THE PMF26 PROGRAM WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON!
The detailed program of the 2026 edition will be revealed shortly. In the meantime, discover below the PMF25 program to get a concrete idea of the richness and pace of a Place Marketing Forum.
👉 Stay tuned: new features, speakers, and highlights of PMF26 are coming soon !
WEDNESDAY 4TH JUNE 20245
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
EDUCTOUR | TWO TOURS TO CHOOSE FROM – REGISTRATION REQUIRED*
*Register by contacting annie.delanghe@univ-amu.fr et sarah.djalal@univ-amu.fr
1- Visit to a prestigious Reims Champagne House – Pommery Estate - SOLD OUT
The Pommery Estate opens the doors of its magnificent Elizabethan-style buildings and invites you to discover its cellars and chalk pits, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
These true underground cathedrals date back to the Gallo-Roman era, with some featuring monumental bas-reliefs carved directly into the chalk. An exceptional tour awaits you 30 meters underground, where you’ll also have the opportunity to view artworks from the latest contemporary art exhibition.
Meeting point: in front of the Pommery Estate – 5 Place Général Gouraud, 51100 Reims
Tour starts at 4:00 PM (please arrive 15 minutes early)
Photo : Pommery Champagne Cellars. ©AD Ville de Reims
2- Art Deco Walk and Discovery of Reims’ Architectural Heritage
After the First World War, Reims was reborn with a new architectural style: Art Deco. This tour takes you on a journey through elegant buildings, sculpted facades, and captivating details that embody the charm of the era. It’s the perfect walk to admire a city that reinvented itself with modernity and creativity.
Meeting point: in front of the Tourist Office – 6 rue Rockefeller, 51100 Reims
Tour starts at 4:00 PM (please arrive 15 minutes early)
Photo : Carnegie Library. ©AD Ville de Reims
For organizational reasons, if you are late, unfortunately, you will not be able to participate in the educational tours. We thank you for your understanding.
THURSDAY 5TH JUNE 2025
9:15 AM – 10:30 AM | Official Opening of #PMF25 Edition & ICE BREAKER SESSION
Coffee reception organized for participants at the Sciences Po Reims Campus, located at: 1 Place Museux, 51100 – Reims.
09:00 - 09:45 AM |
Official opening of #PMF24 & ICE BREAKER SESSION
An Ice Breaker session will be organized at the beginning of the day. This will give all participants the opportunity to interact, get to know each other, and better understand the topics to be discussed during the conferences. Most importantly, it will provide a sneak peek of the Chaire A&NMT’s brand-new tool: the Territorial Balance Compass, a collective intelligence tool centered around attractiveness indicators.
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM | Overview of the PMF25 Program & INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRST PLENARY SESSION
CONFERENCES
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM | PLENARY SESSION | ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN SUPPORT OF TERRITORIAL MARKETING STRATEGIES
Since the emergence of generative AIs like ChatGPT (2022), artificial intelligence has profoundly transformed the way we produce content, interact with users, and support decision-making. These technologies are now converging into intelligent assistants capable of adapting to local contexts and enhancing the added value of services provided by territories: personalized support for investors, real-time information for visitors, easier connections between recruiters and talents, and even improvements in public services and residents’ well-being. According to the latest report from the Interministerial Committee for Artificial Intelligence, dated February 6, 2025 – Summit for AI Action, France has moved from 13th place to 5th in the 2024 Global AI Index, behind the United States, China, and the United Kingdom, but ahead of several other European nations such as Germany and Italy. France has become the 3rd country globally in terms of AI researchers.
How are the key players in territorial attractiveness (attractiveness agencies, investment attraction agencies, destination management organizations, local governments) leveraging this technology?
More specifically, in their territorial marketing efforts, is AI primarily used in certain stages: diagnosis, co-creating a shared vision, defining a marketing strategy, implementing an action plan, and evaluating the approach?
Through several innovative and successful French and international case studies, we will present how AI is used at various stages of territorial marketing efforts to increase their economic, tourist, residential, and overall attractiveness.
- Lunch break
THINK TANKS
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM | CHOICE OF PARTICIPANTS: 2 SIMULTANEOUS THINK TANKS
1- "Governance and Partnerships in Attractiveness Strategies": Housing stakeholders as key partners in territorial attractiveness strategies, working together to find short-, medium-, and long-term solutions.
Available in french and english.
