Local people to have say on South West Region brand

A workshop taking place in Swansea on January 21 aims to involve local organisations, businesses and residents in creating a clear brand and identity for the South West Wales region.

The event, at Gower College, Swansea at 6pm, aims to establish a clearer vision for how to market the region and drive future developments in areas such as business, tourism and regeneration.

It has been organised by 4theRegion, a membership alliance working to bring about positive change in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.

The workshop, which is open to all, is one of two VIBE events taking place in the region this month. The other takes place at 6pm on January 20 at Pembrokeshire College, Haverfordwest.

“The goal is to co-create an inspiring and empowering regional identity – what’s our regional Vision, Identity, Brand and Emerging Future (VIBE)?” says 4theRegion founder and chair Dawn Lyle.

“At the moment, there is a proliferation of different ‘brands’ for different counties, for different purposes, such as tourism, business and regeneration.  What’s missing is a co-created, joined-up, shared identity – both how we see ourselves and how we want others to see us, as a region.

“We’re expecting people to talk about well-being, renewable energy, the outdoors, friendliness, creativity, food and more. We really want to get the voices of as many people as possible, to produce ‘vision boards’ for the region, as the first step in co-creating a new brand identity and key messages, which we ultimately hope everyone will use, and feel a sense of pride and ownership in, given that they have been involved in the process.”

The VIBE events will set a path for creating a common, cross sector, overarching regional brand, and agree how it sits alongside existing brands in various locations and sectors.

“Our proposal is that whatever we do, as communities, businesses and organisations in the region, we should be proud to do under the banner of South West Wales. And if we’re all doing that, then we are truly working together, for the region,” says Lyle.

4theRegion is also offering to run further VIBE workshops for major employers in the region.

Contact details for 4theRegion and booking links for the events can be found at https://www.4theregion.org.uk/our-events/.