Building Global Recognition for the North Bund Forum | East Star Case Study
About the Event:
INCON Partner: East Star
Event Name: North Bund Forum
Dates: October 2021–2024
Location: Shanghai, China
Event Website: northbundforum.com
The North Bund Forum is co-hosted by the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government and the Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China to gain deep insights into industry trends and to boost international exchange and coooperation. It convenes government officials, heads of international organizations, leading enterprises, agencies, experts, and scholars from over 50 countries and regions. As the main organizer and core PCO, East Star provided one-stop event solutions and integrated marketing services, helping the Forum hold four successful sessions and establish strong international brand awareness in the global shipping and aviation sectors.
The Main Venue of 2021 North Bund Forum
Background:
Within the international port economy sector, the North Bund Forum emerges as a novel endeavor. The organizing committee aspires to leverage East Star's proficiency in orchestrating and executing international events, expeditiously evolving it into a globally oriented, professional platform for exchanges. As a brand demanding long-term cultivation, the North Bund Forum is centrally dedicated to facilitating economic collaboration among global ports.
Challenges:
Craft a precise, fitting, and differentiated brand positioning
Forge international brand recognition and trust equity from the ground up
Maintain consistent brand tone across all-inclusive operational strategies
Convert short-term traffic into long-term engagement and recognition for the forum
Solutions:
Positioning the Brand and Establishing Long-term Vision:
The first step in building the brand was to lock in its core positioning. East Star team recommended leveraging a key advantage: the forum’s backing by government authorities, which grants us a broader perspective and more international cooperation opportunities, enabling us to position the forum as an international, high-end, and professional platform for opinion exchange.
This positioning delivered dual value: It enabled us to tap into speaker resources through official endorsements, drawing industry attention initially via authoritative experts, while it leveraged the government’s ability to issue policies and shape industry rules, fostering international collaboration to drive the industry’s sound and sustainable development.
Guided by this positioning, we mapped niche topics under the two core themes of maritime shipping and aviation. We finalized 6 key tracks—including Decarbonizing Shipping and Ports, Digitalization and Intelligentization, Safety and Cooperation, Rescue and Salvage, Judiciary and Arbitration. By facilitating in-depth discussions on these industry hot-spot issues, we aimed to attract professionals from targeted vertical segments.
Project Release of 2023 North Bund Forum
Building Recognizable Visual Symbols and Brand Imagery:
For a new brand, first impressions often start with visuals. Creating a memorable logo as the brand’s signature was therefore critical to shaping its external image. Drawing on Shanghai’s global influence (the forum’s host city), we designed a sleek and elegant logo for the North Bund Forum—inspired by the curving shoreline of the Huangpu River. This winding line symbolized our vision for the industry’s sustainable growth.
After the logo received widespread acclaim upon its 2021 launch, we refined our understanding of the forum’s diverse use cases and developed a comprehensive VI (Visual Identity) manual. While preserving consistent brand tone, we expanded the visual system by deriving iconic graphic elements from the logo’s curve.
The Design Concept of NBF LOGO
Atmosphere layout in public areas
We also established a color palette: deep sea blue and sky blue represented the maritime and aviation sectors, respectively.Additionally, each thematic sub-forum was assigned a unique accent color. This not only enriched visual expression across promotional materials but also reinforced the forum’s mission—to facilitate opinion exchange and in-depth discussions on key industry topics.
Establishing Key Technology Carrier for Brand Resonance:
To reach audiences more efficiently and precisely, East Star team prioritized a digital management strategy from the start: simultaneous development of core systems and the official website.
Registration System & Speaker Information Collection System
Collecting attendee and speaker data via online systems streamlined processes—creating an initial impression of professionalism and efficiency for participants. More importantly, it laid the groundwork for building detailed user profiles. Data analysis from these profiles later informed the optimization of topics and agendas.
Official Forum Website
Official Website of North Bund Forum
The website served as the forum’s "official business card," integrating its core positioning and centralizing all critical information: agenda schedules, speaker lineups, industry news, high-level interviews, and past forum recaps—offering attendees a one-stop resource. With SEO optimization and an embedded live-streaming portal, the official website also expanded audience reach:Industry users could easily find the forum via search engines, while Online attendees are able to break geographical barriers through live streams access.
These systems and the website worked in synergy: supported by professional content, digital tools extended audience reach, encouraged long-term subscriptions, and fostered engagement through open sections (e.g., topic suggestions, outcome submissions). This ultimately boosted user stickiness and loyalty.
Expanding Multi-Channel Marketing and Media Engagement:
To sustainably grow brand visibility, we developed an omni-channel promotion strategy for the North Bund Forum:
Online Channels: Official website, email newsletters, WeChat Official Account, and WeChat Channels.
Offline Channels: Overseas roadshows, press conferences, and subway advertising.
In the meantime, we also built a full-spectrum media network to maximize exposure:
High-Reach Domestic & International Official/Major Media for deepening brand salience: China Daily, JIEFANG Daily, Shanghai Daily, Seatrade Maritime, Lloyd’s List.
Vertical Niche Media for end-to-end brand coverage: China Water Transport, China Shipping Gazette, Beyond Shipping.
Professional Financial Media for in-depth content and high-level interviews: YICAI Media Group, XINHUA Finance.
This multi-channel collaboration strategy generated over 19,000 multilingual news coverage—transforming the brand’s perception from "unknown" to "industry benchmark."
2025 North Bund Forum Dubai Promotional Seminar
Outcomes:
10,700+ on-site attendees
38,000,000+ online participants
1,000+ government agencies, enterprises, and organizations represented
600+ expert speakers
90+ projects released
Feedback:
Arsenio Dominguez, as the Secretary General of International Maritime Organization (IMO), stated that with the theme of "Digital, Smart & Green - Co-creating a New Ecosystem of Global Shipping and Aviation", 2024 North Bund Forum perfectly aligns with the mission and vision of the International Maritime Organization. IMO is committed to ensuring safe, reliable, and sustainable shipping, continuously improving regulatory frameworks to address the most pressing challenges in the industry, including climate change and the rapid development of digitization and automation.
Juan Carlos Salazar, Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), stated in his opening speech of 2024 North Bund Forum that it provides an important opportunity for participants to exchange knowledge and plan important issues related to the focus and main activities of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
ABOUT INCON EVENT ORGANISER
INCON Partner: East Star
HQ: Shanghai, China
East Star Event Management Co., Ltd. is a professional PRIME (PR, Incentive, Meeting, and Events) service provider affiliated to Donghao Lansheng (Group) Co., Ltd in China. East Star specializes in meeting and event services as well as incentive and business travel. East Star provides corporate clients as well as domestic & international associations with a full-service solution including inbound & Outbound Events and Exhibition management, Public Relations, Virtual and Hybrid Events Management, Education & Training, Team-building, and Incentive Tours.