THE Isle of Man International Business School has launched a Small States and Islands Research Centre with the purpose of providing a meeting and reflection space for policy makers, practitioners, academics and students.

A workshop - "Branding Islands and Small States: Challenges and Best Practices" - will be staged on June 17th and is intended to be the pilot of a series of events that will support the growth of the Centre.

This first workshop will be delivered by keynote consultants and academics in country branding and place marketing. The theme is to explore the different purposes of a branding initiative, to learn lessons from branding experts about the specific challenges of using country branding for small states and islands, and to discuss possible solutions to these challenges.

The primary audience for this workshop is government officials involved in branding initiatives, either in the Isle of Man or in other small states and islands. Business people and academics with similar interests and backgrounds are also invited to attend.

The workshop will take place at the Isle of Man University Centre at the Nunnery Estate in Douglas.

Key speakers are:- Robert Govers is the Visit Flanders Chair in Tourism Management at University of Leuven in Belgium; Alistair Audsley of Truly Consulting/Freedom to Flourish; Tim Cullen, Associate Fellow at the Said Business School, Oxford, Executive Director of the Small Countries Financial Management Centre, and a Commissioner on the Isle of Man’s Financial Supervision Commission and Wally Olins, Chairman and co-founder of Saffron Brand Consultants.

Attendance at the workshop will cost ?25, to include lunch and refreshments.

Inquiries should be directed to Michel Leseure by e- mail at m.leseure@ibs.ac.im or by phone on (44)1624 693713

Photo: Alistair Audsley, one of the key

speakers for the IBS workshop