The first micro-region created in Kolozs/Cluj county with 12 municipalities is participating in a branding project covering all details. It is not only promoting the region, but it assumes the organizing of various activities, events, the creation of the brand drawing in the local communities also to attract tourists.
The micro-region located on the route of Kolozsvár/Cluj-Dés/Dej and along the river Kis-Szamos/Small Szamos incorporates twelve settlements: it compresses the values of Kecsed/Alunis, Apahida/Apahida, Alparét/Bobalna, Bonchida/Bontida, Kolozsborsa/Borsa, Magyarszarvaskend/Cornesti, Doboka/Dabaca, Nagyiklód/Iclod, Zsuk/Jucu, Ördöngösfüzes/Fizesu Gherlii, Szék/Sic and Borsaújfalu/Vultureni. CLIMB, The Center of Local Brand Names of Kolozsvár/Cluj deals with the coordination of the brand building project related to the micro-region. The objective is to reach results in a short period of time, that would be useful and tangible for the local communities beyond for example just building a website. They would organize events and activities in the municipalities to draw in an audience with a higher income, that wish to relax.
The collective website created by the Center of Local Brand Names of Kolozsvár/Cluj already exists, this is where such novelties are published as for example the opening of a new restaurant on the route to Dés, the Open Day of the Bánffy Castle of Bonchida organized on the 7th of April, or the schedule of the Electric Castle festival.
“We are speaking of a region that has the famous castles of the Bánffys and other noble families, that is full of houses made of lava rock, where there are beautiful meadows, but also where rare species of butterflies and reed can be found, that form a smaller Transylvanian delta. Besides that, non-governmental organizations operate here that carry on the traditions of popular dances and costumes. Also the small businesses and the artists who moved away from the city have discovered the region”, the initiators said. According to the masterminds of the project the hardest part will be to convince people, that the initiatives made with common efforts will bear fruit. In order to achieve this, they organized informative caravans in the territories involved, they’ve talked with local event organizers, with the professionals dealing with the protected natural areas, with the mayors and with the representatives of state authorities.
According to the masterminds of the initiative they must achieve the micro-region to be discovered by affluent people interested in local specificities, whom can only be drawn in with interesting events. Thus, the visitors can spend a day or two, they can relax while at the same time support the local community, because the guests can buy from local primary producers. The community website created will not only be a communications and promotional platform, but it will also promote the events happening in the neighborhood.
“We realized that besides developing the brand name, rural development also awaits us. Thus we consider ourselves to be booted marketing specialists. We left the creative part of the brand name building to the end: the strategy, the name, the slogan and the logo. We will develop the adequate details of the image taking into consideration the past and mainly the future of the region and the proximity of Kolozsvár, and the effect of its development on the region is not negligible either – the collaborators of the initiative state.
The project will be financed from the National Rural Development Fund. The delivery time of the project is 11 months, that will end this summer.
Featured image: Méra, Kalotaszeg region, Source: paleximage
