ABSTRACT
The third network, the research network, what happened with that? One might say that it
lost its role in the process as the involved stakeholders lost their interest in the process. The
proactive dimension of the research approach, the provision of knowledge and reflections
along the way, could not prevent the real processes from eroding. What started out as a
mutual learning process among researchers and practitioners could not survive the harsh
realism at hand. In the longer term, we hope and believe that the knowledge generated
is relevant in other places, at other times, where grand event ideas and destination
brand themes are emerging.