French residents’ preferences regarding the size of the territories where they wish to live have remained relatively stable. According to IMAGETERR®24, only 17% prefer large cities, while 83% favor medium-sized towns, small towns, or villages.
This desire to live in smaller towns and less urbanized environments—driven by a search for tranquility, nature, and safety—often runs into a major barrier: the difficulty of finding suitable housing. Many of these newly attractive territories offer appealing job opportunities but lack the housing capacity to accommodate newcomers eager to start a new chapter in their lives. This gap can be explained, in part, by a mismatch between local real estate markets and these evolving expectations.
This think tank session will highlight various initiatives in France and internationally aimed at reducing the gap between housing supply and demand. We will showcase innovative solutions implemented by local authorities or housing operators, such as:
Dedicated housing for temporary newcomers,
Renovation of vacant homes or office spaces,
Intergenerational housing,
Co-housing initiatives,
Solidarity-based real estate leases,
Mixed-use leases, and more.
2- Think Tank "Health, Sustainability & Well-being" ⚠ World Café workshop limited to 40 participants
Available in french only.
Health: How Can It Become a Driver of Territorial Attractiveness?
According to the latest studies and statistics from the Ministry of Health and the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (Anses, 2022), 95% of adults are exposed to health risks due to a lack of physical activity or high levels of sedentary behavior.
What types of actions are territories implementing to combat this reality? How can they build upon existing initiatives and/or leverage their geographical specificities to position “health” as a key element of their attractiveness strategy?
This think tank will take place in an interactive format, following the World Café model, and will explore four key themes.
- Coffee break
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM | Conference on Student Attractiveness
What motivates students to choose a particular territory for their studies? What levers can territories activate to improve student attraction and hospitality? And how can they foster long-term student integration within the local area?
Available in french and english.
Higher education stakeholders and territorial actors often share the same goals in terms of residential and economic attractiveness. However, it is often difficult for them to co-construct joint strategies targeting students, who are simultaneously the target audience for higher education institutions, recruiters, and the territories themselves.
French higher education is attractive. According to the SIES (Information System and Statistical Studies) report from October 2024 | Higher Education, Research and Innovation, student numbers in higher education institutions in France grew again in 2023, with just over 2,965,400 students — an increase of 28,300 compared to the previous year. This trend continued in 2024, with a 1.1% increase in enrollment, and growth is expected to persist into the 2025 academic year. Regarding international student mobility, France maintained its 6th place in the global ranking (Campus France data).
Nonetheless, competition remains fierce — not only internationally, but also regionally and between territories. When adding the territorial dimension to the strong national attractiveness of France for students, the picture becomes more complex. Large metropolitan areas, designated as scientific centers of excellence, face challenges related to quality of life and living costs. Meanwhile, smaller cities are trying to develop their higher education offerings by creating academic hubs that emphasize quality of life and specialized programs aligned with local areas of excellence. Rural areas are also getting involved through the development of connected campuses or specialized programs.
All territories face the challenge of strengthening their appeal to both French and international students and ensuring their long-term integration. Regardless of the territorial scale, creating desirable conditions for students’ professional and personal lives after graduation and fostering hospitality are major issues for both local authorities and higher education actors. Through innovative experiences and best practices in France and abroad, the goal is to highlight new approaches and inspire strategies aimed at attracting, integrating, and retaining — or even encouraging the return of — students so that they settle more permanently in these territories.
5:30 PM | End of the first day of conferences and think tanks at #PMF25
6:30 PM onwards | Free visit to the Tapestry Room
Photo : The Tapestry Room Musée Saint-Remi. ©Chaire A&NMT
19:30 - 23:00 | Networking Evening - Saint-Remi Museum
Photo : Cloister Musée Saint-Remi. ©Ville de Reims
Located in the former royal abbey of Saint-Remi, this must-visit museum in Reims is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It houses a rich and varied collection that traces the history of the region, from prehistory to the Renaissance, with a particular focus on the Gallo-Roman period and medieval history.
The exceptional setting of the museum, including its cloister and historic architecture, offers a unique immersion into Reims’ cultural and religious heritage. Visitors can admire remarkable objects such as mosaics, sculptures, stained glass windows, and ancient manuscripts. It is an ideal place to delve into the history of the city and explore the deep roots of the Champagne region.
An awards ceremony will be held following the participants’ votes. The “public vote” prize, as well as the “young talents” and “host territory” prizes, will be awarded to the cases presented during the conferences on the first day.
