2006/08/19

Presentation of the “Germany – Land of Ideas“ business location initiative in South Africa

Johannesburg/Berlin, 14/08/2006 – The initiative “Germany – Land of Ideas” will be presented to more than 300 government and business representatives during the “2010 National Communication Partnership Conference”, being held in Johannesburg, South Africa on the 15 August 2006.

The intention of the one-day meeting is to highlight the opportunities for South Africa, as the host of the 2010 World Cup tournament, to present itself on a global scale. The kick-off event, on the campus at Bryanston, is the first official conference for the organisers of the World Cup 2010 to be held in South Africa.

The conference is being hosted by the International Marketing Council (IMC), in cooperation with the National Communication Task Team. The concept and resounding success of the “Germany – Land of Ideas” initiative impressed Yvonne Johnston, director of the South African IMC. She invited Mike de Vries, the coordinating director of FC Deutschland GmbH, to appear as a guest speaker at the conference. “Mike de Vries can put across his extensive and significant experience in Nation Branding, gathered during the “Germany – Land of Ideas“ initiative. We hope that South Africa will be able to profit from his experience for the World Cup 2010.”

Mike de Vries emphasised: “The business location initiative, “Germany – Land of Ideas“ surpassed all its objectives, and has become the most successful image campaign in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany.”

To date, the initiative has generated in excess of 3.5 billion contacts around the globe. In Germany alone, more than 14,200 articles were published containing references to the Land of Ideas initiative.


At the conference, Mike de Vries will be presenting the acting director of the South African FIFA World Cup 2010 organising committee, Danny Jordaan, with a 2.5-metre sculpture, “The Modern Football Boot”. The original sculpture, with a length of 12 metres, is a part of the “Walk of Ideas“ and can be seen in Berlin until the end of September.
You can obtain more information on the “Germany – Land of Ideas” initiative at www.land-of-ideas.org.

About “Germany - Land of Ideas”
“Germany – Land of Ideas“ is a joint location initiative of the Federal Government and German industry, represented by the Federation of German Industry (BDI). The aim of the initiative is to portray Germany, at home and abroad, as an innovative, cosmopolitan and enthusiastic country. The patron of the initiative is the German President Horst Köhler. FC Deutschland GmbH, and its managing director, Mike de Vries, are responsible for coordinating the initiative.

“Germany - Land of Ideas” is supported by numerous German companies and cooperation partners from the fields of science, culture and society. The initiative realises six core projects: The sculpture park – “Walk of Ideas”, the event programme – “365 Landmarks in the Land of Ideas”, the Fan Club, the international media service, the welcoming initiative and, in collaboration with the federal location marketing agency, Invest in Germany, the campaign “Invest in Germany – Land of Ideas”.

The Partners
adidas-Salomon AG • Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG • Allianz AG • AUDI AG •AWD Holding AG • BASF AG • Bayer AG • Deutsche Bank AG • Deutsche Börse AG • Deutsche Lufthansa AG • DHL • Deutsche Telekom AG • EnBW AG • E.ON AG • Fraport AG • Georgsmarienhütte Holding GmbH • HDI Versicherungen • Heitkamp & Thumann Group • IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG • Roland Berger Strategy Consultants • RWE AG • Voith AG • Wall AG