Place marketing is all about driving economic development — whether it’s a bustling downtown district, a scenic region, or even an entire country — to encourage people to visit, explore, and spend their time (and money) there. For place marketing teams, this work is vital to boosting local economies, fostering community pride, and ensuring long-term growth.

Why Place Marketing Matters

At its core, place marketing is about connection — connecting people to places, experiences, and businesses. Here’s how different organizations approach it:

• Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs): Focus on driving tourism and overnight stays, often targeting visitors from 50+ miles away.
• Economic Development Departments: Promote business growth and support local campaigns that encourage spending.
• Chambers of Commerce: Build community pride and boost the success of local businesses by driving engagement with residents.
• Business Improvement Districts and Neighborhood Coalitions: Create vibrant districts through collaborative marketing and events.

No matter the organization, the goal remains the same: make your place shine as a destination worth visiting and investing in.

From eye-catching branding campaigns to hosting dazzling events, place marketing comes in many forms. And while each initiative is unique, there’s one thing they all have in common: success depends on tools that can engage audiences, spark excitement, and drive action.

That’s where Proxi comes in.

How Proxi Elevates Place Marketing

Proxi is the perfect partner for your place marketing campaigns, offering a modern, user-friendly digital and paper mapping tool that helps place marketers tell their stories in visually compelling, actionable ways.

Build Visitor-Focused Campaigns

Place branding campaigns, like Visit Hood River, can shine with Proxi’s interactive mapping tools. Proxi combines spatial orientation, customization, and conversion-driving call-to-actions (CTAs) to create engaging, action-oriented maps. Here’s how:

Showcase Landmarks and Places of Interest: Appeal to travelers by highlighting must-see spots and lesser-known gems.

Customize Your Map: Brand your map with your logo, colors, and messaging to reinforce your identity.

Drive Conversions: Add links to booking platforms, itineraries, or local guides to turn interest into action.

Gamify the Experience: Create passport challenges or scavenger hunts to encourage exploration and repeat visits.

Visit Hood River leverages Proxi to power their ‘Find Your Fun’ search tool, accessible on their website and via QR codes on maps placed throughout the city. They've created a collection of niche-interest maps to guide visitors to the best local spots. Each map point includes engaging descriptions, vibrant images, and actionable links like Book Now, Learn More, or Get Directions—making it easy for users to turn inspiration into action.

Proxi’s built-in analytics portal tracks key metrics such as views, engagements, and conversions, providing Visit Hood River with valuable insights. This data helps them refine their marketing strategies and quantify the impact of their efforts, ensuring ongoing success.

Streamline Convention Hosting

Convention planners need clear, detailed information to make confident decisions about their host locations. Proxi’s interactive mapping tools simplify the process by providing engaging, actionable maps tailored to their needs. Here’s how:

Highlight Key Amenities: Showcase venues, hotels, transportation routes, dining options, and local attractions in one easy-to-navigate map.

Track Engagement: Use Proxi’s analytics to measure visitor interactions and refine your pitch to meet planners' expectations.

Visit Detroit uses Proxi to create custom maps for each visiting convention. These maps include transportation routes to conference centers, parking options, and curated points of interest for attendees to explore. Local hotels are prominently featured to encourage bookings and drive revenue, while sponsor logos are seamlessly integrated to highlight partnerships and funding sources.

With Proxi, Visit Detroit ensures their maps are not just functional, but also a strategic tool to enhance the convention experience, impress planners, and generate local economic impact.

Showcase Events with Interactive Maps

Imagine bringing your city’s holiday market or summer festival to life with an interactive map. Proxi’s powerful features make it easy to create a seamless, engaging experience for event attendees. Here’s how:

Add Points of Interest: Highlight vendor stalls, food trucks, parking areas, event stages, and more, so visitors know exactly where to go.

Enhance with Multimedia: Include photos, videos, and links to provide additional context or promote vendors and sponsors.

Optimize for Mobile: Make your maps mobile-friendly to ensure easy access for visitors on the go.

The Annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival hosted by Arcata Bay Chamber of Commerce  uses Proxi to create a detailed, interactive map that guides attendees to vendor booths, entertainment stages, and parking zones. The map also features photos and descriptions for each point of interest, along with quick links to purchase tickets, learn more about vendors, or find directions — all accessible from any device.

With Proxi, your event maps become more than just a guide — they transform into a tool that enhances attendee experience, promotes local businesses, and supports event success.

Strengthen Community Ties

Proxi isn’t just a tool for attracting tourists; it’s a powerful way to engage your local community. By creating maps tailored to residents, you can foster stronger connections and encourage local exploration. Here’s how:

Highlight Small Businesses and Local Events: Showcase the best local shops, restaurants, and upcoming events to support and promote the neighborhood.

Promote Shop-Local Campaigns: Create maps that highlight local businesses, especially during holiday seasons, to encourage residents to shop locally.

Encourage Neighborhood Discovery: Map out lesser-known areas or districts to encourage residents to explore new parts of their city.

Example: Visit Vancouver, WA uses Proxi to create interactive holiday guides that highlight local shopping opportunities, special deals, and festive events. Their maps promote shop-local campaigns by directing residents to participating businesses and featuring local events like holiday markets and light displays. The map encourages community members to explore their own city and support small businesses during the busy holiday season.

By using Proxi, Visit Vancouver, WA strengthens community ties, boosts local commerce, and invites residents to experience the best of their own backyard.

Ready to Elevate Your Place Marketing?

Whether you’re a DMO planning a regional campaign or a local chamber promoting a shop-local event, Proxi helps you connect with your audience in a meaningful way.

Start mapping today, and turn your location into a destination.

Explore Proxi for Place Marketing