Linz09: The Outlook for 2008
Press conference Tuesday, 15th January 2008, 10 a.m.
Altes Rathaus, Stadtsenatsaal (Room 105, 1st Upper Level)
Hauptplatz 1, 4041 Linz
Featured Speakers: Dr. Erich Watzl (Deputy Mayor and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Linz09), Dr. Walter Putschögl (Financial Director of Linz09)
1. Budget Linz09
The basic financing of Linz 2009 Kulturhauptstadt Europas OrganisationsGmbH (Linz09) has been set by contract at 60 million euros.
Linz09 is being subsidized by the City of Linz (20 million euros), the Province of Upper Austria (20 million euros) and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Art and Culture (20 million euros). The European Union has passed a Declaration of Intent to contribute the sum of 1.5 million euros.
We are projecting revenues from sponsoring, ticketing, merchandising and other sources at 4.4 million euros.
Over 61% of the total budget is going towards program production.
Approximately 16% is budgeted for marketing measures.
2. Tourism – Networking by Linz09 with Tourism Organizations
Past experiences of previous capitals of culture have shown that intensive networking with tourism organizations and cultural institutions is indispensable and makes good sense.
For this reason, Linz09 will continue to work closely with the local (Tourismusverband Linz), regional (Oberösterreich Tourismus) and national (Österreich Werbung) tourism boards.
The above-mentioned organizations as well as Linz09 are publicly owned, financed and operated, and pursue a related public benefit. Accordingly, we ought to take maximum advantage of all synergy possibilities in marketing the Capital of Culture.
We can sum up the situation of the Linz09 project as follows:
Tourismusverband Linz and Linz09 will coordinate their efforts—and especially their marketing and communications activities for the Linz 2009 European Capital of Culture project—as closely as possible.
Henceforth, these coordination mechanisms and the cooperative efforts that result from them will be regulated by a project staging agreement. Tourismusverband Linz previously presented its integrated communications plan with Linz09 to the press in December 2007.
Linz09’s collaboration with Oberösterreich Tourismus and Österreich Werbung will be coordinated with Tourismusverband Linz. These measures will primarily involve trade shows, inserts in the respective tourism organizations’ brochures and catalogs, as well as marketing activities such as newsletters and press trips.
In the context of coordinated marketing and communications planning, we have also concluded an agreement to work together closely in the production of print media supplements, presentations and the like.
Furthermore, in conjunction with the expansion of Linz09’s website, we have set up an online tourism portal that will provide visitors to the 2009 Capital of Culture with information about local cultural institutions and events, as well as details about the 2009 program. It will also be possible to make reservations and purchase tickets right on this site. Linz09’s overall presence online including the above-mentioned tourism portal will be intensified and expanded in 2008-09.
As far as the allocation of duties is concerned, the job of managing contacts with representatives of tour operators and travel agencies as well as developing bookable products is the exclusive area of responsibility of Tourismusverband Linz, whereby Linz09 will, of course, be available to deliver content.
Linz09 will be present at the following tourism trade shows in 2008:
Ferienmesse Vienna - January 17-20, 2008
ACTB Vienna - January 27-29, 2008
Tourist Linz - February 1-3, 2008
BIT Milan - February 21-24, 2008
ITB Berlin - March 5-9, 2008
3. Information Management
In order to take maximum advantage of these synergies involving Linz09 and the above-mentioned tourism boards, Tourismusverband Linz and Linz09 will be jointly operating a central information bureau for the Capital of Culture year beginning in Fall 2008. This “first-stop shop” is being set up in what is currently the taxpayer assistance center on the Main Square. Here, guests and locals alike will be able to buy event tickets, obtain informational material, purchase souvenirs, access the Internet, and much more!
There will be additional information bureaus hosted by attendants at Blue Danube Airport, Linz’s main train station and the Passage City Center shopping mall on Landstraße. In order to achieve blanket coverage in the area of information management, we’ll also be setting up unmanned information stands throughout the city—for example, in the adult education center, the Wissensturm municipal library, neighborhood meeting facilities, etc.
Download:
Expensed 2005-2010 (German only)Income 2005-2010 (German only)
Income 2008 (German only)
Expenses 2008 (German only)
