City Nation Place

What City Nation Place does

City Nation Place is a privately held UK company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Sevenoaks, Kent, that operates a global forum and platform for place branding and place marketing practitioners. The company's core proposition is convening governments, city and regional marketing organizations, national tourism boards, agencies, and media around the discipline of place branding through a portfolio of regional event series — CNP Global London, CNP Americas Toronto, CNP Australasia Gold Coast, CNP UK Bradford, and CNP Lab — alongside the annual City Nation Place Awards, the Place Brand Portfolio content library, Research & Reports, the CNP Accelerator training program, the CNP Advisory Group, and the Meet the Experts directory of 35+ partner agencies and consultants.

The platform is built on a content- and events-led architecture rather than proprietary software: the Place Brand Portfolio and CNP Connect newsletter provide ongoing editorial engagement, while the recurring events and awards generate the network density that underwrites the partner ecosystem. Customers are predominantly public-sector bodies — government agencies, city marketing organizations, and national tourism boards — supplemented by agencies and consultants who use the platform for lead generation, visibility, and professional development.

Revenue mechanics are diversified across event sponsorship and ticket revenue, awards entries, paid training via the CNP Accelerator, advisory engagements through the CNP Advisory Group, and partner visibility in the Meet the Experts directory. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and typically requires registration. The company is bootstrapped and founder-owned, with co-founders Clare Dewhirst (CEO) and Martin Dewhirst (COO) leading a team of approximately 10 employees. Geographic reach spans the UK, the Americas (Toronto), and Australasia (Gold Coast), with one-off events previously held in Singapore and Costa Rica.

Name

City Nation Place

Legal name

City Nation Place Ltd.

Website

https://citynationplace.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

City Nation Place operates a global forum and event platform for place branding practitioners, serving government agencies, city marketing organizations, tourism boards, and consultancies through regional event series, awards, training, and a curated expert directory across the UK, Americas, and Australasia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Place Branding Events and Community

akta.pro primary industry

Conference Centers & Dedicated Meeting Venues (THAHAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Convention & Exhibition Centers (Public Convention Centers, Civic Centers) (THAHAAAA)

Keywords

• Place branding
• Destination marketing
• Place brand conferences
• Talent attraction strategy
• Economic development marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Plaxtol, Sevenoaks

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Events: Revenue generated from hosting regional conferences globally including CNP Global (London), CNP Americas (Toronto), CNP Australasia (Gold Coast), and CNP UK (Bradford).
2. City Nation Place Awards: Awards program recognizing excellence in place branding and marketing for cities, regions, and nations.
3. Accelerator Training: Compact place brand and marketing training course providing skills, tools, and confidence to implement place brand strategies.
4. Reports and Research: Special reports, research publications, and toolkits available for download, often requiring registration.
5. Partnership Opportunities: Partnerships with suppliers, consultants, and advisors to place brand and place marketing teams.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

City Nation Place operates a global platform for place branding and place marketing practitioners, delivering regional conferences (CNP Global in London, CNP Americas in Toronto, CNP Australasia on the Gold Coast, and CNP UK in Bradford), the City Nation Place Awards program, the CNP Accelerator training course, research and reports, a searchable Place Brand Portfolio of case studies, the CNP Advisory Group professional network, and the CNP Connect fortnightly newsletter.

Product overview

City Nation Place operates as a unified content and events platform for the place branding and place marketing industry. Its portfolio consists of four annual regional and global conferences (CNP Americas, Australasia, Global, and UK), the City Nation Place Awards, a searchable Place Brand Portfolio of case studies, Research & Reports covering topics like talent attraction, citizen engagement, and digital place branding, the CNP Accelerator training program, the CNP Advisory Group professional network, a Meet the Experts directory of vetted consultants and agencies, and the fortnightly CNP Connect newsletter. The platform functions as a central hub connecting place branding practitioners worldwide through events, knowledge resources, professional development, and peer networking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CNP Connect: A fortnightly newsletter delivering the latest insights and inspiration straight to subscribers' inboxes
• CNP Advisory Group
• City Nation Place Accelerator
• CNP Awards
• CNP Lab
• Your Digital Place Brand

