CEO Circle “Medium-sized Cities”

Information and review of the 4th CEO Circle “Medium-sized Cities” on April 22 and 23, 2026 in Tegernsee

Success factors in place branding – between aspiration and reality

The 4th CEO Circle “Medium-sized Cities” at Lake Tegernsee will focus on the question of what makes place branding effective today – between high expectations, scarce resources and complex municipal reality. To this end, we will focus on four success factors: smart communication, strong alliances, resilient structures and reliable financing.

In addition to professional impulses and moderated discussions, the CEO Circle once again offers plenty of space for open exchange and work on specific challenges from your city.

An event organized by:

Logo of Stadtmanufaktur GmbH

In cooperation with:

When?

Start:
Wednesday, April 22 from 6 p.m.

End:
Thursday, April 23 at 5 p.m.

Where?

Hotel and conference venue:
Caro & Selig

Restaurant for our dinner:
Blyb. Restaurant

Who?

Decision-makers from DACH cities with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants

Host town:
Tegernsee Valley Tourism GmbH

The highlights at a glance

Impulse

Success through communication

“Almost there” – finishing is the wrong plan

Impulse from Floko Ziebert
Chairman of the TTT Tourism Advisory Board and hotelier

Floko Zibert understands places and organizations as a permanent process: development, change and incompleteness are not defects, but prerequisites for relevance. Stagnation occurs where people believe they are finished.

For Ziebert, authenticity is not a marketing term, but an anchor of trust in uncertain times:

  • Especially in the face of social uncertainty (war, AI, fear of the future), people need orientation.
  • Ziebert’s consequence: not just showing the “good”, but making contradictions visible, enabling real encounters.
  • The “moment of truth” arises precisely where aspiration and reality honestly meet.

For Zibert, communication is not an end in itself, but strategically curated:

  • Not everything is actively communicated (e.g. educational and democratic work in the Blyb, he does not want to be accused of “fig leaf communication”).
  • Attitude: do first, then speak. Goal: Ensure credibility instead of generating attention at all costs.

Ziebert’s actions are determined by the question: “How do we want to be together as a society?”

  • Especially against the background of the Nazi past, he sees the Blyb as a place of active social responsibility.
  • The starting point is also the context of Lake Tegernsee: a wealthy region with a lot of influence, capital and creative power.

Zibert’s aim is to shake people up and encourage them to be more progressive.

Floko Ziebert: “I had to become a hotelier to create a place you can’t go past.”

April 23, 2026

Success through alliances

Presentation by Michael Höflich
Managing Director of the Munich Tourism Initiative (TIM)

The Tourismus Initiative München (TIM) was founded in 2012 in response to a specific need for action and now brings together over 200 companies from various sectors of tourism and the city economy. In his presentation, Managing Director Michael Höflich names his success factors:  

TIM brings together the relevant players from the hotel, retail, tourism and business sectors. This creates a common basis for action instead of individual interests.

As part of the “Munich Model”, TIM works closely with the city and at the same time acts as an independent partner to the business community.

TIM sees itself not only as a network, but also as an active co-creator:

  • Participation in strategic processes
  • Involvement in place marketing
  • Support with product development and marketing

The initiative is characterized by rapid and visible implementation, e.g:

  • Campaigns to revitalize tourism during the Corona period
  • Short-term alliance formation (e.g. “Pro Olympia”) with joint financing and communication

With an office, a board and clearly defined structures, TIM is organizationally stable and capable of working in the long term.

  • Financing: 50:50 – TIM collects membership fees, Munich Tourism adds 50 percent.
  • Total budget: 650-700,000 €

At the moment, “München Tourismus” is in a tight financial situation: positions are not being filled, but funds are still being collected.

Reasoning: These are investments and not expenses. The expenditure is worthwhile, attracts tourists and guests to Munich and contributes to value creation.

TIM acts as a mouthpiece for the industry and strengthens exchange, innovation and cooperation within the network.

Download presentation (PDF)

Michael Höflich: “TIM’s success is based on the combination of a strong alliance, clear organization and concrete implementation power.”

April 23, 2026

Success through resilience

On the successful introduction of the Economy for the Common Good

Lecture by Alfons Besel
Mayor of Gmund am Tegernsee
(represented by: Tim Jelitschek)

Alfons Besel

April 23, 2026

Success through financial strategy

Urban Funding – How can we gain financial leeway?

In conversation with Dr. Stefan Detig
Expert in municipal law and former mayor of Pullach

Dr. Stefan Detig

The program in detail

Here you will find the complete program including times and important addresses: Download program (PDF)

Below you will find the photos of our circle and a short summary of our manufactories.

Your contact for questions

Do you have any questions, requests or suggestions? Please contact Isabell Köster directly:

isabell.koester@stadtmanufaktur.com
+49 40 605 33 62-65

The CEO Circle is moderated by:

Thorsten Kausch

Thorsten Kausch

Managing Director of Stadtmanufaktur

Isabell Köster, Project Manager at Stadtmanufaktur GmbH

Isabell Köster

Project manager at Stadtmanufaktur

Our host:

Christian Kausch

Managing Director of Tegernseer Tal Tourismus GmbH (TTT)

“The CEO circles are a workbench for the future of the city: decision-makers put their questions openly on the table, examine together what works – and take away concrete ideas for their own city.”

Thorsten Kausch, Managing Director of Stadtmanufaktur

Thorsten Kausch and Isabell Köster from Stadtmanufaktur talk in the foyer

Photos and recap

This was the CEO Circle “Medium-sized Cities” on April 22 and 23, 2026 in Tegernsee

Takeaway

The most important findings from our manufactories

Here is a summary of the manufactories including a photo protocol

Group picture in front of Tegernsee

Further impressions from our CEO Circle

Image credit: Tegernsee/Dietmar Denger, Stadtmanufaktur GmbH

See you at the next circle.
Until then, all the best!