A more spectacular view

A more interesting castle

Better food

A superior museum

A more tastier beer

There is always …

A context

A global context: Increasing globalisation

Increasing regionalization

A competitive context: How to create a good place to live for the own rural inhabitants?

How to create a good place to work fot the own rural inhabitants?

How to create added value from visitors out of the own region?

Everybody wants…

The question

How to realise your own region in a European competitive context?

Jan Van den Berghe (SPK) en Erik Verhaert (VLM)

What I heard today (WS 1)

Two point of views: entrepreneurs: my product or service and how to link it on sense of place?

organisations: how can we sell our region as a touristical product and how can we support the entrepreneurs in this?

The big question: what is the content of my region?

What I read today (WS 1)

The questions of entrepreneurs: funding support

communication on the region and on the products

support on official problems (legal problems, burocraty)

The questions of organisations: more initiative with the connection between product and region

be ambassador

The question and an example

Sense of place: (a part of) the answer

Step 1: landscape, heritage and nature (Have something):

Base of identity

Base of attraction

Base of rural economy

Step 2: sense of place (Feel something): Believe the story (feel the own identity)

Know the story (knowledge aquisition)

The story for everybody (community building)

Sense of place: (a part of) the answer

Step 3: Rural economic development (sell the place):

Tell the story (internal and external communication)

Entrepreneur the story (the authenticity of products and services)