Reykjavík to Host European Cities' Talk on Morphing DMOs Business Models and Engaging the City

In two weeks, representatives of European cities in the fields of City Marketing, Meetings Industry and Tourism will discuss how to "Hack the City" during European Cities Marketing Spring Meeting in Reykjavík, February 21-24, 2018. Industry thought leaders will challenge the attendees while, ideas and insights will be shared on how DMOs all over Europe are morphing their business models.

European Cities Marketing (ECM) chose the vibrant city of Reykjavík, capital of Iceland and the "northernmost" capital city in the world, as the perfect place for cities from all over Europe to talk on morphing DMO business models and engage the city.

About the organisation of the Meeting in Reykjavík, Dieter Hardt-Stremayr, ECM President, declared "Together during the conference, we will showcase how DMOs all over Europe are morphing their business models, forming new partnerships out of the touristic marketing box and hacking innovative new solutions to the problems, we all face. We are certain that this meeting will give lots of inspiration to our members. All of this will be delivered in Reykjavík - the best of places within our solar system to talk about the future! We will explore a near future, where DMOs are the hackers too with the potential to drive the innovative change that will reshape the future of travel and urban space."

Two keynotes will be delivered: Siduri Poli, Innovator & Founder of Changers Hub, will talk about her goal to create a more equal society ultimately turning cities into a better place, and Jason Lane, Group Executive for European Market Development at Mastercard will educate attendees on the technology-savvy financial sector with insights ranging from mobile payments, biometrics, bots, augmented reality shopping to bitcoin and blockchain.

Many presentations will be delivered during the conference: Natthawut Adulyanukosol, CEO of The WiSE Bot, will present the chatbot for visitors powered by artificial intelligence he created in less than 48 hours; Magnus Aideborn, CEO of ArrivalGuides, will explain why it is time for destinations to go omni-channel; Iftah Amit, Vice President for Global Sales & Marketing at Kenes Group, a company specialised in initiating new congresses will tell attendees all the tips and secrets of DIY congresses; Lasse Chor, Founder of Happy42 & The happiest man alive, will teach attendees with his "hackathon for dummies" sessions; Caroline Couret, Director of Creative Tourism Network, will enlighten the new trend of transformational travel and deep tourism in cities; Javier Creus, Founder & Strategy Director of Ideas for Change will explain how citizen-led initiatives are currently demonstrating that it is possible to put people at the heart of smart city innovation and technology application to improve life in the city; Jonathan Goodacre, Senior Consultant at The Audience Agency, will expose the agency's data-driven approach to cultural tourism; Tamara Markotic, CEO of SightRun will talk about her app which combine running with audio-guided sightseeing; and David O'Kelly, CEO of SANDEMANs NEW Europe, the pioneers of free urban walking tours, will tell why their initiative helps support local communities.

Participants will also get the latest from experts in the Meetings Industry, Tourism and City Marketing out of cities such as Amsterdam, Bolzano, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Leeds, London, Madrid, Opatija and Paris but also from countries like Iceland and Slovenia ; from "how to build a relationship with visitors" to "Destination Incubation Organisations" through "crisis management and branding of sustainable travel destination", "the creation of a social space where locals and visitors can share all their great experiences" and "City & Region: how kake It a Win-Win situation?", attendees will surely go back home with many ideas and inspirations!

The conference will be moderated by Peter Rømer Hansen, Founder and CEO of Rømer Agency.

www.europeancitiesmarketing.com