The profession of location promoter requires explanation
It is not yet possible to learn the profession of location promoter. However, since the mid-1980s, there have been contact points for economic and commercial matters at local city and even municipal level – formerly known as economic development. In the 1990s, the Winterthur region was known as a pioneer, not least after the decline of industry there.
So from 1998, as the first location promoter and head of building construction for the city of Schlieren – alongside the cities of Winterthur and Zurich – I was literally out there alone in the wind. However, the real estate backpack I had acquired since 1981 and my MAS Real Estate Management, which I was also one of the first to complete, enabled me to do the balancing act in the niche segment of location promotion. The classics in the job of a location promoter include company relocations, cluster and site development, “one-stop shopping” by the administration for building permits, portfolio management and startup promotion, as well as much more.
In Switzerland today, primarily each of the 26 cantons has a location promotion program. Unfortunately, not all of the 172 cities and municipalities with more than 10,000 inhabitants have a location promotion office, let alone an economic strategy. There, an internally appointed person in the administration is responsible. In most cases, this is the town clerk or, at most, the president of the town or municipality, more or less voluntarily and not specifically trained for this purpose. However, this also means that I greatly appreciate these municipal management bodies, as well as those of the town of Schlieren, where I can now look back on 28 years of service. Schlieren’s key figures show a very successful picture that is recognized by many parties. The number of legal entities in the town has increased by 100% since 1998, from 650 to 1,388. This also means an increase in jobs from around 12,000 to 21,000. The number of inhabitants has risen by 70% from 12,000 to 20,100. Here I represent the 1:1 situation (inhabitants in relation to jobs) in contrast to other well-known large Swiss cities.
I would be delighted if, after my retirement, more real estate experts chose the profession of location promoter and also became involved in associations, ERFAS and networks. What is needed is trust in the local location promoters.