Client: KME Karlsruhe Marketing and Event GmbH
Project period: April 2022 – November 2022
The project in brief
Which events suit a city? Which events are missing? And which ones actually harm a city and city brand? On behalf of KME Karlsruhe Marketing und Event GmbH, we analyzed these questions for Karlsruhe (approx. 306,000 inhabitants). The result of our strategic consulting, together with Christoph Thoma from Culturelab:
- a catalog of event criteria along the brand core and brand environment,
- an analysis of the urban spaces and
- an action plan including format ideas for Karlsruhe.
“City as a stage“A choreography for Karlsruhe
Competition between cities can be tough – and the coronavirus pandemic has made it even tougher and more complex. In order to survive in this competition, a clear profile is needed that builds on a city’s DNA and focuses on its strengths.
Events make a relevant contribution to the unique and unmistakable positioning of a city. They bring public spaces and urban reference points to life, generate positive emotions and activate identification processes. But how do you make the step from the city as a passive “backdrop” to the strategic staging of a city as a stage for the entire urban society?
Our approachWith a holistic event strategy – a kind of choreography that plays out urban spaces according to different formats and needs, and at the same time connects them with the overall staging of a city. This is a significant contribution to positioning a city as an attractive place to live, work and experience.
Karlsruhe has generated new spaces in the city center. The basis for this: an extensive brand process and comprehensive urban development. Our task was to analyze and classify existing places and events – and to develop event and space concepts that do justice to the city’s DNA.
3 phases to a new event strategy
1. status quo and preparation
- Analysis of existing studies, concepts and plans.
- Clustering of squares and urban spaces.
2. develop event criteria and action concept
- Discussion of the current status quo, the data situation and local perceptions.
- Analysis of the city’s most important stakeholders and players.
- Development of event criteria and an action plan:
- What does the city brand / city identity mean for the city’s event strategy?
- Which existing events suit the city? Which are unique / positively boost the perception of the city?
- Further development: How can existing events be better aligned with the city’s brand content?
- New development: Which new formats strengthen the city’s positioning?
- Location: Are there alternative places to hold the event?
- Termination: Which events do not strengthen the brand or even weaken it? What should we say goodbye to?
3. implement event strategy
In addition to the event criteria and the action plan, we developed recommendations for the organizational structure – for the sustainable implementation of “City as Stage“.
From now on, the KWE can use the jointly developed event criteria for Karlsruhe and build a sustainable event structure in the city that strengthens the city brand.
The development of our city center away from a pure “trading place” to an experience space remains the greatest challenge of our time. Stadtmanufaktur is accompanying us on this journey with the concept “The city as a stage”, in which our city’s squares are analyzed and new forms of entertainment are explored.
The wealth of experience of Thorsten Kausch and his colleagues is a key to successful collaboration. In addition, as a member of the CEO Circle, I always keep abreast of developments in city, urban and event marketing. Karlsruhe wants to play in the Bundesliga with its city center – that requires coaching and networks at exactly this level.
