The presentation of the Kleve District Business Development University Award took place at Moyland Castle, attended by more than 300 interested guests. For the fourth time, businesspeople were honoured for their excellent collaboration with Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences.
And once again, the event lived up to the expectations of the organisers and the extensive guest list. By the time Antenne presenter Christoph Kepser bid farewell to his audience after 180 minutes, wishing them all the best for the networking session to follow, the impression had long since taken hold: Attending the ‘Forum’ had once again been well worth it. This was also because Michael Bröcker, an economist and editor-in-chief of the Rheinische Post, had articulated the future of journalism as a keynote speaker who was as knowledgeable as he was eloquent.
The audience listened with keen interest as Josef A. Laqua began by tracing the development of the town of Bad Münstereifel from a place plagued by vacant properties to a magnet for factory outlet enthusiasts. Three private investors have acquired more than two dozen properties in the town centre here in order to attract well-known companies and their product ranges to the small town of 6,000 inhabitants. Bad Münstereifel is currently welcoming a million visitors again – so many, in fact, that for some of its more laid-back residents, it is almost becoming too much once more.
Even before the first half-time beer – which was, almost as a tradition, served by the Diebels Brewery – it was time for the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Kleve District Economic Development Agency, District Administrator Wolfgang Spreen, to take the floor. Spreen invited three lucky recipients onto the stage to present them with an original Schlote drawing as a tangible symbol of their success. For the fourth time, entrepreneurs were honoured for their excellent collaboration with Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences; the university – represented by the accompanying professors, in this instance Professor Dr Klein, Professor Dr Kisters and Professor Dr Reiser – received a cheque for 5,000 euros with each award. As in previous years, this was made possible by the Sparkassen and Volksbanken, which thereby brought widespread public attention to Carl Prinz GmbH & Co. KG from Goch, Dr Sommer Werkstofftechnik GmbH from Issum, and an interesting museum project led by the Kleve Shoe Museum. Through its chairman, Theo Knips, the Shoe Museum has supported the Keeken Visitor and Information Centre, the Jakob Imig Archive in Louisendorf, the Stiftsmuseum in Wissel, the Langeshof Farm Museum in Kellen, the Katharinenhof Museum in Kranenburg, the Forum Arenacum Museum in Düffelward, the Old Mill in Donsbrüggen, the Griether Local History Museum and the Royal Air Force Museum to take part. The result was a study of the current situation facing small museums and their marketing strategies.
As Hans-Josef Kuypers, the district’s economic development officer, put it shortly after the event: “Not least the many small museums and the fact that the award winners come from across the entire district provide proof that our Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences has made its mark in our towns and communities.”
