What Resonance Consultancy does

Resonance Consultancy is a privately held place strategy consultancy founded in 2004 and headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, with additional offices in New York and Brussels. The firm serves destination marketing organizations, city and national governments, economic development agencies, real estate developers, and hospitality brands, helping them develop positioning strategies, tourism master plans, and place-branding engagements. Its core intelligence asset is the proprietary Place Power™ methodology, which benchmarks 1,000+ cities globally across 40+ measures of Livability, Lovability, and Prosperity, and powers the flagship Best Cities ranking platform — cited by Bloomberg as the most comprehensive city ranking on the planet. This platform is published in World, Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific editions, complemented by the Future of Luxury Travel Report.

The company's service portfolio spans five practice areas: Destination Development (tourism master planning, destination branding, communications), Economic Development (strategic intelligence, competitive positioning, investment narrative), Urban Development (planning and branding for waterfronts, convention districts, mixed-use communities, and innovation hubs), Branding & Experience (brand strategy, visioning, identity design, brand governance), and Communications & Activation (marketing strategy, trade show design, campaign creative, digital platform launches). Notable client outcomes include $3 billion in private investment catalyzed for Calgary's East Village following $400M in public infrastructure, Houston climbing from No. 13 to No. 9 in Best Cities, and a 70% increase in Baltimore tech jobs since 2019. The firm holds Certified B Corporation status, indicating a stakeholder-value orientation alongside profitability.

Resonance operates a professional services business model with custom engagement-based pricing, multi-year contracts, and direct enterprise sales targeting governments and large developers. Annual revenue is disclosed in a USD $3-6 million band for FY2024 with 19% year-over-year growth, and the firm has completed 200+ projects across 70+ countries. The company is founder/management-owned with no disclosed venture capital, private equity, or institutional investor involvement, and grew organically to 11-50 employees. Strategic partnerships include a research relationship with Ipsos for perception data integrated into the Best Cities reports, and a minor distribution partnership with WorldsBestCities.com. The firm has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, no patents, and no API or software product beyond the Best Cities content platform.

Name

Resonance Consultancy

Legal name

Resonance Consultancy, Ltd.

Website

https://resonanceco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Resonance Consultancy is a privately held place strategy consultancy that uses its proprietary Place Power™ methodology to benchmark 1,000+ cities and advise destination marketing organizations, city governments, economic development agencies, real estate developers, and hospitality brands on positioning, branding, and tourism master planning globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Place Strategy Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Real Estate Public-Private Partnership (PPP) & Infrastructure-Adjacent Real Estate Advisory (BPAJANAL)

Keywords

• Place strategy consulting
• Destination development services
• Economic development consulting
• City benchmarking reports
• Urban development planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Professional consulting services including destination development strategy, economic development consulting, urban development planning, and place branding. Revenue band of USD $3-6 million annually as of FY2024, with 19% year-over-year growth from 2023 to 2024.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Resonance Consultancy is a global place strategy consultancy that delivers destination development, economic development, urban development, branding, and communications services to DMOs, city governments, and real estate developers. The firm complements these services with proprietary intelligence products—most notably the Best Cities annual ranking reports and the Place Power™ Scorecard—built on a proprietary methodology that benchmarks 1,000+ cities globally across 40+ measures of Livability, Lovability, and Prosperity.

