Audit of City Marketing Activities in Riga

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• Audit of City Marketing Activities in Riga

Inga Nemše, Head of Riga City Marketing
Division, Riga City Council Helsinki, 06.06.2006
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• General overview of Riga

• Territory 307 sq.km
• 732,000 inhabitants (32 of the national
  population)
• 1.2 mln in Riga Region (one half of national
  population)
• 58 of the national GDP
• 65 of the population income tax in Latvia comes
  from the employers registered in Riga
• 60 of the total foreign investment
• 54 of the foreign tourists overnight in Riga

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Riga City agglomeration
Riga City agglomeration covers 6984 km2 The
population is 1.2 million
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• General overview of Riga

• 51 of the total industrial output (food
  industry, wood processing, printing publishing,
  manufacturing of metal ware, manufacturing of
  textiles)
• 80 of the wholesales turnover
• 60 of the retail trade turnover
• Transit finances the most important branches
  (23 banks and 17 insurance companies)
• Transportation centre (14 international bus
  routes, 6 international railway routes, 34
  international flight routes)

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• Riga International Airport

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• Cargo turnover at Riga Harbour

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• Education and research

• High university enrolment rate - 556 students
  per 10,000 inhabitant
• 31 of higher educational establishments are
  state subsidised
• 40 state and private higher educational
  establishments
• Good knowledge of foreign languages (English,
  German, French, Russian)
• Academy of Science of Latvia 15 public
  research institutes
• Private science research institutes (the
  Latvian Technology Centre)
• Support of the Riga City Council for Science
  Park development

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• Dynamics of the number of students

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• Development of Riga Airport Business Park

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Eastern Bypass
Northern Tunnel
Southern Bridge
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Tramway system in Riga 2025
Development of the public transportation in the
city is based on its backbone a modern
light-rail transport
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Bikeway network in Riga
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• Marketing activities of Riga City

Inhabitants Businesses Visitors
1997 - 2002 Agency Riga 800 (800th anniversary events in 2001, logo and slogan developed, promotion of Riga abroad, new products developed, tourism information centres, newspaper for inhabitants) Agency Riga 800 (800th anniversary events in 2001, logo and slogan developed, promotion of Riga abroad, new products developed, tourism information centres, newspaper for inhabitants) Agency Riga 800 (800th anniversary events in 2001, logo and slogan developed, promotion of Riga abroad, new products developed, tourism information centres, newspaper for inhabitants)
1999 - 2004 21st International Hansa Days Office (Hanseatic Days in Riga 2001, Riga Expo in Moscow 2002, Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race 2003, conferences) 21st International Hansa Days Office (Hanseatic Days in Riga 2001, Riga Expo in Moscow 2002, Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race 2003, conferences) 21st International Hansa Days Office (Hanseatic Days in Riga 2001, Riga Expo in Moscow 2002, Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race 2003, conferences)
From 1999 Board of Economics, City Development Department (international real estate and travel fairs, promotion of Riga, tourism infrastructure development) Board of Economics, City Development Department (international real estate and travel fairs, promotion of Riga, tourism infrastructure development)
From 2002 RCC visitors centre One Stop Agency (information about municipal services, communication with structural units of the RCC) RCC visitors centre One Stop Agency (information about municipal services, communication with structural units of the RCC) Riga Tourism Coordination Information Centre
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• Marketing activities of Riga City

Inhabitants Businesses Visitors
From 2003 Riga Development Council at the City Development Department Riga Development Council at the City Development Department Riga Development Council at the City Development Department
2004 Campaign Im creating Riga organized by City Development Department Campaign Im creating Riga organized by City Development Department
From 2004 Riga City Marketing Division, Board of Economics, City Development Department Riga City Marketing Division, Board of Economics, City Development Department Riga City Marketing Division, Board of Economics, City Development Department
2005 Festival in France Etonnante Lettonie (cultural economic presentations) Festival in France Etonnante Lettonie (cultural economic presentations)
2005 Municipality of Riga joins Riga Convention Bureau (attraction of conferences) Municipality of Riga joins Riga Convention Bureau (attraction of conferences)
2006 RCC task group on municipal web-site improvement RCC task group on municipal web-site improvement RCC task group on municipal web-site improvement
2006 Riga City Commercial Development Council RCC task group on tourism development issues
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• Riga City Marketing Division

