Client: Linz City Ring
Project period: April – October 2025
The project in brief
For more than 55 years, the Linz City Ring has represented the interests of city center stakeholders in the city of Linz in Upper Austria. In recent years, however, expectations of the organization and the general conditions have changed significantly. Key words: vacancy management, online retail, rising costs, etc.
Linz City Ring 2025 therefore decided on a strategic realignment. Our experts for place branding and urban development accompanied the process with keynote speeches, one-on-one discussions and workshops and developed the company’s new strategy.
The focus was on the question of its future role – between place marketing, location development and vacancy management – as well as the activation of the approximately 400 member businesses. The overarching goal: to developthe Linz City Ring from an “event and service organization“ into a shaping force of inner city dynamics .
Strategy development by Stadtmanufaktur = with focus and networking to achieve results
Task and background
While a strategy paper from 2018 has so far remained unused, a comprehensive city center strategy for Linz was created in 2024 with broad participation. This raised expectations that the Linz City Ring would not only support this strategy, but actively bring it to life.
At the same time, the range of tasks expanded: with around 400 member businesses from retail, gastronomy, culture and services and a small operational team of four employees, the Linz City Ring faced the challenge of coping with the increased responsibility – especially in the area of vacancy management – with clear structures, resources and a sharper positioning.
A further challenge: the member companies should not only be supported, but also activated. Many companies would like to be more involved, others are difficult to motivate.
The questions at a glance:
- What role will the Linz City Ring play in the future?
- What are the fields of action and key areas of work?
- What role and tasks does the Linz City Ring play in supporting and implementing the new city center strategy?
- How can the association best support and activate its member companies?
- How is it possible to become visible as a creative force – in interaction with city politics and city organizations (e.g. City of Linz, Linz Tourism)?
Strategy workshop on the new role of the Linz City Ring – led by Stadtmanufaktur project manager Sophie May
Our way of working
For us, strategy development means looking at the big picture, forging new alliances and finding viable answers. This is why the process in Linz was deliberately broad-based. We supplemented the intensive workshops with the board and members of the Linz City Ring with discussions with relevant stakeholders from politics, administration and business. This creates connection, commitment and acceptance. We were also able to raise awareness of the importance of holistic city centre development and clear responsibilities during the process.
Process – from analysis to implementation:
- Analysis and dialog: Expectations, challenges and opportunities were identified in individual discussions with stakeholders from retail, gastronomy, culture and politics.
- Workshops with members and the Executive Board: strategic guidelines were developed and prioritized under the motto “Understanding roles and objectives” and “Fields of action and measures”.
- Keynote speech and benchmarking: We highlighted relevant success factors for Linz – also in comparison to other cities and inner-city organizations.
- Strategy development and implementation plan: The new strategic orientation (self-image, role, objectives, interfaces with the City of Linz and Linz Tourism, etc.) was developed in close coordination with the Executive Board and management.
Intensive discussions within the team and with stakeholders ensure understanding, networking and sustainable results
The result: More relevance and close allies for the Linz City Ring
Thanks to its clear strategic orientation, the Linz City Ring is confident and assertive in achieving the newly prioritized goals for Linz’s city centre:
- Promote a sustainable and future-oriented sector mix
- Strengthen city center frequency and quality of experience
- Involving members and increasing commitment
The strategy process led to further measurable changes: A regular exchange with the City of Linz and Linz Tourism now ensures coordinated and effective marketing of the city center. Stakeholder management ensured a significant activation of local businesses. At the same time, holistic location managementwas initiated, which was missing from the previous marketing strategy. The newly appointed location and commercial space manager is responsible for implementation.
