With increasing demand for IT storage, the data centre industry is growing fast and seeking out locations in cold climates that offer cheap, renewable energy and a reliable power supply – all attributes northern Europe possesses in abundance.

With the hosting of large, international events leading to palpable increases in foreign investment in a handful of cities across Europe, more and more locations are keen to replicate this success and are working on developing their reputations in the trade events space.

Denmark has been struggling to attract FDi in the past few years, with its 'investment gap' reaching a towering €69bn in 2012. Despite its highly skilled workforce and reputation for innovation, the country's high costs are perceived to be putting off would-be investors. So what can be done?

Beyond the US megacities, several second-tier cities – Seattle, Columbus, San Antonio, Minneapolis/St Paul, San Diego and Portland – are in search of FDI to promote their positions on the world stage. Karen E Thuermer discovers how a major new investment initiative could help them find it.

The Chinese city of Tianjin may lie in the shadow of investment behemoths Beijing and Shanghai, but it is still at the forefront of the country’s high-tech focus, with the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area central to its strong FDI appeal.

The sheer number of start-up companies emerging in hi-tech sectors in Edinburgh is a testament to the city's highly educated workforce, its pro-business environment and its proximity to financial services firms offering to fund these new entrepreneurs.

At the World Economic Forum meeting on Africa in Cape Town in May, fDi spoke to leading officials from three African countries that are implementing strategies to improve their records for attracting foreign investment.