Beyond place marketing: culture activities and value creation in territories. The proposal of a relational model and its first application

Cultural activities are increasingly regarded as crucial resources. The phenomenon has been studied in recent years by diverse strands of research, which approach the topic from several points of view: the economic performances of regions (Porter 2003), the marketing attractiveness of cultural events (Kotler Haider Rein 1993), localisation distribution (Scott 2000), social mobility and its consequences on health (Florida 2005a,b). In most cases, these studies have not taken account of a factor that in my opinion is crucial for understanding the nature and effects of cultural activities: the relational dimension. The paper proposes a relational model with which to understand the cognitive value created by cultural events organization at local level; it takes multidisciplinary account of diverse schools of thought. Analysis is made of the cases of two Italian cities which have recently mounted successful cultural initiatives: Brescia (with Lo splendore dell’arte) and Mantua (with Festivaletteratura).