How Berlin changed its' dark image into a smart city for creative people

The history of Berlin has a lot of dark spots: for a long time the German capital was separated into two parts during the Cold War years. The Berlin Wall was demolished in 1990 but the image of a defective, separated city remained here for years. Many prejudices about Germany, Germans, their clumsy language and ambiguous history aloud corrupt impression of today’s Berlin: it is the centre of cultural and social life of Germany and the base of European economics and policy. In 2008 new branding program “Be Berlin” was realized to cure tourists, investors and residents of these unpleasant associations and to make an image of modern and smart city for creative and ambitious people.

Berlin Partner GmbH was founded in the summer of 2007 to promote and implement PR campaign of Berlin. Strategic objective of this program was to show strong sides and possibilities of Berlin and which is more all they had to be told by the Berliners themselves.

The 11th of March, 2009 Berlin major Klaus Wowereit launched “Be Berlin” program. Berlin administration in common with Deutsche Post sent thousands of letters and post cards “Be Berlin” and asked people to write their interesting cases, tell their stories of success, their thoughts about native city. And people answered: during some months citizens were writing their stories and the best of them were published on the project’s web-site.

Next four years the program developed very systematically and with great scale. The best participants of program were invited to city administration and got titles of the Ambassadors of Berlin. Their task was popularizing of Berlin and its brand everywhere.

New Berlin design was created: it was an excellent combination of gray-scarlet-blue letters, figures and forms. Advertisement was everywhere: on the billboards, advertisement columns, post cards, in metro. Outstanding Berlin musician Paul van Dyk created music for this marketing campaign and director Robert Thalheim shot a film with key message: Join us!

Berliners together wrote the largest declaration of love. This amorous consisted of 2,000 messages written on the stickers and got stuck on the floors of 8 railway stations. This event got kindliest responses of residents and united them in this mater. Also people published on the campaign web-site (www.be.berlin.de) reasons why they love Berlin and these messages “Reason of a day to love Berlin” appeared in metro twice a day.

“Be a star of a night” was a name of Fire Festival in Berlin. People could see their names projected on Brandenbourgh Gates. All these and a lot of other mass activities joined variegated city residents under one word “Berliner”. Successful experience of city branding didn’t stop here and in the next years branding program appeared at the world level and soon was recognized like one of the most efficient city branding campaigns in the world.

The first year the marketing campaign was organized only on regional level and its main purpose was to develop strong feeling of identification between people. Just for the first six months the campaign achieved a high level of recognition, 65% of Berliners said that they’re ready to become the Ambassador of Berlin. According to public opinion poll the choice “to live in Berlin” for Europeans became more attractive for three years of campaign in 30%, and the choice “to work in Berlin” – in 45%.


by Valentin Ivanov

For more information please visit ID-reel.com 
Or join us on Facebook and LinkedIn

Five ways to make drivers to get on a bus

Traffic jams is headache for every city. As for Moscow, it is the most important question to decide. Traffic lanes for public conveyance appear, the subway lines lengthen and fines for illegal parking are growing. Let’s look into non-trivial experience of five cities all over the world where city powers try to make drivers to get on the public conveyances. 

Zurich: to make drivers’ life very difficult 

Zurich city powers decided to go to direct conflict with drivers. Their initiatives intend to do the driving in the city centre unpleasant as much as possible: local drivers always undergo psychological attacks. 

So, it is forbidden to drive in many blocks around the Lovenplatz, one of the most crowded squares of Zurich. On the streets where it’s allowed to go by car there are serious speed limits: people can cross the road in any place the want and at any time. Moreover a lot of underground passages are closed down and drivers now are forces to come to a halt more frequently. . Andy Fellman, the manager of the public conveyances department of Zurich says: “Car traffic now is very difficult, drivers make a lot of stopping, and it’s our aim. We intend to give public space to pedestrians and not to simplify the drivers’ life”.

This tough policy became very efficient and provoked tides of discontent. During last five years the number of public conveyances passengers increased in 22%. There are special traffic lanes for buses to avoid traffic jams. Besides that the idea of bicycles is propagandized actively: there are a lot of bicycle paths and free cycle parkings in Zurich.

Not long ago in Zurich the Sihlcity Mall was opened, it is bigger than the New-York Atlantic Mall in three times but has parking places less. Therefore 70% customers go here by bus.

Leipzig: free tickets’ trial version

In East German Leipzig the city powers approach the question from psychological viewpoint. They started the project “Driving licence is your bus ticket”. The aim is to show the public conveyances advantages to the drivers. In April the driving licence conferred a right on free pass by buses, tramways and suburban trains. In addition not only the car owner but the whole his family could use this right. Monthly ticket in Leipzig costs 46.92 euros.

This method is like trial version of some computer program. You get accustomed it and already buy the overall cost. Interest is true: practical Germans very like the idea of familiarization free pass. Besides Leipzig is small town and a lot of citizens went for a work through some blocks without think about public conveyance using. The community appreciated at its true value. Ulf Middelberg, the manager of the public conveyance department of Leipzig says: “Thanks to this action we want to break habits. It is a small step towards to weekly, monthly or yearly ticket. It is the best possibility to economize money”. But probably such system isn’t acceptable with big cities where distances are too big.

