Source: http://www.guimaraes2012.pt/
by Eduardo Oliveira
The curtain has now closed on Guimarães 2012: European Capital of Culture, but what is the effect of the legacy left behind? Has the event strengthened the region position? What contributions have been made towards a potential place branding strategy for the north of Portugal?
Last May 2012 I discussed my thoughts on the European Capital of Culture – Guimarães 2012, where I tried to define the event’s role in a potential place branding strategy (link) for the north of Portugal. One year has now passed since the start of the event, and many of the same questions still remain unanswered.
Once again, I want to emphasise that the nomination of the Portuguese city of Guimarães as one of the two European Capitals of Culture for the year 2012 (ECC-2012) created an enormous excitement among the national authorities. This buzz was felt especially strongly among the public and private city entities. Now, after the title has been handed over to Marseille-Provence (France) and Košice (Slovakia), we can pose the following questions: What is the legacy for the city? Has the region strengthened its position at the national and European level? What were the contributions towards a potential regional brand? Continue reading
