Take That in Cardiff, also Oasis for that matter

Over the last week Cardiff has been invaded on friday Oasis were in town and performed at the Millennium Stadium, then yesterday and I believe today Take That are in town, a slightly different Lancastrian band but no less popular. These are huge events for the city and the events pretty much take over the whole city centre. The clean up alone is huge and is pretty similar to the end of a six nations game.

Cardiff Design Festival 2008

It is only April but the planning for Cardiff Design Festival is already in full swing. Although it takes place in mid October there have been some official and unofficial offers of support and sponsorship alreaady. We were speaking to Olwen Moseley Director of the Festival the other day and some of the events sound very exciting. Most of them are top secret at the moment but confirmed events are going to be from NakedWales, WonderCulture and of course some by Design Wales and the Festival itself.

Check out the cardiff design festival website (www.cardiffdesignfestival.org) to keep up to date with the latest news and plans for the event. Also look out for the new website which will be launched by us (www.hoffi.com) in the next month of so. We will be trying to get as many people involved in the Festival as possible this year so if you think you may have an event or want to volunteer help in anyway get in touch.

 

The Project of Place

Professor Nigel Morgan
Cardiff School of Management, UWIC
Date: Wednesday 9th April 2008
Time: 5.45pm for 6pm start

Well that was the invitation and it certainly did not disappoint. Both me and Car decided to go and see what it was all about. The lecture was centered around Destination Branding and just how powerful it is both within getting people to visit locations as well as how in some cases it has lead to the degradation of women within their country. The really interesting point of the lecture for myself was how destination branding and it's marketing is forming a disneyfied view of the particular location/space in question. In someways this is pretty obvious, but what I really started thinking about is where borders lie?

So for example could a government invest in companies such as a chain of restaurants that, in their eyes, are representational of their country? and so by exporting the chain to other countries then they maybe a stepping stone to visiting the real thing.   

We have been working with alot of companies recently that have a footing in the tourism market to some degree and I am really looking forward to relaying them with new ideas.