Product overview

Resonance Consultancy is a place strategy consultancy offering a portfolio of proprietary intelligence products and professional services. The core products include the Place Power™ Scorecard (benchmarking tool), Best Cities Reports (World, America, Europe, Asia-Pacific editions), and the Future of Luxury Travel Report. These are complemented by professional services including Destination Development, Economic Development, Urban Development, Branding & Experience, and Communications & Activation. The Best Cities Reports and Place Power™ Scorecard are powered by the proprietary Place Power™ methodology that benchmarks 500+ cities globally across 40+ measures of Livability, Lovability, and Prosperity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Place Power™ Scorecard Benchmarking tool that assesses a destination's competitive position and helps strengthen long-term growth by evaluating experience, brand presence, and performance across 40+ measures of Livability, Lovability, and Prosperity. Built for DMOs, city governments, and developers seeking data-driven competitive intelligence.
• World's Best Cities Report Annual ranking of the top 100 global cities with metro populations of one million or more, evaluating cities across Livability, Lovability, and Prosperity using the Place Power™ methodology. For destinations, governments, and brands tracking global city competitiveness.
• America's Best Cities Report Annual ranking of the top 100 U.S. metro areas assessing cities based on livability, lovability, and prosperity using economic data, quality-of-life indicators, and public perception. For U.S. cities, DMOs, and developers tracking regional competitiveness.
• Europe's Best Cities Report Annual ranking of top-performing European cities with metro populations of 500,000 or more, evaluating city perception, infrastructure, and innovation for competitiveness. For European cities, DMOs, and investors.
• Asia-Pacific's Best Cities Report Annual ranking of top-performing cities in the Asia-Pacific region with metro populations of one million or more, applying Place Power™ methodology. For APAC destinations, DMOs, and developers.
• Future of Luxury Travel Report Annual proprietary research into the values, motivations, and travel preferences of the wealthiest U.S. households, surveying the top 1% and 10% of U.S. travelers since 2007. For luxury hospitality brands, destinations, and travel marketers.
• Destination Development Services Tourism master planning, destination branding, and communications services for DMOs, hospitality leaders, and governments worldwide, designed to grow visitor economies and destination competitiveness.
• Economic Development Services Strategic intelligence, competitive positioning, and investment narrative development to help cities and regions attract businesses, talent, and capital that drive long-term economic growth.
• Urban Development Services Planning, positioning, and branding services for cities, real estate developers, and districts including waterfront regeneration, convention districts, mixed-use communities, and innovation hubs.
• Branding & Experience Services Brand strategy, visioning, storytelling, brand platform development, identity design, and brand governance services for destinations and hospitality brands.
• Communications & Activation Services Marketing strategy, trade show design, event programming, integrated marketing campaigns, creative development, media strategy, and digital platform launch support.

Quantifiable outcome

• $3 billion in private sector investment attracted for East Village Calgary through $400M public infrastructure
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IpsoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership for perception research included in Best Cities reports. Ipsos conducts surveys of residents and visitors to complement Place Power™ performance data, providing both quantitative metrics and perception insights for city benchmarking.
• WorldsBestCities.comminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDigital platform for publishing and distributing Best Cities rankings and related content, extending reach of Resonance's city intelligence and research reports.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Interbrand: Global brand consultancy with a dedicated place branding capability serving countries, cities, and destinations. Comparable in place branding methodology, though Interbrand operates across all industries and categories at much larger scale.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): Global real estate services and investment firm with a major advisory practice serving developers, investors, and cities. Competes with Resonance in real estate positioning and urban development advisory, but with vastly larger scale and broader mandate.
• CBRE: World's largest commercial real estate services firm with advisory capabilities for cities and developers. Overlaps with Resonance's urban development and real estate positioning work as part of a much broader services portfolio.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Global real estate services firm with advisory and consulting practices serving developers, occupiers, and cities. Competes with Resonance on real estate and urban development advisory at much larger scale and scope.

Direct peers

• FutureBrand: Interbrand-owned brand consultancy with a dedicated place branding practice serving cities, countries, and destinations. Directly comparable to Resonance in destination positioning, brand strategy, and identity design for DMOs and governments.
• TIP Strategies: Economic and community development consulting firm working with cities, regions, and developers on strategic plans, target industry studies, and competitive positioning. Closely comparable to Resonance's economic development practice.
• Landor: WPP-owned global brand consultancy with a place branding practice serving destinations and real estate developments. Comparable to Resonance for destination identity and brand strategy engagements.
• Avalanche Consulting: Economic development strategy firm serving cities, regions, and utility clients with data-driven research and target industry analysis. Direct competitor in the economic development consulting segment.
• Saffron Brand Consultants: Independent global brand consultancy with a strong track record in place branding (countries, cities, real estate). Comparable to Resonance in strategy-led brand engagements and creative execution for tourism and economic development clients.

Emerging players

• Skift Research: Travel industry research and insights firm producing reports on tourism trends, traveler behavior, and destination competitiveness. Partial overlap with Resonance's Best Cities and Future of Luxury Travel research products, though Skift is media/research-focused rather than consulting-led.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/resonanceco
• Facebookfacebook.com/ResonanceCo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/resonanceconsultancy
• Instagraminstagram.com/resonanceco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Resonance Consultancy