LJUBLJANA – UNESCO City of Literature

Ljubljana is a vibrant literary center with around 850 books published annually. It has a dynamic creative scene and hosts a number of major international events. It hosts numerous international events including the renowned Fabula Festival, attracting over 60 acclaimed writers each year. Initiatives like Reading Under the Trees, Literary Walks, and Ljubljana Reads enrich public space and promote reading, particularly among youth The city provides free spaces for cultural activities and fosters creative infrastructure for artists, encouraging the development of cultural industries.

KATOWICE, Poland – UNESCO City of Music

The development of Katowice, a city in Poland, was deeply marked by the industrial age. Under the motto "from heavy industry to creative industry", Katowice invests in creative and cultural industries with the aim of revitalizing and regenerating the city. The city invests €45 million annually into the development of its creative economy, focusing especially on revitalizing music-related cultural spaces. With roots in amateur choirs and orchestras, today's music scene spans genres from classical to rock, jazz, baroque, electronic, and rap, featuring 27 music festivals that generate €2.7 million in annual revenue.

ALBA IULIA – Branding for Sustainable Cultural Tourism

This Romanian city addressed visibility challenges typical of small and mid-sized European cities by developing an integrated branding strategy. The city has a rich history and complex heritage that was almost in ruins, on the basis of which an integrated approach to city branding was built, directly linked to the city's strategic plans. Through strategic positioning and valorization of resources and strengthening of local identity, the city has positioned itself as a recognizable place for investors, tourists and citizens. As part of the city branding project, the cultural heritage was restored, the number of city residents increased due to the increase in the number of jobs as well as the number of tourists.

GRAZ – UNESCO City of Design

Graz has two historical monuments on the UNESCO World Heritage List and has been building its design city strategy since 2003. when it was the European Capital of Culture. Since 2011. is in the UNESCO network of creative cities as a city of design. Recognizing design as an approach to urban culture, Graz has assigned a leading role in shaping the living environment to intelligent design and valorizes both the aesthetic component of design and its ability to facilitate everyday life. Graz intends to justify its title of city of design with a major improvement of the economic and tourist sector in the metropolitan area of ​​Graz. For this purpose, the association Creative Industries Styria was founded to contribute to the promotion of international cooperation and to facilitate the creation of connections with the private sector, as Graz is also home to many innovative companies that recognize the role of design and creativity as unique opportunities for innovation.