From Helsinki via Stockholm to Tallinn the cruise liner Prinzess Anastasia this week is the venue for the launching of the ONE BSR project of Baltic Metropoles accelerating branding and identity building of the Baltic Sea Region. BDF is in on two major themes: more effective investment promotion agencies and a regional communication platform.
The overall goal of the ONE BSR project is to strengthen the competitiveness of the region and to show globally, that the region fulfills the goals of “Europe 2020” being a smart, sustainable and inclusive region.
ONE BSR is a new EU funded umbrella project for joint branding and identity building in the Baltic Sea Region. Besides investment promotion agencies and communication the project aims to attract more visitors for leisure and business travel and tourism, to attract and retain the best and brightest talent, to leverage exports through an improved “region of origin” effect and to build on complementarities of strengths between mature and transitioning economies.
BDF has taken the task of honest broker assembling investment promotion agencies. The evident challenge of the project is to find and develop common denominators between the IPAs since they are each other’s competitors in attracting inward investments. The BSR IPAs project aims at overcoming these challenges and proving that all parts of the region could be better off if the partners join efforts, pool resources and focus on synergies.
On the cruise BDF will present and discuss the project of establishing a regional news website using young talents from all the countries around the Baltic Sea for harvesting interesting cross-border news – uploading it on the website – and redistributing it to news agencies and newspapers in the area. The website will also be the main portal for news from all ONE BSR projects.
Same day as the Prinzess Anastasia leaves the harbor of Helsinki BDF chairman Hans Skov Christensen and director Hans Brask meet high level representatives, strategic BDF partners and members at the Danish ambassador´s premises.
The branding cruise from Helsinki to Tallinn takes place from 24. October to 26 October.