Tokyo: technological decisions

In the Japanese capital getting to public conveyances is a job of various institutions. The displays with public conveyances popularization are installed all over the city. Policemen and private companies (since the 90s) can fine for the illegal parking right on the spot. The result showed shortly: 80% illegally parked cars disappeared from the main streets and the traffic jams shortened in 40%.

The public conveyances became very comfortable: for example, traffic lights are always green for buses. All buses have GPRS and traffic controllers can check their movements according to timetable. Although the Tokyo metro is the most intricate system in the world it is like clock-work. Waiting time is about two minutes. To increase capaciousness there are two-storeyed trains.

And even people prefer the cars to the buses their movement is organized very technologically. VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) is installed in all standard equipment cars and gives drivers information about traffic jams, time of movement, parking places and roads repairs.

Belfast: without car from little up

Now Belfast is in the top-10 of the most transport filled European cities. The dense traffic in Northern Ireland is a critical problem and so it the special program “TravelWise Northern Ireland” was created. Its main idea is instill drivers and all region inhabitants.

The government cooperates with companies in trainings conducting to make employees to bring each other to a work, or to go by bicycle and public conveyances. For these aims the web-site Nidirect.gov.uk started. Moreover this site has big sections about public conveyances advantages, about fine bicycle routs, about carsharing benefits. Also there are detailed timetables of trains and buses, the schemes of their moving and the cycle routs map. The special section for children tells them why it is good to go on foot, why to use a helmet when you’re on the bicycle or how it’s right to cross the road.

Walkit.com helps people to calculate a pedestrian rout in every big Irish city and in contrast to Google it gives you the shortest and picturesque rout.

It all together helps people give up their cars and cultivate right habits to the young generation.

Tallinn: to make the public conveyances free

In spite of wasted in traffic jams time and expensive petrol the car is comfortable and takes your personal space. And all these advantages could be prevailed only by too weighty argument. So Tallinn’s administration decided this problem by very drastic remedy: all the public conveyances will become free starting from 2013. This idea was seconded by more than 75% of the citizens. 100 thousand people use public conveyance in Tallinn every day and the EU subsidies will indemnify for shortage.

According to statistics bus tickets abolition makes it possible to economize every month more than 600 euro for one average family consisting of 3 members.

At the same time the city intends to merger two establishments: bus and tram organizations. It’ll make the transport management more efficient and less money-losing.

Also the traffic lights system will upgrade to give buses and trams the priority rights on the streets. Even the traffic jam’s problem won’t be decided these generous decisions will show an excellent social effect. Travels without fare will be most welcome for low-incomes groups, students, pensioners and, certainly, for tourists.

 

by Valentin Ivanov

For more information please visit ID-reel.com
Or join us on Facebook and LinkedIn

Why do ideas about theme parks pass by Russia?

The theme parks acquire the great popularity. But only in the West. Russians consider such projects too risky now. Why? Let’s think a little. 

For most people “park” is only “big garden or the grove with paths”. Provincial town parks in Russia are ordinary combination of benches, poor playgrounds for children, fountain as big rarity, and merry-go-rounds dangerous for life.  

There is a trend in major megalopolises to open leisure parks, but usually they look as accidental piles of various park amusements. At the same time in Europe building of theme parks (which imply not so much mindless entertainments as intelligent content) is developed actively.

Not to think is forbidden. 

There is a sense to compare the market of entertainment services in Russia and abroad. Mainly Russia has only recreation parks in the towns and entertainment complexes at the large shopping malls. And abroad it is a great industry. The PriceWaterhouseCoopers says there are more than 300 entertainment parks in Europe, and ten the largest of them are visited by more than 40 million people yearly. Paris Disneyland is the most popular in Europe (more than 10 million people annually). In the USA it is Walt Disney Park «The Magic Kingdom», Florida (15 million people). Turnover of capital of European parks is more than 3 billion euro. 

“At the last time theme parks as new segments of entertainment industry are developed actively in the West” – Yuri Yudakov, head of department office real estate, Praedium Oncor International. It is the matter about huge educational and entertainment complexes created with novel technologies. 

“We believe in intelligent relaxations” –Marcel Hatt declares, manager companion, Maxmakers (this company provides a consulting service in this field of activity). Theme parks are often opposed to American parks. “American entertainment parks are switchbacks, hamburgers and coca-cola only. No inspiration, no creation. And you’ll know nothing. On the other hand theme parks usually are intended for children to study with game” – Mr. Hatt explains. What is more theme parks offer content which is interesting both for the children and for the adults.

