19th CityDNA CEO Meeting 2026, Barcelona
Join peer CEOs to openly discuss and strategize about the future of your organisation, share best practices in innovation, change management. From budget constraints and political changes, digital transformation in the visitor experience, sustainability and shifting visitor behaviours, the CEO Meeting will explore key challenges faced by our DMOs’ leadership and explore key paths for success and transformation.
Leading Europe’s Visitor Economy: Reputation, Community Trust & Global Competitiveness
Day 1 – Understanding Reputation Under Pressure
Day 1 explores how global turbulence, shifting public expectations and sustainability debates impact the reputation of urban destinations. The programme moves from a high-level overview of key risks and trends to a focused exchange on the pressures DMOs face in their daily reality – from resident relations and political scrutiny to competitiveness and media perception. Case examples illustrate how destinations are actively rebuilding trust through concrete action rather than messaging alone. The day closes by linking these insights to European policy priorities and to CityDNA’s collective role in strengthening the reputation and resilience of cities.
Day 2 – From Insight to a Shared Reputation Framework
Day 2 is dedicated to turning reflection into a shared roadmap. The morning frames how reputation connects with long-term urban development, housing, governance and social balance. CEOs then work in smaller groups on practical approaches to rebuilding trust with communities, improving transparency, and aligning stakeholders around a common narrative. The outcome of the day is the co-creation of a CityDNA Reputation & Resilience Framework, capturing principles, priorities and actions that members can apply locally and that CityDNA can use to inform its contribution to the EU Tourism Strategy 2026.
Location
In 2026, Barcelona has been named World Capital of Architecture by UNESCO-UIA, becoming a global epicentre for architectural innovation and urban dialogue from February to December.
What better setting for the CityDNA CEO Meeting 2026 than a city that reinvents itself through creativity, shared knowledge, and meaningful connections?
We invite you to experience Barcelona not just as a destination, but as a conversation on the future of urban tourism — at a time when cities around the world look to design, culture, and collaboration. to shape what’s next.
Conditions
- Participants must be CEOs of member DMOs or receive a personal invitation if they are not members yet.
- Invitation is reserved to the CEO of the invited organisations and cannot be transferred.
Partner
This event is sponsored by our Industry Partner
