'2024 Busan World City Brand Forum' Held

April 4th, 2 PM at Nurimaru APEC House, Global City Branding, Marketing, and Design Experts Participate in 'Global Hub City Busan' Branding

Mayor Park Hyung-jun Announces New 'Global Hub City Index' for Advancing 'Citizen-Happy Global Hub City Busan'

On the 4th at 2 PM, Busan City will hold the '2024 Busan World City Brand Forum (WCBF)' at Nurimaru APEC House.

Marking its second year, this forum will bring together global city brand, marketing, and design experts under the theme "Branding Busan as a Global Hub City Where Citizens Are Happy."

In the first part of the forum, the topic "Busan's Future and Challenges Seen Through the Global City Brand Index" will explore ways to strengthen Busan's city brand status.

In the keynote speech, Simon Anholt, the originator of the term "nation brand," will present on "The Importance of Management Indicators for Good Cities and Branding."

Following this, Rudolph Lohmeyer from Kearney, one of the world's top four consulting firms, will share his experiences on "Methods for Evaluating City Competitiveness and Innovation Cases of Major Global Cities."

Notably, Mayor Park Hyung-jun will also appear as a speaker to present his vision for "Busan, a Global Hub City Where Citizens Are Happy." Mayor Park will introduce Busan's elevated city brand status, evaluate the city's past and present, and announce the "Global Hub City Index," which prepares for the future by systematically managing city indicators that citizens can tangibly experience.

The second part will focus on strategies to enhance Busan's city brand competitiveness under the theme "The Role of Urban Design and Infrastructure in Securing City Competitiveness."

▲ Thomas Garvey, President of the World Design Organization, will discuss "The Role of City Branding and Urban Design in First-Class Global Cities," and ▲ Gordon Bruce, a designer, will share "Experiences and Suggestions from Korea for Design Innovation in Busan."

Subsequently, ▲ Emmanuel Thouan, President of the French Industrial Design Promotion Agency (APCI), will present "The City Brand Competitiveness of Paris, an International City Transformed by Museums," and ▲ Masakatsu Mizokami, Director of Takeo City Library, will present "Successful Urban Branding Cases Through Innovative Landmark Creation."

In the following comprehensive discussion, chaired by General Designer Na Geon, the second part speakers will engage in in-depth discussions on advancing toward "Busan, a Global Hub City Where Citizens Are Happy."

Additionally, as a side event on the 5th, a design talk show with design major students from Dongseo University and an invited lecture by the Director of Takeo City Library will be held at the Deulnaknal Library on the first floor of City Hall.

Key design speakers of this forum, including Thomas Garvey, Gordon Bruce, and Emmanuel Thouan, will visit Dongseo University to share discussions on global future design with students.

The Deulnaknal lecture at City Hall’s first floor will feature Masakatsu Mizokami, who will give a lecture on "Urban Branding Using Innovative Libraries."

Anyone interested in city branding can participate through the city’s official YouTube channel.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun expressed, "With the newly created city brand 'Busan is good' last year, Busan's city brand status is rising unprecedentedly," adding, "We will establish dignified urban design befitting 'Busan, a Global Hub City Where Citizens Are Happy.' We will build the Global Hub City Index to evaluate Busan's past and present and prepare for the future, and systematically manage global evaluation indices to use them as a basis for policy formulation and evaluation," expressing his expectations.