© Kiel-Marketing
Interview with Uwe Wanger, Managing Director of Kiel-Marketing
“I was always driven by the new.”
Uwe Wanger has not only been Managing Director of Kiel-Marketing for almost 20 years, he is also a marketing man by nature. We spoke to him about how to bring world-famous sailing events to Kiel, why this is perfect location marketing for the city of Kiel – and which ship he will be travelling on when he finishes his job as Managing Director.
Uwe Wanger
Managing Director Kiel-Marketing
Let's start with a few dates: The Ocean Race has been around since 1973, back then under the name Whitbread Round the World Race. in 2002, the Illbruck won in Kiel, in 2023 the Flyby took place in Kiel and now the Ocean Race Europe starts here. You were born in 1958 and played a key role in bringing the race back to Kiel, even though you could have retired by now. How come?
Are things connected like that? I haven't even thought about that yet. But when I experienced the enthusiasm of the people of Kiel at the flyby in 2023, my ambition was awakened. Together with the sailors, especially Boris Herrmann, and our Lord Mayor, I wanted to bring the race back to Kiel to build on the fantastic event in 2002, when Kiel was the destination of the race and the German team Illbruck even won here. The memory of that 2002 event alone is tremendous. I wasn't responsible for Kiel marketing back then, but I was blown away by the incredible enthusiasm here. That awakened my ambition to pull together with the Lord Mayor and the Kiel Marketing team and make it happen again.
Kiel is known worldwide as the "Sailing City", but there are many other harbour cities that would have liked to host the start. How did you manage it?
We have been in contact with the organisers for a very, very long time. Together with the Alicante-based company "The Ocean Race Ltd.", we have already organised various other well-known sailing events here in Kiel. There is a principle among organisers: If you introduce a new format to the world that is supposed to work, you go to Kiel first. Everyone knows they can do it. They've been organising Kiel Week for decades. And the Kiel Marketing team has been organising these top-class sailing events in the Kiel Fjord since 2007, which always attract a large audience to the shores.
The difference to Kiel Week is that we bring sailing to life here. We bring these fantastic formats to the fjord, and at the weekend 60,000 to 70,000 people stand on the shores to cheer on the teams and cheer them on. Kiel enjoys a reputation in the sailing scene as a place where people are simply crazy sailing enthusiasts who cheer on the teams with waves of la-ola when they are close to the shore. These sailors don't experience that anywhere else in the world. That's why we have this good reputation with the organisers and are always being talked about.
© Kiel-Marketing
Team Holcim-PRB at The Ocean Race Flyby 2023 on the Kiel Fjord
Rosalin Kuiper told me in an interview that she is really looking forward to the start in Kiel. The same goes for Boris Herrmann and the other teams. The Kiel marketing team has been working on the preparations for a year and a half. What makes it so complex to realise such a world-famous sailing format?
The demands placed on us by the organiser are very challenging. Compared to the Ocean Race, which takes several months to sail around the world, this race around Western Europe involves stopovers in a very short space of time – just six weeks in total. From Kiel to the finish in Montenegro, there are a total of seven host cities, so everything has to run like clockwork. In addition, there are very high requirements in the area of sustainability, which can hardly be found in this form at any other event. As a marine conservation and zero-waste city, we are very well prepared for this, whereas other cities have much greater difficulties.
The real challenge is the infrastructure in Kiel. Despite all our experience and enthusiasm for sailing, our infrastructure in the harbour is a challenge. One example is the depth of the water: the IMOCAs have a draught of five metres and have to be docked accordingly. There are not that many places where this is possible. In addition, each boat needs 15 metres of space in width, which with seven teams means that a pier has to be over 100 metres long. We have the space and the draught at the Blücherbrücke. However, two huge dolphins had to be installed there first in order to install a 150 metre long pontoon for mooring the IMOCAs. That's expensive.
This brings us to the budget, which is the next challenge. Many people had to be persuaded to make money available. On the one hand from the municipal budget - the situation is not easy at the moment - and on the other hand from the state's sports funding programme. We also had to inspire and convince many partner companies to support this event. We managed to do all that. But it takes a long lead time.