• Presenting Riga abroad (Riga Days in Hamburg,
  International Hanseatic Days)
• Participation with stand of Riga at the
  international real estate fairs in France,
  Germany, Poland
• Organizing events in Riga conferences, seminars
  and exhibitions on city development and economic
  issues
• Development of informative materials (CD-s,
  booklets)
• Creating presentations and speeches for top
  managers of the Riga City Council
• Work on strategy for Riga city image development
• Riga City Marketing Council

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• Marketing activities at the RCC

City Development Department
PR Division
Environmental Department
Foreign Affairs Division
Riga Tourism Coordination and Information Centre
Welfare Department
Department of Culture
One Stop Agency
IT Centre
Transport Department
Education, Youth and Sports Department
Municipal Services Department
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• Riga City Council

Chairman of the Riga City Council
Executive Director
Units of Central Administration
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• Challenges

• Different structural units like to act on their
  own lack of cooperation
• No system for informing others about the planned
  activities
• Different marketing possibilities are missed
  (partnercities, international organizations)
• No single logo and slogan for City of Riga
• Each department has different visual style
• Cooperation between Riga and Riga Region

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• How to stimulate cooperation?

• Horizontal communication - Task groups
• Involvement of all stakeholders - Advisory
  councils
• EU projects (Baltic Palette, Baltic Capitals
  Kings Road, European Route of Brick Gothic,
  Baltmet Invest)
• Network of Baltic Metropolises
• Joint events (exhibitions, presentations,
  workshops)

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• Marketing strategy for Riga

• Possibilities for cooperation within Baltmet
  Inno project
• Riga City Marketing Council created
• Experience exchange visits to Copenhagen,
  Stockholm, Oslo (Amsterdam)
• Different researches
• SWOT analysis of target groups inhabitants,
  businesses, visitors
• Development of Riga business marketing strategy

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• Strategic documents of RCC

• Riga Environmental Strategy 2000 2010
• Riga City Council Strategy on e-City
• Riga Public Transport Development Concept 2005 -
  2018
• Concept on Improving the Services of Riga
  Municipality
• Concept on Riga Cultural Policy
• Riga Long-term Development Strategy until 2025
• Riga Development Programme 2006 2012
• Riga Territorial Planning 2006 - 2018

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• Riga Long-term Development Strategy until 2025

• Umbrella document for the City
• Sets 3 priorities
• Economy that uses the East-West link
• Educated and skilful society
• Life in urban environment with qualitative
  neighbourhoods

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City development pillars

• Sustainability
• balanced development of these three systems is
  the main prerequisite for the welfare of the city
  and also for Rigas inhabitants

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• Long-term Strategic Aims

• Educated and skilful society that appreciates
  cultural values
• Development of economy that uses the East-West
  link
• Life in city with qualitative neighbourhoods
• Well-provided society
• Healthy and active society
• Society that values family
• Society with good social support and care
• Intellectually rich society

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• Long-term Strategic Aims

• Informed society
• Economy with high added value
• Multiform and growing economy
• Economy based on partnership principles
• City that can be reached conveniently and fastly
• Clean and green city
• Safe urban environment
• City with qualitative housing
• City of efficient administration

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• Next steps

• Framework of city marketing strategy created
• Riga business marketing strategy based on Riga
  Long-term Development Strategy until 2025
• Riga business marketing action plan
• Riga tourism marketing strategy
• Work on image of Riga logo, slogan, visual
  elements

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Thank you for your attention!