BaltMet Inno

Audit of City Marketing Activities in Riga

Inga Nemše, Head of Riga City Marketing Division,

Riga City Council

Helsinki, 06.06.2006

BaltMet Inno General overview of Riga

Territory: 307 sq.km

732,000 inhabitants (32% of the national population)

1.2 mln in Riga Region (one half of national population)

58% of the national GDP

65% of the population income tax in Latvia comes from the

employers registered in Riga

60% of the total foreign investment

54% of the foreign tourists overnight in Riga

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Riga City agglomeration

Riga City agglomeration covers 6984 km2 The population is 1.2 million

BaltMet Inno General overview of Riga

51% of the total industrial output (food industry, wood processing,

printing & publishing, manufacturing of metal ware, manufacturing

of textiles)

80% of the wholesales turnover

60% of the retail trade turnover

Transit & finances – the most important branches (23 banks and

17 insurance companies)

Transportation centre (14 international bus routes, 6 international

railway routes, 34 international flight routes)

BaltMet Inno

Riga International Airport

341 067 310 132

392 132490 607

531 199574 356

622 647633 322 711 753

1 060 426

1 800 000

2 500 000

3 000 000

1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005* 2006* 2007*

Dynamics of passenger flow in RIX

BaltMet Inno

Cargo turnover at Riga Harbour

18

10

8,6

21

72

8,6

13

35

1,7

23

99

1,3 24

42

9

14

88

3,9

12

01

2,6

13

31

5,3

3

11

21

3,1

74

57

74

53

,5

59

50

,2

47

05

0

5 000

10 000

15 000

20 000

25 000

30 000

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

BaltMet Inno

Education and research

High university enrolment rate - 556 students per 10,000

inhabitant

31% of higher educational establishments are state subsidised

40 state and private higher educational establishments

Good knowledge of foreign languages (English, German, French,

Russian)

Academy of Science of Latvia + 15 public research institutes

Private science & research institutes (the Latvian Technology

Centre)

Support of the Riga City Council for Science Park development

BaltMet Inno

Dynamics of the number of students

50,660,4

71,181,1

87,193,3

99,9 102,2

66,970,459,8

54,948,1

41,238,133,4

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Number of students Of which full-time students

BaltMet Inno Development of Riga Airport Business Park

BaltMet Inno

Eastern Bypass

Southern Bridge

Northern Tunnel

BaltMet Inno Tramway system in Riga 2025

Development of the public transportation in the city is based on its backbone – a modern light-rail transport

BaltMet InnoBikeway network in Riga

BaltMet InnoMarketing activities of Riga City

Inhabitants Businesses Visitors

1997 - 2002

Agency Riga 800 (800th anniversary events in 2001, logo and slogan developed, promotion of Riga abroad, new products developed, tourism information centres, newspaper for inhabitants)

1999 - 2004

21st International Hansa Days Office (Hanseatic Days in Riga 2001, Riga Expo in Moscow 2002, Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race 2003, conferences)

From 1999

Board of Economics, City Development Department (international real estate and travel fairs, promotion of Riga, tourism infrastructure development)

From 2002

RCC visitors’ centre “One Stop Agency” (information about municipal services, communication with structural units of the RCC)

Riga Tourism Coordination & Information Centre

BaltMet InnoMarketing activities of Riga City

Inhabitants Businesses Visitors

From 2003

Riga Development Council at the City Development Department

2004 Campaign “I’m creating Riga” organized by City Development Department

From 2004

Riga City Marketing Division, Board of Economics, City Development Department

2005 Festival in France “Etonnante Lettonie”

(cultural & economic presentations)

2005 Municipality of Riga joins Riga Convention Bureau (attraction of conferences)

2006 RCC task group on municipal web-site improvement

2006 Riga City Commercial Development Council

RCC task group on tourism development issues

BaltMet Inno Riga City Marketing Division

Presenting Riga abroad (Riga Days in Hamburg, International Hanseatic Days)

Participation with stand of Riga at the international real estate fairs in France, Germany, Poland

Organizing events in Riga: conferences, seminars and exhibitions on city development and economic issues

Development of informative materials (CD-s, booklets)

Creating presentations and speeches for top managers of the Riga City Council

Work on strategy for Riga city image development

Riga City Marketing Council

BaltMet Inno Marketing activities at the RCC

Foreign Affairs Division

PR Division

Riga Tourism Coordination and

Information Centre

IT Centre

Education, Youth and Sports Department

Department of Culture

City Development Department

Transport Department

Environmental Department

Welfare Department

Municipal Services Department

One Stop Agency

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BaltMet Inno Riga City Council

Committees (60 politicians)

Department Department Department

Board

Division

Chairman of the Riga City Council

Executive Director

Units of Central Administration

BaltMet InnoChallenges

Different structural units like to act on their own – lack of cooperation

No system for informing others about the planned activities

Different marketing possibilities are missed (partnercities, international organizations)

No single logo and slogan for City of Riga

Each department has different visual style

Cooperation between Riga and Riga Region

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How to stimulate cooperation?

Horizontal communication - Task groups

Involvement of all stakeholders - Advisory councils

EU projects (Baltic Palette, Baltic Capitals & King’s Road, European Route of Brick Gothic, Baltmet Invest)

Network of Baltic Metropolises

Joint events (exhibitions, presentations, workshops)

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Marketing strategy for Riga

Possibilities for cooperation within Baltmet Inno project

Riga City Marketing Council created

Experience exchange visits to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo (Amsterdam)

Different researches

SWOT analysis of target groups: inhabitants, businesses, visitors

Development of Riga business marketing strategy

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Strategic documents of RCC

Riga Environmental Strategy 2000 – 2010

Riga City Council Strategy on e-City

Riga Public Transport Development Concept 2005 - 2018

Concept on Improving the Services of Riga Municipality

Concept on Riga Cultural Policy

Riga Long-term Development Strategy until 2025

Riga Development Programme 2006 – 2012

Riga Territorial Planning 2006 - 2018

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Riga Long-term Development Strategy until 2025

Umbrella document for the City

Sets 3 priorities:

Economy that uses the East-West linkEducated and skilful societyLife in urban environment with qualitative neighbourhoods

BaltMet Inno City development pillars

Sustainability:

balanced development of

these three systems is the

main prerequisite for the

welfare of the city and also

for Riga’s inhabitantsSociety

Urban environmentEconomy

Resident of Riga

Possibility to get income, to

provide oneself and family

Possibility to live in

comfortable, safe and healthy

environment

Possibility to study and develop

oneself and to belong to city

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Long-term Strategic Aims

Educated and skilful society that appreciates cultural values

Development of economy that uses the East-West link

Life in city with qualitative neighbourhoods

Well-provided society

Healthy and active society

Society that values family

Society with good social support and care

Intellectually rich society

BaltMet Inno Long-term Strategic Aims

Informed society

Economy with high added value

Multiform and growing economy

Economy based on partnership principles

City that can be reached conveniently and fastly

Clean and green city

Safe urban environment

City with qualitative housing

City of efficient administration

BaltMet Inno

Next steps

Framework of city marketing strategy created

Riga business marketing strategy based on Riga Long-term Development Strategy until 2025

Riga business marketing action plan

Riga tourism marketing strategy

Work on image of Riga – logo, slogan, visual elements

BaltMet Inno

Thank you for your attention!