The city is supposed to sell better outside and inside. It also costs a little to strengthen the business location and the city center.
Offenbach – it is difficult to quantify what the municipality and its companies are already spending on various budgets for external presentation and often project-related public relations. However, two numbers can illustrate how the magistrate is ready for financial strengthening: If the public relations office had previously had 175,000 euros available for a variety of often supportive measures, there is now a budget for 515,000 euros.
This sum is the pecuniary core of a new city marketing concept that the magistrate has approved. It goes back to an application from the Tanzania coalition in autumn 2016. If the city council approves, the Offenbach City Information Society (OSG) receives the order to reorganize city marketing for Offenbach in close cooperation with the business development agency. Other actors, for example in the field of culture or events, must be involved. “There will be such close and formalized coordination among one another for the first time,” says Mayor Felix Schwenke.
With him, the OSG Managing Directors Regina Preis (Stadtwerke) and Fabian El Cheikh (Public Relations Office) developed the concept. It is intended to bundle the measures that have so far been distributed to the city and its subsidiaries, with the aim of “strengthening Offenbach’s positive perception and the identification of citizens with their city”. The task for OSG and business development is to develop ideas together. Private actors can also show under this new roof “how exciting, innovative and lovable Offenbach is”.
City marketing in Offenbach will in future concentrate on six business areas: The business development agency, together with the OSG, will strengthen location and city center marketing; The OSG also brings in its expertise in the area of event, image, municipal and tourism marketing. Of the half a million euros mentioned, the conception and implementation of measures, material, grants for events as well as the necessary personnel and external service providers are to be financed.
OB Schwenke is expecting a lot from the new, coordinated self-marketing: It will help to place the advantages of Offenbach with its large commercial areas in the center of the Rhine-Main area in the shop window.
With the decision for the new organizational structure, business development and OSG were given the task of developing a concept for communication in the next step. This is intended to support the city in the exploitation of commercial space, for example in the Kaiserlei or on the future innovation campus (former Allessa or Clariant area), and in strengthening the city center.
While head of office Jürgen Amberger’s business development agency is promoting the support of the retail trade through its city management, the OSG is working together with the event specialists of the municipal utility company on a new festival program for the city center. The OSG draws particularly on the know-how of the stadium company Bieberer Berg (SBB).
Those who initiated the concept three and a half years ago are pleased with the result. An active settlement policy and help for the retailers and restaurateurs in the city, which are affected by the corona crisis, through an attractive event concept are now a priority, explains Tanzania partner FDP. In view of the pandemic, it is also important that the coalition and SPD mayor work together on this issue, which is vital for the city, says liberal city councilor Oliver Stirböck.
CDU parliamentary group leader Roland Walter recognizes the basis for targeted city marketing, as requested in the 2016 application, “Although the development took a long time, the CDU is very satisfied with the concept. Everyone involved coordinated very constructively with one another, ”praises Walter. Among other things, his coalition expects to try out innovative event concepts, just like in the stadium.
By Thomas Kirstein
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