Promotion of the region using the example of the Sakhalin region was discussed at the RUSSIA EXPO
The discussion " Stories that Promote Regions. Based on the Example of Sakhalin Region Content" was held in the EISR studio at the International RUSSIA EXPO. The speakers shared their experience in promoting regional identity and brands, explained the importance of this activity for the development of the country. Special attention was paid to the issue of patriotic education — positive, socially-oriented content about the regions makes viewers feel proud of both the specific territory and Russia as a whole.
The discussion was attended by Daria Kislitsyna, Director of
the Department for Work with Regions of EISR, member of the Civic Chamber of
the Russian Federation; Irina Sayutina, creative producer, ambassador of unique
places, author of the project "VK Places" and the largest in Russia
blog tour "TopBLOG"; Larisa Ostapenko, Head of the Tourist
Information Centre of the Sakhalin Region; and Natalia Lindigrin, Director
General of the ANO "Institute of Regional Problems". The meeting was
moderated by Ekaterina Gumerova, Head of Communication Solutions Department of
Polylog Group.
The relevance of the discussion topic was justified by Daria
Kislitsyna. "Currently there is a deficit of regional brands in Russia,
insufficient awareness of citizens about the identity of different subjects of
the federation. All this creates a colossal space for work both for keen
professionals and, first of all, for the territories themselves. The region
should be interested in promoting its identity, as, for example, it is the case
in the Sakhalin region," the expert concluded. She also spoke about the
EISR projects aimed at promoting the agenda of the country's subjects. Among
them there is a six-year regular monitoring of management practices, as well as
discussions within the framework of the "Governors' Club" at major
federal platforms. And the project "Russia: Impulses of Development"
supported by Institute for Internet Development (IRI), whose participants tell
viewers about the organic combination of stability and development in the
regions.
Irina Sayutina immersed the discussion participants in the
tourism context of the Sakhalin region. The speaker described the initiatives
successfully implemented in the region, including, for example, a project to
develop surfing in Severo-Kurilsk. It was implemented with the support of the
federal program "More than a Trip", regional authorities and the city
administration. According to the speaker, the content created during the
project had significant media coverage and contributed to the promotion of the
territorial brand "Northern Kurils". Irina Sayutina also shared the
main principles of creating media products about the regions.
"Everything is based on stories that we create by first
of all evaluating the potentials of the territories, natural and ethnographic
features, interesting projects of people. For example, in Severo-Kurilsk we
tried a local dish — chebureks with octopus, the video with the recipe for
their preparation was a success on social networks and attracted a lot of
tourists. I am convinced that this dish can become a regional gastronomic brand
and surprise guests of the region. At the heart of our stories is always the
person. They live in a unique place and create amazing projects that they speak
about with passion. Their work transforms the location into a point of
attraction, and the content we create inspires millions of viewers and fosters
a love for our country," concluded the expert.
Continuing the conversation about the specifics of the
Sakhalin region, Larisa Ostapenko reported on the key areas of the region's
work to develop its tourist attractiveness. "The Sakhalin region is very
active in promoting event activities. This year alone we will have about eight
major public events, and this attracts people. Among them is the fifth Far East
Theater Festival, which started on June 17 in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. I am convinced
that the events of the festival are definitely worth seeing for everyone. But
our region is not only Sakhalin Island. We are actively developing tourism on
the rest of the territory. We have a surfers' school, and on Moneron Island we
have the coolest diving school in Russia," the speaker shared her
observations.
Larisa Ostapenko emphasized that the large number of events
contributes to the dissemination of stories about the region that held these
events throughout Russia. This, in turn, acts as a driver of development,
attracts investors and tourists to the region, and forms an ecological
environment that grows into a regional brand. The expert said that the Sakhalin
region is now actively promoting a new brand — "Sakhalin — a Beacon of
Russia".
"A public event acts as a news piece, which generates a
trail of various kinds of content. It plays one of the main roles in promoting
the region. It is an impeccable tool in terms of promotion of the region if the
event is held with high quality, if it is covered in the public space,"
summarized Natalia Lindigrin.
The expert noted that when planning an event it is very
important to think about how the content about it will be promoted in the
media. Natalia Lindigrin also reminded about the attractiveness of video
content, which is often actually appropriated by a person as a lived
experience. She drew the attention of the discussion participants to the value
of not only high-quality professional videos, but also user-generated content.
Thus, according to the expert, experienced travelers carefully study reviews on
various resources before going to a particular region, and it is important to
keep this in mind.
At the end of the discussion Ekaterina Gumerova emphasized that the promotion of regional identity in the public field is a synergy of content about the development of the territory, which is born in the professional community, as well as user-generated content, which is born on the initiative of people in love with the regions. This synergy also includes the work of the regional authorities to increase the tourist attractiveness of the territory. The key goal here is to inform the maximum number of citizens about the features of the federal subject. Ekaterina Gumerova emphasized that a significant role in promoting regional identity is also played by major federal events such as the RUSSIA EXPO. "The Exposition space gives each subject of the federation an opportunity to present the peculiarities of its territory, to share its unique atmosphere with visitors, and for visitors to touch the history, culture, traditions of different regions," the moderator noted.
The EISR Studio on the platform of the International RUSSIA
EXPO became a gathering point for expertise on the event lineup of the
Exposition and the socio-political agenda in general. Leading Russian political
scientists, sociologists, public figures and journalists regularly gather in the
studio to analyze the semantic field of the Exposition and important events in
the life of the country in the format of a live dialogue. The EISR studio is
located on the second floor of Pavilion No. 75 of VDNH, where expositions of
all Russian regions are presented.
The recording of the episode "Stories that Promote
Regions. Based on the Example of the Sakhalin Region Content" dated June
25, 2024: https://rutube.ru/video/5e2e715c6a86a767123325758a740f9b/.
The Foreign Minister
will speak at one of the key events of the Symposium - the panel discussion
"Future of Multipolar World."
The first event to be held at the Russia National Centre, which is being established by the order of President Vladimir Putin, will be the International Science Fiction Symposium and Exhibition "Inventing the Future". The symposium will take place from November 4 to 6.
Tomorrow, the International RUSSIA EXPO will conclude its work. From November 2023 to July 2024, it was visited by more than 18 million guests.