Our triple CEO circle in Hamburg: city transformation between transparency and tact

A municipality turns public administration upside down without a wave of complaints and lawsuits. The church and the city overcome building law hurdles together and a few years later can celebrate the construction of many apartments and a “Housing First” project. Are these lucky coincidences, or is there more to it?

And if negotiating genius and tactical flair play a role (keyword: people business): How can we give intuition and supposed coincidences a helping hand?

Together with 40 city decision-makers and proven experts, we took a close look at these facets of “strategic communication and interest management” at our CEO triple meeting in November 2025 . There were many aha moments and everyone was smarter afterwards. A look behind the scenes of our triple CEO circle.

A Sunday evening in November. Around 40 urban decision-makers from Germany and Austria are gathered in Hamburg’s Der erdbeerfressende Drache restaurant. Glasses clink, canapés wander over plates, the atmosphere is relaxed, familiar reunions, new faces mingle. This get-together is just the start of our multi-day Triple CEO Circle. But today we are already discussing in a relaxed atmosphere and in a moderated dialog what the coming days will be all about: transparency and diplomacy, trust and the future of the city.

Our society is in a phase of high sensitivity: political demands for transparency meet a reality of increasing complexity, conflicts and pressure to make decisions. Local authorities are caught between openness, expectation management and diplomatic action. This is precisely the focus of this year’s topic: “Mastering the balancing act: How we use diplomacy and transparency for the growth and attractiveness of our cities.”

The third Stadtmanufaktur Triple CEO Circle – a format to which only members of the three Stadtmanufaktur Circles are invited – kicks off with this dense kick-off. The program already starts on the opening evening in the restaurant: the lawyer and former State Councillor Dr. Nicolas Hill (consulting, Beust & Hill) gives exciting insights into strategic communication in a moderated dialogue with Stadtmanufaktur Managing Director Thorsten Kausch:

In order to generate momentum for topics and projects, he explains, conscious interest management is required. Transparency creates trust and trust in turn creates scope for action. This means that every intermediate step no longer has to be negotiated in public. Hill also emphasizes in the interview how irreplaceable clear governance structures and the right communication timing especially when it comes to sensitive issues in the political arena: “The right momentum is created when roles, data and control are clarified.” There is already a lively discussion at the subsequent dinner.

Thorsten Kausch in conversation with Dr. Nicolas Hill, expert in strategic communication and interest management

Which way is this way? On Monday morning, a narrow side entrance to Dialog Haus Hamburg (best known for “Dialog im Dunkeln”) leads up numerous steps and a narrow staircase to the second floor. Hidden behind thick red brick walls is a spacious foyer with a light wooden floor that leads to the conference rooms.

Anjes Tjarks, Senator for Transport and Mobility Transition of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, arrives shortly before 9.00 a.m. and is not a bit out of breath. Since the passionate cyclist took office , Hamburg has made considerable progress towards becoming a “cycling city”, including the expansion of the cycling network and the promotion of sustainable mobility options.

Hamburg’s transport senator Anjes Tjarks on the communication of infrastructure projects using the example of Jungfernstieg

He will be giving the opening speech at our conference and will use the major “Jungfernstieg” conversion project to explain vividly, how urban redevelopment and the mobility turnaround can succeed politically, in terms of content and communication – and how risky symbolic projects are if they are not well prepared and secured.

Well, shoulder shrugs, open hand gestures and mischievous smiles, of course it is also important to develop strong and convincing narratives: “future cab” is clearly sexier than “ban on combustion engines”. The focus should always be on the added value for urban society, not the restrictions.

No lecture without discussion: Marie-Louise Schnurpfeil, Managing Director of the Linz Tourist Board, joins in the conversation here

Making a difference. Something that lasts and makes the city more beautiful, more accessible, more inclusive, better and more liveable. And with joy, perseverance and many allies or even friends. This is also what characterizes our next speaker:

The brilliant networker and former footballer Benjamin Adrion (founder of Viva con Agua) will inspire with his presentation on “Networks and environment management” and amaze with ideas on how “non-profit” can become “all-profit” and “weak ties” can become “high involvement” – and how positive energy from volunteering and community can support an entire ecosystem, without any traditional marketing budgets.