Foe example, more than 120 attractions of German EuropaPark are situated in 15 zones, and every of them is devoted to some European region or country. The national architecture and national features are represented there. EuropaPark offers some show-programs to its visitors. One of them is “The Journey to Times”. There are scenes with medieval knights’ tournament and audiences seats revolved round the scene. Project “Science House” offers excursions to the world of science and technology. The area more than one m² is occupied by 80 interactive exhibits with possibility to experiment, construct and invent. Visitors can cause tornadoes by themselves, generate electricity, watch evolution of embryo. This idea focuses attention on botany, anatomy, chemistry, robotics, photonics and nanotechnology. Such a successful approach helped EuropaPark to obtain the public recognition and to get an impeccable reputation. They made entertainments’ level such high that serious people sad: “The EuropaPark is worth visiting!”. And, 4 million people have visited this place last year. 

Similar projects had been realized in other European countries. So, there is a theme park “City of Sciences and Arts”(Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias de Valencia) in Spain. This successfully functioning park was projected by famous architects Santiago Calatrava and Felix Candela. The park consists of the following zones: Arts Palace, concert complex, exhibition centre, cinema, planetarium, centre for laser shows, greenhouse, interactive science museum, park of oceanography. The most popular here is the science museum which motto is “Forbidden not to think, not to feel, not to touch!”. The Ocean park has more than 500 animals from all over the world and a series of ecosystems of the Earth.

Fifty-fifty. 

Of course, entertainment and theme park are not charitable projects. The cause of their financial success is a good combination of entertainment infrastructure and commercial objects such as hotels, cafes, restaurants and shops. It’ll give synergetic result, repeated effect. After visiting of theme park visitors should go not to parking but to entertainment zone with souvenir shops, cinemas and restaurants. According to Marcel Hatt, 50% of theme parks’ incomes are receipted from entertainment and attractions and other 50% is extra service. Additional services are parking, food, hotel accommodation, holding conferences, gift shops, educational and scientific objects. 

Hotel complexes EuropaPark Resort is situated here, it occupies an area of 27 hectares. It consists of five hotels, camping and tent village with the total capacity near 4.5 thousand places. Capacity of the hotels exceeds 90%. Besides it there are more 200 hotels and pensions in 14 municipalities located side by side with park. 

In Danish Tivoli Gardens there are 38 cafés and restaurants for 10 thousand people. Here you can visit Chinese and Turkish restaurants, coffee-houses and bakeries, de luxe restaurants with author’s cuisine from famous chief cooks. Not long ago de luxe hotel was opened, and every room was designed individually. 

“It is better to plan theme parks with other components, it’ll give an opportunity to make a loan from bank and reduce owned capital. So, if you will ask for a credit only for theme park, you’ll get only 20–30% of capital you need. But if it will be multifunctional project the correlation of owned capital and loan one will be fifty-fifty. It is possible to get 80% of necessary financing with office component. 

In addition theme parks could be excellent area for a brand showing. America has well-developed film industry, and usually entertainment and theme parks are created at movie studios. Disney, Universal, Paramount and Lego invest to the theme parks and promote film heroes in such way. It’s interesting that large automobile concerns are not indifferent to the theme parks. So the hugest attraction in EuropaPark (height of Silver Star is 70 m) was created in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz. 

Experts think that people are bored with countless trade-entertainment centers in Moscow and other Russian cities. And huge theme park would be very called-for. Especially as because prospective target audience of theme parks is quite wide: families with children, schoolchildren and preschoolers. But for some reasons Russian and foreign investors fear to build theme parks in Russia taking into account high risks. A lot of good projects remain on paper still. 

It should be stressed that incidents with failure of theme parks were abroad also. Here is a typical example. The first Swiss theme park “Mystery Park” was founded on writer Erich von Däniken’s initiative in 2003 at the place of former military airfield. After its opening project received the serious state support and also got the reward Milestone, it’s Swiss prize for quality and innovations in tourism. During first 100 days the park was being visited by 200 thousand people that was more than organizers expected in 40%. But the next year the flow of visit has decreased. Things were moving worse and worse, and in 2006 Mystery Park had became bankrupt and had closed. Swiss Academy of Technics called Mystery Park as “Cultural Chernobyl”. By experts’ opinion indistinctness of the conception, unchanging exhibition and low involvement of local touristic business were main causes of Mystery park’s closure. Space Park in Bremen suffered the same fate: its infrastructure and attractions had gone out of date though some years after its launch. 

It’s considered such parks should have possibilities for an organic development. Russian investors only make a helpless gesture: “Development implies land resources, investments and technical re-equipment”. 

They are not satisfied with payback period also. Sometimes it may be more than 10 years, not to speak of technical and other risks. For example, factories producing the attractions now have quite modest output and are overdriven today. 

Therefore many potential investors show preference to projects of sports specialization, for example skating-rinks or ski-resorts. It’s explained easily because entertainment park requires incomparably large territory. Taking into account land prices today only government support can attract an attention of investors. Moreover entertainment park is very power-hungry enterprise an infrastructure problems will be not solved by private company itself. 

It should be noted that state and municipality quite often support projects of the theme parks’ building. For example, Spanish “City of Sciences and Arts” was founded thanks to Valencia administration. It’s interesting that city has obtained it by dreaming of not only new jobs but cultural and service center in contrast to popular Barcelona and Seville.

By Valentin Ivanov

For more information please visit ID-reel.com

Or Join us on Facebook  and Linkedin!