All about HMS23:
History Marketing Summit 2023

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On 5 Oct 2023, we held our sixth History Marketing Summit. A day about companies' use of history and the benefits they see in actively using their heritage to drive today's business. Photo: Stina Stjernkvist

On 5 Oct 2023, we held our sixth History Marketing Summit. A full day with companies who actively use their history as a strategic asset.

This year with the City Hall of Stockholm, Elekta, Autoliv, Atlas Copco, Embracer Games Archives, Irish Distillers (Ireland) and Bosch (Germany).  We spoke about the importance of “Sweden” as a brand for Swedish companies abroad with the Swedish Institute, Business Sweden and the Swedish embassy in Berlin. Gerald Engström closed with a key note about his entrepreneurial journey with Systemair. And just like at HMS16, HMS17, HMS18, HMS19 and HMS 21, we filmed all the presentations. Scroll down and see this year’s speakers. Each presentation is between 20-25 minutes. 

Svante Hådell, City of Stockholm: This is how we celebrated the City Hall Centennial  

In 1923, Stockholm City Hall was inaugurated with pomp and grandeur. This year, the 100th anniversary of this event is being celebrated with a book, exhibitions, activities, open houses, and more. But why do we celebrate a building, no matter how magnificent it may be? Svante Hådell, protocol chief of the City of Stockholm and head of the City Hall centennial celebration, explains.

Elekta, Autoliv and Atlas Copco: This is how we celebrated our anniversaries 

Three B2B companies, all of which recently celebrated anniversaries, share how they have seized the opportunity to strengthen their organization and brand during these anniversaries: Elekta (50 years), Autoliv (70 years), and Atlas Copco (150 years).

Go directly to the individual speakers:

Carol Quinn, Irish Distillers: Keeping Jameson’s heritage alive – and using it for today’s business.

Since 1780, Jameson whiskey has been made in Ireland. Carol Quinn, archivist at the parent company Irish Distillers, keeps the brand’s history alive for its benefit. She also assists product developers when entirely new products are being created – drawing inspiration from the past.

Dietrich Kuhlgatz, Bosch: Keeping the history alive in a global B2B-company

The engineering company Bosch was founded by Robert Bosch in 1886 in a small factory with two workers. How the company has grown and navigated both successes and challenges is known to the company’s own historian, Dietrich Kuhlgatz, who ensures that the history is kept alive internally.

David Boström, Embracer Games Archives: How to build an industry-wide archive  

In 2022, the Swedish gaming giant Embracer started an archive near its headquarters in Karlstad – not for its own history but to preserve the entire gaming industry’s history, including competing products. Why does an individual company take such industry responsibility? And how do you create an archive from scratch? Archive Manager David Boström explains.

How useful is “Sweden” as a brand for Swedish companies abroad – Panel with Swedish Institute, Business Sweden, and the Swedish Embassy in Berlin.

Abroad, Swedish companies build their brands to varying degrees based on their “Swedishness.” How does the general image of Sweden really affect the success of Swedish companies overseas? How has it changed over time? Representatives from the Swedish Institute, Business Sweden, and the Swedish Embassy in Berlin discussed this.

Go directly to the opening presentations of each speaker:

Gerald Engström: My entrepreneurial journey with Systemair.

The closing speaker at HMS23 this year was Gerald Engström. Since 1974, starting from Skinnskatteberg, he has grown the ventilation company Systemair into a global giant. Through his Färna Invest, he invests in other companies, such as when he recently bought the bankrupt clothing chain Indiska to restructure it. Gerald’s entrepreneurial journey with Systemair is a piece of contemporary business history.

Anders Sjöman: A new book about History Marketing!

A company’s history is always worth highlighting. But how can forward-thinking companies use history as a business-driving asset? This is the topic of “HISTORY MARKETING – Using history as corporate strategic asset,” a brand new book released just in time for HMS23. The book’s author and the communications chief of the Center for Business History, Anders Sjöman, share more about its contents.


Photos from the day. (Photo: Stina Stjernkvist.)

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