“Place Equity” is a measure developed by Resonance Consultancy to quantify and benchmark the relative quality of place, reputation and competitive identity of one city to another by analyzing a variety of factors that add to or subtract from the perceived attractiveness of a city or destination. Place Equity, like brand equity, is something that is built or lost over time. Our work shows that safety and crime is the most important factor in choosing a place to visit or live; events such as the recent riots in Baltimore will likely have a negative impact on that city’s Place Equity for a time. The development of products and programming that create a uniquely enjoyable “sense of place” such as The High Line park in New York or Austin’s SXSW festival enhance it. In our experience, the Place Equity and identity of a destination is defined by its assets and achievements in six core areas: 1. Place: The quality of a destination’s natural and built environment. 2. Product: The quality of a destination’s key institutions, attractions and infrastructure, such as airports and convention centers. 3. Programming: The quality of arts, dining, culture, events and entertainment in a city 4. People: The educational attainment, immigration and diversity of a community 5. Prosperity: The employment, income, poverty and corporations of a city. 6. Promotion: The quantity of positive articles, references and online recommendations The challenge with creating such a measure is that statistics for quantitative factors such as air quality and employment are widely available, but qualitative ones for factors such as restaurants, culture and nightlife are not. To solve this problem, Resonance Consultancy turned to social media channels such as Trip Advisor and Yelp to identify how many very good or excellent experiences cities offered from one category to the next, as rated by locals and visitors. We’ve found that examining place from the visitors’ point of view – the supply side – is a surprising and enlightening exercise. We believe that this combination of key quantitative measures with qualitative ratings by locals and visitors provides destinations with a new perspective and insight into the key differentiating characteristics of their place versus their competitive set. As our Place Equity Index shows, no destination excels in every area. By seeing where the weaknesses lie, you can make investments where appropriate. And by identifying and leveraging your destination’s strengths, you can create an authentic and compelling positioning and competitive identity that will resonate with your target audiences. It takes collaboration with municipal planning departments, economic development offices and many others to analyze, understand and agree on the key differentiating characteristics for your destination. It’s not easy, but it’s a proven way to effectively compete for the kinds of talent, tourism and investment you

1. THE POWER
OF PLACE
April 27, 2015

2. PLACES ARE OUR PASSION
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3. PLACES CREATE INSPIRATION
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4. PLACES CREATE ENERGY
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5. PLACES CREATE CONNECTIONS
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6. PLACES CREATE PROSPERITY
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7. ABOUT US
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RESONANCE CONSULTANCY CREATES
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES, PLANS,
POLICIES AND BRANDS THAT SHAPE
THE FUTURE OF DESTINATIONS AND
COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD.

8. REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
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9. VANCOUVER
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10. ARUBA
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11. HAITI
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12. CINCINNATI
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13. PARK CITY
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Canyons village photo

15. WHAT IS PLACE?
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16. PLACES, LARGE AND SMALL,
COMPETE FOR TALENT, TRADE,
AND INVESTMENT

17. THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
OF A PLACE WHETHER IT BE A
CITY, REGION OR COUNTRY,
WAS HISTORICALLY DRIVEN BY
GEOGRAPHY – PROXIMITY AND
ACCESS TO RESOURCES,
MARKETS OR TRANSPORTATION
ROUTES.

18. THE MORE FREELY PEOPLE AND
CAPITAL MOVE AROUND THE
WORLD, THE MORE VALUED
QUALITY OF PLACE BECOMES.

19. A DESTINATION’S QUALITY OF
PLACE AND PERCEIVED “BRAND”
INCREASINGLY DETERMINES
WHERE TALENT, TOURISM AND
INVESTMENT FLOW.

