Join us for the Brand Finance Place Brand Forum 2026, an exclusive gathering of global leaders to explore how place perceptions shape the performance of nation, region, city, and corporate brands around the world.
Building on the Global Soft Power Summit held annually in London over the past six years and in Davos last January, the Forum marks the next evolution of Brand Finance’s platform for international dialogue on place branding.
Alongside the insights from the latest Global Soft Power Index 2026, drawing on research from 150,000+ respondents across 100+ markets about all 193 member states of the United Nations, the Forum will unveil the results of the Brand Finance Nation Brand Value 2026 Ranking, quantifying the impact of perceptions on performance of nation brands around the world.
Hosted at the Guildhall in the City of London, the Forum will bring together a carefully curated audience of place brand leaders, tourism and investment DMOs, diplomats, policymakers, and corporate CMOs for meaningful dialogue, knowledge exchange, and international engagement.
The evening before the Forum on 20th May at 18.30-20.30, a Drinks Reception will be hosted at the Brand Exchange, a beautifully restored listed Edwardian building in the heart of the City of London. It will provide a relaxed setting for networking ahead of the next day's sessions.
Attendance is subject to approval, ensuring a carefully curated and relevant audience.
| 08.30 - 09.00 | Arrival & Registration |
| 09.00 - 09.10 | Welcome Address - Speech by David Haigh, Chairman & CEO, Brand Finance |
| 09.10 - 09.30 | Impact of Perceptions on Performance: Brand Finance Nation Brand Value 2026 Ranking - Presentation by Konrad Jagodzinski, Place Branding Director, Brand Finance |
| 09.30 - 10.15 | Creative Industries - Thematic Session |
| 10.15 - 11.00 | Attracting Tourism - Thematic Session |
| 11.00 - 11.30 | Refreshment Break |
| 11.30 - 13.00 | End-to-End Place Brand Stewardship: Strategy, Implementation, Evaluation - Interactive Workshop |
| 13.00 - 14.00 | Lunch Break |
| 14.00 - 14.20 | Keynote Speech |
| 14.20 - 15.05 | Attracting Investment - Thematic Session |
| 15.05 - 15.50 | Relationship between Place and Corporate Brands - Panel Discussion moderated by Paula Oliveira |
| 15.50 - 16.00 | Concluding Remarks - Speech by David Haigh, Chairman & CEO, Brand Finance |
David is the Chairman of Brand Finance Plc – the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. He has worked in the area of branded business, brand, and intangible asset valuation since 1991. He specialised entirely in the field after becoming the Director of Brand Valuation for Interbrand in 1995. He subsequently left Interbrand in 1996 to launch Brand Finance which is celebrating 25 years in business this year.
David represented the British Standards Institution in the working parties responsible for crafting international industry standards: ISO 10668 on Brand Valuation in 2010 and ISO 20671 on Brand Evaluation in 2019.
David is a passionate writer and has authored many articles on brand valuation, published in numerous marketing and finance newspapers and magazines, such as: Financial Times, Accountancy Age, and Marketing Week. He has also lectured on the topic of brand valuation for Harvard, Chicago, and London Business Schools.
David graduated from Bristol University with an English degree, qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in London, and obtained a postgraduate diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). He is a Fellow of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and has a practising certificate with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
Konrad leads Brand Finance’s place branding and soft power practice. He liaises with clients, directs consulting projects, and is responsible for the creation and promotion of the annual Global Soft Power Index, Nation Brands, and City Index studies.
Konrad has extensive experience in advising clients in the fields of place branding and public diplomacy. Before joining Brand Finance, he worked at the Polish Embassy in London where he developed and delivered successful marketing communications campaigns as well as media relations programmes of official engagements by the president, prime minister, government ministers, and the ambassador.
In his role at Brand Finance, Konrad has advised a variety of place branding organisations, including the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland Campaign, New Zealand Story, and Cape Town Tourism.
Before moving on to grow the place branding practice, Konrad was the Communications Director of Brand Finance and Managing Director of Brand Finance’s PR agency – Brand Dialogue for 5 years. He has a proven track record in executing integrated communications strategies, having been responsible for publishing nearly 100 industry and country reports on the world’s most valuable brands on an annual basis.
Konrad has qualified with the Professional PR Diploma from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR). He studied European Studies MA at King’s College London and the Humboldt University in Berlin, and International Relations with Political Science BA at the University of Birmingham.
Paula is a senior leader operating at executive and board levels in the intersection between strategy, branding, and sustainable development with experience in Europe, South America, and Asia. She worked with leading organisations such as the British Council, Samsung, Renault and Arcadis, helping to understand and grow the value of their brands. She also worked on strategic and multi-stakeholder engagement programs for non-profits such as the Gates Foundation, Forum for the Future and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.