Products and services

• CNP Conferences (Americas, Australasia, Global, UK, Lab) Annual regional and global conferences and webinars for place branding and marketing professionals, including CNP Americas (Toronto), CNP Australasia (Gold Coast), CNP UK (Bradford), CNP Global (London), CNP Lab sessions, and on-demand webinars.
• City Nation Place Awards Annual awards program recognizing excellence in place branding and place marketing among cities, regions, and nations worldwide, including a searchable portfolio of finalist case studies from the past five years.
• City Nation Place Accelerator Training A compact, creative place brand and marketing training course designed to equip place branding practitioners with skills, tools, and confidence to support and implement place brand strategies.
• Research and Reports Curated reports, research toolkits, and benchmarking studies addressing key challenges in place branding including citizen engagement, digital place brand strategy, talent attraction and retention, event hosting alignment, and place brand measurement.
• Place Brand Portfolio A searchable collection of place marketing and branding case studies, showcasing award submissions and strategic initiatives from cities, regions, and nations around the globe.
• CNP Connect Newsletter A fortnightly email newsletter delivering the latest insights, research, case studies, trends, and event updates to subscribers in the place branding and place marketing community.

Quantifiable outcome

• First conference in 2015 with 150 visionary place practitioners

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bloom ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading place branding and marketing consultancy, author of research on city brands driving economic growth in North America, featured as expert contributor.
• Brand FinancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrand valuation and strategy consultancy featured as a place brand expert partner.
• C StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert contributor on talent attraction strategies, featured in reports on talent attraction and retention.
• Civic BrandminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPlace branding agency partner.
• CTConsultsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConsulting partner for place branding services.
• CúplaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCreative studio partner for place branding.
• Destination StoreminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail partner for destination merchandise.
• Gravity GlobalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMarketing agency partner for place branding.
• HemingwayDesignminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDesign consultancy partner for place branding.
• INSTIDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert partner in place branding strategy.
• Joy Riot AgencyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCreative agency partner.
• Miles PartnershipminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDestination marketing agency partner.
• MMGY GlobalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTravel and tourism marketing agency partner.
• N/LFminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCreative and branding partner.
• Peter & PaulminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBranding agency partner.
• Reputation LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner on reputation and sovereign risk premiums, featured in reports on how reputation affects borrowing costs.
• Research FDIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerForeign direct investment research partner.
• ResonancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlace branding consultancy partner, empowering places.
• Safer Places NetworkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSafety and place reputation partner.
• ToposophyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPlace branding agency partner.
• TrajectorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert contributor on university partnerships and place branding, featured in reports on learning places.
• Travel ForwardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTourism and destination marketing partner.
• TrovecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDestination marketing partner featured in research on destinations winning the World Cup.
• Veneto CollaboratoryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional development and collaboration partner.
• Vetrano Digital MarketingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDigital marketing agency partner.
• Violet PRminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublic relations partner for place branding.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bloom Consulting: Place branding and nation branding consultancy that ranks cities and countries and publishes the Country Brand and City Brand rankings. Directly comparable as a specialist advisory in the place branding space serving the same government/DMO client base as CNP.
• Brand Finance: Brand valuation and strategy consultancy producing the Global City Index, Nation Brand rankings, and Soft Power rankings. Competes with CNP's research and advisory offering for government clients seeking place brand measurement.
• Resonance: Place branding and marketing consultancy producing the World's Best Cities report and advising cities, regions, and nations on brand strategy. Overlaps directly with CNP's content, advisory, and government client focus.
• MMGY Global: Travel, tourism, and hospitality marketing agency network serving destinations, hotels, and travel brands. Comparable as a destination-marketing services partner also listed in CNP's expert directory.
• Anholt Nation Brands: Advisory and research platform founded by Simon Anholt (the practitioner who inspired CNP's founder) producing the Nation Brands Index. Direct comparable in nation/place brand research.
• Miles Partnership: Destination marketing agency serving US DMOs and tourism organisations on content, media, and strategy. Comparable to CNP's practitioner-serving model, with similar government/DMO client base.
• Toposophy: Place branding and destination marketing agency developing place brand strategies, identities, and campaigns for cities and tourism boards. Listed as a CNP partner and operates in the same niche advisory space.

Broad incumbents

• FutureBrand: Global brand consultancy with a dedicated Country & Place Branding practice serving nations, regions, and cities. Wider remit than CNP but directly competes for similar mandates.
• Interbrand: Global brand consultancy with a place branding practice (Interbrand Cities). Broader portfolio than CNP but operates in the same government/DMO advisory space for city and nation brands.

Emerging players

• Civic Brand: Place branding agency working with cities and regions on resident-first brand strategy and place narrative development. Niche US-focused emerging player overlapping CNP's citizen engagement and place branding content themes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-nation-place

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 City Nation Place