23. ESTIMATED VALUE OF COCA-
COLA’S “BRAND” IS $79.2 BILLION
- INTERBRAND 2013

24. BRAND EQUITY
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Brand Equity is “the set of assets and
liabilities linked to a brand’s name and
symbol that adds or subtracts from the value
provided by a product or service to a firm
and/or that firm’s customers.”
David Aaker, Managing Brand Equity

25. PLACE EQUITY
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Place Equity is the set of assets and liabilities
linked to a city’s name and identity that adds
or subtracts from the perceived attractiveness
of a city as a place to live, visit and invest

26. WHAT ASSETS ARE IMPORTANT
IN DETERMINING THE
VALUE OF PLACE?

27. WE INTERVIEWED MORE THAN
1,200 RECENT U.S. TRAVELERS
AGED 18-34 AND ASKED THEM
WHAT WERE THE MOST IMPORTANT
FACTORS IN CHOOSING A VACATION
DESTINATION AND IN CHOOSING
A CITY TO LIVE.

28. MILLENNIALS’ MOST IMPORTANT
FACTORS IN CHOOSING A VACATION
DESTINATION

29. MILLENNIALS’ MOST IMPORTANT
FACTORS IN CHOOSING A CITY TO LIVE
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30. MILLENNIALS’ MOST IMPORTANT
FACTORS IN CHOOSING A CITY TO LIVE
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31. MEASURES TO BENCHMARK PLACES
ON QUANTITATIVE FACTORS SUCH AS
CRIME AND AIR QUALITY ARE
READILY AVAILABLE, BUT HOW DO
YOU MEASURE THE QUALITY OF
FACTORS SUCH AS RESTAURANTS,
ARTS, AND NIGHTLIFE?

32. SOCIAL SHAPES PLACE
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33. SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS SUCH AS
TRIP ADVISOR AND YELP CONTAIN
MORE THAN 270 MILLION
CONSUMER GENERATED RATINGS
AND REVIEWS FOR HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF PLACES AND
EXPERIENCES AROUND THE WORLD.

34. OUR APPROACH TO MEASURING
THE RELATIVE PLACE EQUITY OF
ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER IS TO
UTILIZE A COMBINATION OF CORE
STATISTICS AND CONSUMER
GENERATED RATINGS AND REVIEWS.

35. TO CREATE THE U.S. PLACE EQUITY
INDEX, WE COLLECTED AND ANALYZED
DATA ON 24 FACTORS AND GROUPED
THE RESULTS INTO 6 CATEGORIES.
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1. Place: Perceived quality of a city’s natural and built environment
2. Product: A city’s key institutions, attractions and infrastructure
3. Programming: The arts, culture and entertainment in a city
4. People: Educational attainment, immigration and diversity of a community
5. Prosperity: Employment, income, poverty and companies
6. Promotion: Quantity of articles, references and recommendations online

37. PERCEIVED QUALITY OF
A CITY’S NATURAL AND
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
PLACE
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38. PLACE
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- Average air quality index
- Average number of sunny days
- Crime rate
- Number of very good or excellent neighborhoods and
landmarks recommended by locals and visitors
- Number of very good or excellent parks and outdoor
activities recommended by locals and visitors

39. TIMES SQUARE 1983
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40. TIMES SQUARE 2013
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41. THE POWER OF PLACE
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Chart from page 38 NorthVan Prezi

42. BEIJING
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43. BEIJING
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44. BEIJING
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45. PLACE
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PLACEMAKING CREATES A
SENSE OF PLACE,
CONNECTION, AND AN
EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT TO
A DESTINATION.

46. GREENVILLE, SC
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47. GREENVILLE, SC
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48. GREENVILLE, SC
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49. GREENVILLE, SC
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50. PRODUCT
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A CITY’S KEY
INSTITUTIONS,
ATTRACTIONS AND
INFRASTRUCTURE

51. PRODUCT
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- Ranking of top local university
- Number of direct destinations served by airport
- Size of convention center
- Number of very good or excellent attractions and amusements
recommended by locals and visitors
- Number of very good or excellent museums and fine arts
institutions recommended by locals and visitors
- Number of major league sports teams (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS)

52. PRODUCT
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PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT IS
THE CREATION OF INSTITUTIONS,
INFRASTRUCTURE AND
ATTRACTIONS THAT DRAW
RESIDENTS, VISITORS OR
BOTH TO A PLACE.

