Schwerin's city marketing will be part of the administration in 2026: new structure!

Schwerin's city marketing will be part of the administration in 2026: new structure!

Schwerin faces a fundamental realignment in the field of city marketing. From January 1, 2026, the Stadtmarketing Society Schwerin (SMG) mbH will be dissolved and its tasks will be integrated into the city administration. The Schwerin city council announced this on Monday evening. Mayor Rico Badenschier welcomed the decision and emphasized the importance of this change, especially with regard to the new UNESCO World Heritage Status, which is intended to strengthen city marketing in the future.

The decision to set up a newly structured specialist service for economy and tourism was required, especially for legal reasons and due to increasing urban subsidies. The SMG is currently 65 percent financed from its own resources, the rest comes from the urban budget. A consideration of restarting the SMG as a 100 percent subsidiary GmbH of the city was rejected.

goals and advantages of restructuring

The new city marketing will take care of marketing, tourism and the development of the city in the future. The reorganization aims to increase the attractiveness of Schwerin as an economic, cultural and lifeline. A close cooperation between business development and city marketing is sought. Department of Bernd Nottebaum sees numerous advantages in the realignment and will direct the specialist groups directly, which should enable faster decisions.

The specialist groups will structure themselves into three areas: marketing and tourism, business and a digital innovation center. Martina Müller, the previous managing director of the SMG, will lead the marketing and tourism specialist group and at the same time carry out the liquidation of the old society. The entire staff will be taken over to the city administration by recognizing their previous employment relationships.

financial relief and new perspectives

Another plus of this restructuring is the loss of sales tax liability, which will lead to financial relief. Employees are paid according to the public tariff, which could also increase the attractiveness as an employer. By merging the departments and a cooperative corporate culture, it should be possible to think more holistically and to act as a central interface between tourism, urban and brand development.

This integrative approach is also underpinned by current developments in the field of urban marketing. With the publication of the "Practice Handbook City and City Marketing" and the book "City History, Stadtmarke, Urban Development" it becomes clear that city marketing is increasingly professionalized and offers important foundations for the upcoming generation of Stadtmarketers. These publications offer valuable perspectives and examples of how to use city history for branding, which could also be important for Schwerin.

The coming months will show how this restructuring is implemented in practice and what influence it will have on the development of the city of Schwerin. Due to the bundling of forces and clearly regulated responsibilities, it should be possible to successfully align the city to the next challenges.

Stay tuned for further developments related to city marketing in Schwerin!

For more information, you can also read the articles on Schwerin Lokal and Nordkurier . You can also find more on the subject of urban marketing on bcsd .