FRIDAY 6TH JUNE 2025
08:30 - 09:00 |
Coffee reception for participants and networking at the Sciences Po Reims Campus.
Coffee reception organized for participants at the Sciences Po Reims Campus, located at: 1 Place Museux, 51100 – Reims.
CONFERENCE
09:00 - 10:30 |
CONFERENCE on Tourism: What Will the Tourist of Tomorrow Look Like?
Available in french and english.
This conference will present various initiatives from France and internationally that are actively working to transform the tourist and their experience.
The Tourist as a Citizen-Actor: Many territories are promoting regenerative tourism to transform tourists into active citizens. This can be done through volunteering, funding, or rewarding pro-environmental behaviors of tourists (e.g., free excursions, free museum entries, various discounts).
The Tourist Guided by AI: According to Acumen Research Consulting, the generative AI market was valued at 13.9 billion dollars in 2023 and is projected to reach 208.8 billion dollars by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 35.3% from 2024 to 2032. Generative AI enables new uses in tourism, whether for destinations or industry professionals: personalized itinerary recommendations, virtual tours, improved search engine results, etc. How can the use of AI enhance the consumer experience while also addressing environmental and societal challenges, without dehumanizing the relationship and the role of destination management professionals?
The Tourist Welcomed by Professionals: Recruiting professionals is a crucial issue for ensuring a hospitable destination and a successful tourism experience. According to the DGE (General Directorate for Enterprises), the tourism sector in France represents 1.33 million direct jobs (data from the 4th quarter of 2023). The sector faces significant recruitment challenges, and many positions remain unfilled. To address this issue, territories and employment actors are implementing innovative strategies to ensure better “employment continuity” for seasonal workers and optimal, localized support within the territories. Several initiatives will be presented to tackle this challenge.
THINK TANKS
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM |
CHOICE OF PARTICIPANTS: 2 SIMULTANEOUS THINK TANKS
1- Major Events and MICE: What actions can territories implement to strengthen and optimize the reception and co-organization of global-scale scientific or academic events?
Available in french and english.
French territories can play a key role in global scientific influence by combining their strengths in higher education and scientific fields with targeted strategies. By bringing together local ecosystems, they can not only attract more prestigious conferences but also reinforce France’s position as a global leader in academia, science, and research.
This was the case for the city of Toulouse, which in 2024 was chosen among other European cities to host the largest higher education conference in Europe, the EIAE. This event brought together over 7,300 professionals from more than 110 countries, all within the Toulouse area.
How can professionals in territorial attractiveness engage local stakeholders (universities, PCOs, convention bureaus, local authorities, state representatives, etc.) to optimize the place of France and its territories in hosting globally significant events? What types of support can they offer?
This think tank will present various initiatives in France and internationally, supported by feedback from key players in event organization, including Toulouse Team and Hello Lille.
2- IMAGETERR®24 Results and the Evolution of the Territorial Marketer Profession
Available in french only.
The Chair of Attractiveness and new Territorial Marketing has been conducting a biennial image and perception study of territories since 2017. In 2024, this study surveyed 3,202 people representative of the French population aged 18 and over. IMAGETERR® seeks to understand, on one hand, the mental images of the French regarding ideal residential attractiveness territories. On the other hand, it also explores spontaneous and directed images, as well as behavioral intentions associated with specific French territories (cities, metropolitan areas, departments, and regions), and the foundations of their reputation.
We will present the overall results of Imageterr®2024, particularly on central questions such as: What cities or regions would you ideally like to live in? In what type of territory would you like to live (a small town, a medium-sized city, etc.)? What are your main selection criteria? These are all questions that the French might ask themselves when considering residential mobility or a change in their professional or personal life.
In connection with the evolution of these results since 2017, especially regarding residential attractiveness, we will discuss the evolution of the role of Responsable d’attractivité territoriale (Territorial Attractiveness Manager) and/or marketer territorial (territorial marketer). What are the responsibilities of this role? How has the profession evolved in a constantly changing societal, environmental, and political context? These discussions will provide a foundation for a future study on the evolution of professions related to territorial attractiveness.
12h - 12H30 | Closing of the Conference - Crossed Views
Available in french and english.
Conclusion of the discussions! Crossed perspectives on the various themes addressed during this 2025 edition.
- Lunch break