53. BILBAO
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54. MONTHLY OVERNIGHT STAYS OF
FOREIGN VISITORS IN THE PROVINCE
OF BISCAY JAN 1980 TO DEC 2010

55. CALGARY - NATIONAL MUSIC CENTRE
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56. PARIS - FONDATION LVMH
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57. PROGRAMMING
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THE ARTS, CULTURE
AND ENTERTAINMENT
IN A CITY

58. PROGRAMMING
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- Number of very good or excellent culinary experiences
- Number of very good or excellent shopping experiences
- Number of very good or excellent culture and performing
arts experiences
- Number of very good or excellent places to eat & drink
- Number of very good or excellent nightlife experiences

59. PROGRAMMING
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PROGRAMMING IS THE
SOFTWARE OF UNIQUE EVENTS
AND EXPERIENCES THAT
FOSTER BOTH IDENTITY AND
CONNECTION TO PLACE.

60. PORTLAND, OR
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61. PORTLAND, OR
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Annual Growth since 2000
25 - 34 years

62. PEOPLE
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EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT,
IMMIGRATION AND DIVERSITY
OF A COMMUNITY

63. PEOPLE
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- Population with bachelor’s degree or higher
- Percentage of foreign-born population
- Percentage of population that speaks a language
other than English

64. PEOPLE
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DIVERSITY IS NO LONGER
ABOUT ATTRACTING NICHE
TARGET MARKETS, BUT MAKING
A DESTINATION APPEALING TO
THE MARKET AT LARGE.

65. INDIANA
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66. PROSPERITY
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THE RELATIVE
WEALTH OF A
COMMUNITY

67. PROSPERITY
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− Unemployment rate
− Poverty rate
− Average household income
− Number of Fortune 500 corporate headquarters

68. PROSPERITY
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PLACEMAKING, PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT, PROGRAMMING
AND DIVERSITY ARE THE KEYS
TO PROSPERITY IN THE 21ST
CENTURY.

69. VANCOUVER
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70. VANCOUVER
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71. VANCOUVER
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72. VANCOUVER
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73. PROMOTION
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HOW MUCH DOES THE
WORLD TALK ABOUT YOU?

74. PROMOTION
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− Number of Google search results for each city

75. PROMOTION
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PROMOTION SHOULD BE BASED
ON AND INFORMED BY AN
UNDERSTANDING OF THE
DIFFERENTIATING
CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUR
DESTINATION’S PLACE,
PRODUCT, PROGRAMMING,
PEOPLE AND PROSPERITY.

76. PROMOTION
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PROMOTION AND POSITIONING OF
A DESTINATION SHOULD BE
ALIGNED BETWEEN MUNICIPAL
GOVERNMENTS, ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITIES AND
DESTINATION MARKETING
ORGANIZATIONS.

77. LYON
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78. LYON
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79. LYON
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80. LYON
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81. Chart page 48 Power of Place Prezi
LYON
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82. POWER OF PLACE
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UNDERSTANDING THE ESSENTIAL
DIFFERENTIATING
CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUR
DESTINATION IS ESSENTIAL TO
CREATING AN AUTHENTIC
POSITIONING STRATEGY & BRAND
THAT WILL RESONATE WITH YOUR
TARGET AUDIENCES.

83. TOURISM QUALITY INDEX
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RESONANCE CONSULTANCY IS
NOW USING THIS APPROACH TO
CREATE A NEW TOURISM QUALITY
INDEX FOR 121 U.S. CITIES BY
ANALYZING CONSUMER
GENERATED REVIEWS AND
RATINGS FOR...

84. TOURISM QUALITY INDEX
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1. Culture: The arts and culture in a city.
2. Entertainment: The programming and lifestyle experiences.
3. Sightseeing: The natural and built environment of a city.
4. Sports & Adventure: A destination’s outdoor activities and sports.
5. Culinary: The various food experiences in a destination.
6. Lodging: Accommodations in a city.
LIST OF FACTORS

85. TOURISM QUALITY INDEX
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To learn more about Resonance Reports on U.S. Place
Equity, U.S. Millennial Travelers, and our new Tourism
Quality Indexes, visit:
www.resonancereport.com

86. THANK-YOU!
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Resonance Consultancy
Vancouver | New York
www.resonanceco.com
@resonanceco
Chris Fair, President
cfair@resonanceco.com
@crfair