Mayoral candidate Jack Yan is hosting a speaking tour in Europe starting next week as part of his 2010 mayoral bid.

Yan will present in a number of Swedish cities, as part of Swedish author Stefan Engeseth’s Unplugged Speeches series, where presenters are asked to speak without PowerPoint and other visual aids.

Yan will be speaking about branding and modern democracy in addition to promoting Wellington. He said that while on the journey he is on the lookout for opportunities for Wellington, including ideas that will enhance his free WiFi and creative cluster policies.

He also has appointments to learn about environmental programmes, as Sweden has announced that it will phase out fossil fuels by 2030.

Following his tour of Sweden, he will travel to Paris to speak and attend the 2010 Medinge Group think-tank awards ceremony, which hands out Brands with a Conscience prizes each year. Yan is a director of the Medinge Group.