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Hamburg’s Hotel Villa Viva (“A house that builds fountains”) was built during the coronavirus years and was a huge challenge,” reports Benjamin Adrion in his keynote speech

This keynote speech gave rise to a lively lively discussion between Adrion and the conference guests: Book and insider tips as well as experiences are shared. How lucky we are that we always plan enough time for our discussion groups. Because especially in the linking the conference topic with the challenges in their own cities often creates the greatest added value for our CEO Circle members.

Lively discussion between the presentations: Isabell Köster (2nd from right) in conversation with Benjamin Adrion

Benjamin Adrion made it clear how networks can build bridges. But a bridge alone does not guarantee progress. Personalities decide whether to stand still, carefully feel their way forward, even turn back – or step onto it forcefully.

That’s why it’s exciting when HR expert Sebastian Sukstorf sheds light on how an explicit examination of the values and inner drivers of our heterogeneous stakeholders can sustainably increase our own negotiation success. And it quickly becomes clear that it is much more complex than the DISG model or other supposedly simple typology models would have us believe …

Practical and enlightening: Keynote speech by HR expert Sebastian Sukstorf

In the afternoon, after a walk through the Speicherstadt and a good lunch in the Oberhafenkantine, the large group splits up and the hubbub in the foyer dies down as the participants retreat to their manufactories – those deep dives that give our Stadtmanufaktur circles their very own workshop character.

The name says it all: In the manufactories, people don’t theorize, they work. Insights and questions from the morning are picked up like loose threads and spun further, recorded and documented on flipcharts or index cards. In small circles, business development and city marketing professionals come together, compare experiences, test assumptions, talk about resistance and small triumphs from their own municipalities.

What still sounded abstract in the morning – transparency, diplomacy, understanding of roles – suddenly takes on contours, faces and stories: Every city brings its own breaking points and opportunities, and it is precisely here, in this concentrated workshop atmosphere, that what makes our circles so special emerges: concrete ideas that ultimately find their way back into town halls, committees and urban societies.

The second day traditionally belongs to the various CEO circles – a protected, confidential sounding board for executives, divided into three groups: “medium-sized cities”, “place marketing” and “location promotion”.

The speakers, carefully tailored to the respective needs of the three groups, provide impulses that are directly related to the real challenges of the participants. No slides are reeled off here, but questions are asked that can only be asked in an intimate circle. Some bring concrete cases with them, others use the session to prepare decisions that are long overdue at home.

The CEO Circles on Day 2 will focus on transformative urban projects and learning from successes and failures, new ways of financing between fundraising, foundations and civic engagement, as well as the major economic trends that will shape cities in the long term.

“How do you do it in your city?” – the CEO circles enable confidential discussions between managers

It usually starts quite inconspicuously: a quick stop at the coffee buffet, a chance encounter on the stairs, a shared view of the harbor from the window. It is precisely where no one suspects a “program item” that the most valuable conversations arise. During the breaks, on the paths between the conference room and the restaurant, during a quick shrug of the shoulders before the next session, people suddenly come together and realize that their challenges are surprisingly similar. Some exchange views on a familiar dilemma, another gets the crucial clue in passing, and a city marketing manager discovers an unexpected new perspective during small talk at a bar table.

Engaging in conversation, sharing experiences – the core of our Triple CEO Circle

In the evening at the latest, when the group sails across the Elbe on the barge Tanja – fish sandwiches in hand, the lights of the city in the water – it becomes clear why these moments are so important. The mood becomes light, different fields of work become blurred and connections are made that will carry the conversations the next day. These informal spaces create trust – and this is often where the greatest progress is made. This is also reflected in the feedback from our participants:

Concept, moderation, organization by Isabell Köster and Thorsten Kausch (from right). Do you have feedback on our circles? Write to us: isabell.koester@stadtmanufaktur.com

Participation in our three exclusive circles means access to one of the strongest German-speaking networks for urban development, business development and place marketing. In addition to high-quality impulses, direct exchange and thematic depth, the circles offer trust, openness and genuine resonance among like-minded people.

• CEO Circle for medium-sized cities – for municipal decision-makers from medium-sized cities
• CEO place marketing circle – for managers who shape brands, city centers and identities
• CEO circle location promotion – for managers who shape the economic future

All three formats offer a place where CEOs can grow strategically, reflect collegially and think ahead professionally. Interested managers with the will to shape the future (heads of office or managing directors from the areas of place marketing and business development) can contact us personally at any time.

Image credit: Jörg Modrow, Stadtmanufaktur