When a company looks to grow, open new offices or expand into new geographies, far more is at stake than simply placing a pin on a map. Territory, talent, mobility, quality of life, culture and connectivity are among the factors that often shape these decisions.
International expansion rarely happens by chance. Before entering a new market, multinational companies typically go through structured evaluation processes known as site selection, where different locations are assessed according to a wide range of criteria.
Among the most important factors are access to qualified talent, proximity to universities and knowledge centres, operational costs, available infrastructure, international connectivity and the quality of life offered to employees.
According to research by McKinsey & Company, access to specialised talent and a location’s ability to attract highly skilled professionals are now among the most decisive factors in global expansion decisions. A similar trend is highlighted by the Harvard Business Review, which notes that companies increasingly seek cities capable of combining economic competitiveness with strong quality of life and international talent appeal.
International business media point in the same direction. Data from fDi Intelligence, the Financial Times publication dedicated to foreign direct investment analysis, show that territories able to combine talent, innovation, connectivity and quality of life tend to attract a higher number of international investment projects.
In reality, such decisions rarely depend on a single variable. They are typically the result of balancing multiple economic, social and cultural factors that, when aligned, create the right conditions for companies and people to thrive.
It was precisely from this reflection that Lionesa Quest emerged — an initiative by the Lionesa Business Hub designed to present Porto and Northern Portugal in a different way.
The concept starts with a simple idea: if choosing a destination is a strategic decision, why not explain it through a game?
Lionesa Quest invites business leaders, investors and decision-makers responsible for expansion strategies to sit down and experience a journey that simulates the discovery of a territory. Along the board, players encounter questions, challenges and unexpected moments that reveal different dimensions of Porto and Northern Portugal.
More than a board game, it becomes an interactive narrative about what makes the region competitive on a European scale.
Each move explores elements that help define the attractiveness of a territory: the talent developed in universities, the connection between companies and knowledge centres, cultural richness, the proximity between city, river and sea, and a quality of life that continues to attract people from around the world.
The Porto Metropolitan Area produces thousands of graduates every year in fields such as engineering, technology, management and sciences, contributing to a highly skilled labour market. This strong availability of talent has been one of the key drivers behind the growing presence of international companies in the region.
Mobility and connectivity further reinforce the territory’s attractiveness. The future reactivation of the Leixões Railway Line will connect the Lionesa Business Hub campus directly to Porto city centre in around 20 minutes, as well as to cities such as Vila Nova de Gaia, Espinho and Ovar. At the same time, the campus is integrated into the Leça Green Corridor, an 18-kilometre cycling route promoting more sustainable mobility solutions.
As the game progresses, it quickly becomes clear that many of the factors defining a territory’s attractiveness converge in the same place
Lionesa Business Hub currently brings together more than 120 companies, over 7,000 professionals and more than 50 nationalities, making it one of the most important business campuses in Portugal.
Beyond its business dimension, the campus offers a diverse ecosystem of services, culture and wellbeing initiatives. In 2025 alone, more than 50 free events were organised, engaging around 15,000 participants in activities ranging from training and networking to sports, wellbeing and community gatherings.
This model aims to create an environment where work, community and quality of life intersect on a daily basis
Lionesa Quest ultimately offers a different way of telling the story of a territory.
By transforming data, facts and regional characteristics into an interactive experience, the game demonstrates that choosing a place to live and work results from the combination of multiple factors that, when aligned, create the right conditions for both people and businesses to prosper.
And when the moment comes to choose Porto, the answer becomes clear.
Lionesa Business Hub brings all these elements together in one campus.
The concept behind Lionesa Quest goes beyond the board itself. To bring this idea to life, Lionesa Business Hub also developed a video that accompanies the campaign and visually translates this journey of discovery.
Through different moments of the game, the film illustrates how talent, culture, quality of life and innovation intersect in a region that continues to attract people and companies from around the world.
The video was produced by Ideias com Pernas, responsible for transforming the concept of the game into a visual narrative that follows the players’ journey and the discovery of the territory.
Watch the full video: