As we get ready for the first annual Houston Summit, I've been working on how to talk about Houston. It's tricky. I've run across some things that Paul O'Connor, who worked on developing a more focused identity for Chicago said…

Paul O’Connor on City Branding at the Memphis Tourism Foundation:

A central theme of Mr. O’Connor’s presentation was that a brand is not the same as a tagline or slogan. In fact, it’s something altogether different. It’s about what a city stands for – that one overriding thing that defines its essential character and how it’s different.

He also said look at what the city has passed down, and these are things which I think the city is passing down. Please feel free to add, comment, etc.

• A willingness to reinvent.
• Tolerance and curiosity toward people who are different.
• An experimental willingness to try new things.
• Having pride in our risk-takers, such as the wildcatters .
• A restless energy that overflows its boundaries.
• Affection for the frontier spirit, seen in our rodeo and at NASA.