“This wide-reaching, positive perception would be impossible to achieve with a normal marketing budget, even for much larger cities.”
Uwe Wanger
You've already mentioned that the special thing about it is that it's actually a sprint course for the teams. What else makes this race so special for you?
It is the tradition of this race. It is the most demanding and oldest race there is. Other internationally recognised formats only sail short distances. But the Ocean Race is about actually setting off somewhere and then arriving somewhere else far away - be it around the world or, as here, around Europe. I love the pictures from the early 70s, when the sailors still had guitars on board. Of course, the romanticism of sailing is long gone. Today it's a high-performance sport with the highest demands on people and equipment. I find that fascinating.
As a marketing person, I am naturally interested in the international perception that Kiel receives as a starting harbour. Even if we spend a comparatively large amount of money on the event, the media coverage and perception we receive around the world as a location – and I deliberately say "location" and not just "sailing location" – is considerable. This wide-reaching, positive perception would be impossible to achieve with a normal marketing budget, even for much larger cities. That's why the Ocean Race Europe is an excellent opportunity for us to show what the Kiel.Sailing.City brand stands for. It is an international format that ensures we are recognised all over the world.
At the time, you were very much in favour of the "Kiel.Sailing.City" brand. The connotations associated with this positioning, such as team spirit, reliability and cosmopolitanism, can be found everywhere. Does everyone here in Kiel feel like a sailor now?
I don't know if everyone in Kiel feels like a sailor, but most people have this special relationship with the sea. We know from surveys that almost everyone can identify with Sailing.City. The business community has now also realised how important this is for our location marketing. Some have said that science and industry are missing. Yes, but not with this international significance. This can be covered wonderfully with a claim that, as you said, is much more than just sailing. "Sailing" is a comprehensive term and has always also meant transporting goods. The entire global economy was fuelled by sailing ships and continents were discovered. So it all has a lot to do with exploration and innovation. These are all characteristics that characterise a business location today. That's why almost everyone can rally behind this brand today, even if there are always discussions about it. A city is like a large tree with many large and small branches and leaves. I believe we have succeeded in finding something that everyone can identify with.
© Kiel-Marketing
The skipper in his chamber
“The Ocean Live Park on the Kiellinie will focus on the topics of marine conservation and climate protection. This is also important to the sailing teams, because the oceans are their race track and the wind is the engine of their boats.”
Uwe Wanger
For the Ocean Race Europe, we have developed a strategy and a storyline for the starting port of Kiel based on this brand. "We all sail in the same boat." This refers both to the race and to our blue planet on which we are all sailing. This narrative also inspired many partner companies to come on board in order to create something together and support the starting harbour of Kiel.
Yes, it is this common interest. On the one hand, it's sailing, and on the other, it's marine conservation, climate protection and sustainability. Because the sea is one of the key factors that are changing our climate. Many people and the companies that are now supporting us have understood this because it is part of their corporate identity. The Ocean Live Park on the Kiellinie will focus on the topics of marine conservation and climate protection. This is also important to the sailing teams, because the oceans are their race track and the wind is the engine of their boats. Each team will have measuring devices on board to collect data.
These are made available to scientists worldwide in order to draw conclusions about the future development of the climate. This is credible and is taken seriously – also by the organiser. The Ocean Race goes to great lengths to raise public and political awareness of the issue of marine conservation. It is not without reason that symposia are organised in Europe and around the world to draw attention to the importance of marine protection for our future.
© Kiel-Marketing
People will be able to experience the teams and their boats up close in the Ocean Live Park. What can you learn from teamwork on board a sailing ship for teamwork at Kiel Marketing or for companies in general?
One point is that the skipper must be respected and set the direction. Without that, there is no teamwork in this sense. This is also important for a city or a company. There, too, there has to be a skipper who sets a direction that everyone can rally behind. You have to make clear announcements, otherwise you will be shipwrecked or won't cross the finish line first. But you always have to be respectful and friendly and feel connected to something. Here at Kiel-Marketing, for example, we feel connected through the joy of water sports. We pass this joy on: every year we teach over 3,000 children to sail at our sailing camp. We want to enable people here to have a connection to sailing and the sea.
