose conferences as we don’t provide free public transport
- How do we get visitors to stay longer and venture out into the areas surrounding the city?
- Tourism jobs aren’t attractive anymore
Torino Challenges
- We want to encourage visitors, but preserve the authenticity of the destination, as well as preserve the quality of life for the residents. What is the recipe for the right balance?
- We need a long-term vision focussed on sustainability and regeneration
- Governance - too many fragmented bodies - each in charge of its own area, without general consensus or management. Everyone has an opinion. We would like to create a broad consensus among the various stakeholders to share a new vision together
- We need data on sustainability and resident sentiment
- We want to make Torino better known internationally
- Residents can be a hidden gem, why not involve them in tourism policies?
- Many bodies collect data on tourism, what is the correct methodology to unify them and thus give more value to tourism?
When looking at each challenge, do you recognise similarities to your own city? Is there a particular city's progress that you’re interested in following?
Are you team Helsinki or team Torino?
What does this mean for you and your city?
VivaCITY was created in collaboration with CityDNA and was set up to be a 3 year learning lab for you. This means the VivaCITY team will provide CityDNA members with updates during their Spring and Autumn Conferences, as well as via their newsletter.
As this is a 3 year project and cannot be rushed, it will take time to get things running, however, there are definite takeaways from each city. In Helsinki there are three very clear projects focussing on Identity, Sustainability and Data - these three areas respond to the challenges mentioned above, and we are now in the very early stages of creating the plan and next steps with Helsinki.
For Torino it’s very different, here it's more of a process than a project. What this means is that we will be working with Torino and their stakeholders, businesses, residents and government to create an aligned vision for tourism, ensuring that every party understands the value, but also can speak about it in a consistent way. Again here, we are in the early stages of creating a plan and the next steps with Torino.
Team Helsinki
Project-based:
Project 1: Who is Helsinki?
Project 2: Sustainable? Regenerative?
Project 3: Data and how to use them?
Project 1:
This is a research project.
Identity research, both qualitative and quantitative, digging deep in the question who Helsinki is for residents, visitors and the world. Visualising narrative gaps, establishing a storytelling framework and reflecting on who the right visitor may be for Helsinki. Finally, this is a project to make people talk.
Project 2:
This is a transformational project.
Being seen as one of the most sustainable cities and not being satisfied. How to improve? How to become regenerative? How to engage partners and citizens more? With a series of focus groups, workshops and consultations, answers will be given and solutions created so that Helsinki can live up to their expectations of becoming the most sustainable city possible.
Finally, this is a project to change people’s behaviour.
Project 3:
This is a coaching project.
Sitting on a mountain of data and not knowing how to make them used by partners. Data is not only about the right tools but also about the right targets, the right communication and the right techniques to engage stakeholders. It’s not only a challenge for Helsinki. In this project we explore possibilities and come up with solutions.
Finally, this is a project to bridge the gap between the world of data and those who work in tourism.
For whom:
This might be of interest
- If you have a lot of data but your partners don’t use it.
- If you still think that brand is a promotion tool
- If you take for granted that you know what your city is all about.
- If you have never heard of a narrative gap, a place personality or place lifecycle.
- If you don’t know what regenerative really means
- If you worked hard on your sustainability but are willing to work harder
When and how?
- If you are a peer city you will be given a front row seat. You’ll be asked to share your experiences, brainstorm solutions and you have the opportunity to participate in workshops.
- If you are a CityDNA member or partner, you’ll see all our materials on our project website. Every CityDNA conference we will give you an update, alternating the sharing of results and outcomes with keynotes about the methodology. Last but not least, if you are curious, you can always reach out with any of your questions.
- If you are a city you will see our articles published and you might even consider that CityDNA is something for you…
Team Torino
Process-based:
Year 1: Seeing your reality
Year 2: Seeing your future
Year 3: Implementing your strategy
Year 1:
This is a year of tactics.
A year of training of staff and stakeholders/focus groups/interviews/creating a coalition of the willing/working on common definitions/desk research and setting up a DMO for success.
Finally, this is the year of making people understand.
Year 2:
This is a year of strategy.
Creation of a new vision and strategy for tourism in Torino. Co-created with stakeholders and residents, including co-creation labs/ideation sessions and several validation processes.
Finally, this is the year of making people enthused.
Year 3:
This is a year of implementation.
What does a strategy mean for roles, org chart, governance, stakeholders?
What kind of change management is needed? This year is about helping the team, about a roadshow among partners, about setting up a first pilot project of the new objectives and turning it into a success.
Finally, this is the year of making people confident.
For whom:
This might be of interest
- If you have not made the step yet from destination marketing to destination management
- If you want to learn why this strategic process takes so long
- If you are dealing yourself with a city where people do not understand the value of tourism
- If you thought that a strategy is a document and not the implementation
- If you have never used tools of the Blue Ocean Strategy Group, Design Thinking or you don’t know what a Strategy Safari is.
When and how?
- If you are a peer city you will be given a front row seat. You’ll be asked to share your experiences, brainstorm solutions and you have the opportunity to participate in workshops.
- If you are a CityDNA member or partner, you’ll see all our materials on our project website. Every CityDNA conference we will give you an update, alternating the sharing of results and outcomes with keynotes about the methodology. Last but not least, if you are curious, you can always reach out with any of your questions.
- If you are a city you will see our articles published and you might even consider that CityDNA is something for you…
Whilst the next in person update for you will be at the CityDNA Autumn Conference in October in Bruges, we will be updating this page regularly with the latest VivaCITY information.
We are excited to learn which cities' challenges are most familiar to you.