In addition, we have 120 other days of events in the city, where we want to offer citizens and guests occasions to enjoy coming to the city centre, to love their city and to feel at home. One example is the Boat Harbour Summer, where we offer cultural events with over 80 bands on six weekends. We broadcast the summer opera live at eight different locations, which is the largest live broadcast of an opera premiere in the world. In this respect, we all feel connected here, as if we were in the same boat. We have common goals that are wonderful to work on as a team.
The sailing teams sometimes spend months at sea in inhospitable regions. What do you think is more important when you're working on something that sometimes takes longer and involves major challenges – enthusiasm or stamina?
Without enthusiasm, there is no stamina – and ultimately no reward. If you don't have stamina, all your enthusiasm is useless. What I've learnt in almost 20 years of working here at Kiel-Marketing and for the city of Kiel is that perseverance is the most important thing. Because some challenges only resolve themselves over time. But you always have to radiate enthusiasm, otherwise you won't win over people, target groups or interest groups.
“That’s why, in addition to our social media channels and our website, we also have the Storydeck. We can place topics there that are otherwise difficult to communicate and that go into depth – with reports, interviews and background reports.”
Uwe Wanger
Cole Brauer, one of the co-skippers on Team Malizia, told me that she can't see out of the cockpit because of her height. Even though everyone on board is wearing headsets, she has to trust the team on deck almost blindly - and the team has to trust her just as blindly. Can you understand that sometimes blind trust is simply important?
I wouldn't say blind trust, but I would say that trust is important. If you don't have trust in your employees and they don't have trust in you as a manager, it wouldn't work. I don't think anyone should trust blindly, either on the job or on a boat. You still have to switch on your own brain. But without trust, everything is nothing.
© Antoine Auriol / Team Malizia
© Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race
© Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race
© Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race
Cole knows how to play with the media, especially social media. She has half a million followers on Instagram. You yourself grew up at a time when the internet was only gradually emerging. How important is social media for people or companies? How important is it to build a personal brand or a company brand there?
Indispensable. There's almost nothing more that can be said, because social media activities are the best and easiest way for companies and athletes to communicate. With the market, with fans, with friends. You have 1:1 communication, which is very important nowadays so that people don't just hear about things from hearsay or with media distortions. That's very important and I think it's great what's possible today. That’s why, in addition to our social media channels and our website, we also have the Storydeck. We can place topics there that are otherwise difficult to communicate and that go into depth – with reports, interviews and background reports. We also offer our partners the opportunity to report on themselves, their company and their commitment to marine protection and sustainability over a period of several months.
The two are connected. The Storydeck is a content platform whose strength lies in promoting content on social media – otherwise it is like a racing yacht that stays in dock. It is an exciting development in the field of advertising communication. Let me come back to the beginning of our conversation: you were born in 1958, but surveys show that people that age feel around 15 years younger. So you would have been born in 1973, the year of the Ocean Race. What still drives you today?
I've always been driven by new things. The way marketing and technology have developed, you always have to keep developing yourself. That's something that drives me in life. You should keep the good things you know for yourself and at the same time keep looking at what new things you can see, experience and do.
in 2026 you will hand over the baton at Kiel-Marketing. Where will Kiel-Marketing sail to?
I hope that it will continue to sail successfully – with a new skipper on board. That way, new islands and new courses can be discovered and new things can be done for the city. I am convinced that there will be people who will do this very well. We are now setting out to find the right person.
And your personal journey: If you could choose a boat for it, what would it be? A traditional sailing boat, a dinghy or an IMOCA?
If the IMOCA wasn't so uncomfortable, I would choose it because it's the quickest way to get around. So I would probably go for the traditional boat.
But then you can't go on the Gorch Fock, there are only hammocks.
There are also comfortable cruise ships.
© Kiel-Marketing GmbH – Interview: Ralf Löwe / sonofasailor.de
Acquire article rights