There was every reason to celebrate at the traditional “Klönschnack” reception organised by Messe boot Düsseldorf on the four-masted barque “Passat” on Saturday evening: the trade fair has been a loyal partner of TW for half a century. “We are sponsoring the Travemünde Week for the 50th time. We are happy to be, just as we are happy to be a sponsor of the ‘Passat’,” said Wolfram Diener, CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, opening the evening.
The Mayor of the Hanseatic City of Lübeck, Jan Lindenau, was unable to attend this year’s reception for health reasons and sent his warmest regards through Senator Monika Frank, who stood in for him. As Senator, Frank is also responsible for the four-masted barque Passat and the Passat harbour, which was a perfect fit for the evening.
In her speech, she emphasised how happy the Hanseatic City of Lübeck is about the long-standing partnership between boot and Travemünde Week. “boot relies on the sailing event, which is one of the largest in the world, and conversely Lübeck relies on the boot Düsseldorf trade fair, where we want to put the spotlight on our seaside resort as a sailing and water sports destination again next year,” said the Senator. She thanked boot Düsseldorf for its commitment to young sailing talent and for supporting the Travemünde landmark, the Passat, as a sponsor, including with a new tarpaulin that is to be fitted in the coming weeks.
“The 50-year partnership between the trade fair and the Travemünde Week is extremely important. 50 years could easily become 100 or 150 years,” she concluded her speech. Among the guests of honour on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the partnership was the city director of Düsseldorf, Burkhard Hintzsche.
After the senator’s speech, Wolfram Diener and boat director Petros Michelidakis handed over a cheque for 3,000 euros to Holger Bull, chairman of the “Save the Passat” association. “We are naturally very pleased about the funding and also about the new tarpaulin,” said Bull.
The speeches were followed by a convivial “Klöhnschnack” evening at boot Düsseldorf with a large buffet under the motto “Vive la France”, music and dancing on the four-masted barque Passat.
Representatives of boot Düsseldorf, Travemünde Week, the city of Lübeck and the “Save the Passat” association celebrated together on the four-masted barque in a cheerful atmosphere. Photo: segel-bilder.de
TW on course for more sustainability
The Travemünde Week has been committed to the topic of sustainability for years and has been increasingly focussed on it since 2023. The first sustainability report has been published for the 135th edition of the event in order to transparently document the process towards the set goal.
“Travemünde Week is aware of its responsibility to the environment and the community. We strongly believe that sustainable practices should play a central role in our event. By integrating environmental friendliness, social responsibility and economic sustainability, we aim to have a positive and long-term impact on our event and the region,” says Frank Schärffe, Managing Director of Travemünde Week.
The endeavour to make TW more sustainable is based on the United Nations’ Agenda 2020. The corresponding measures are aligned with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
In the area of the environment, the activities of the Travemünde Week are focussed on three main areas: Waste avoidance and recycling, for example the reduction of single-use plastic, energy efficiency and nature conservation, particularly in relation to the coastline.
These are the environmental goals of TW 2024:
No reprinting of advertising and information materials
Sail recycling campaign
No use of electricity generators
2000 litres less petrol consumption
E-motors in regatta propulsion
10 per cent less water and electricity consumption
Reforestation project to improve the climate balance
The Travemünde Week’s social commitment focuses on the topics of “inclusion and diversity”, community involvement and working and competitive conditions.
Social highlights of the TW 2024:
Over 400 volunteers
Age range of participants from ten to 85 years old
Participants from 27 nations
Optimised accessibility on land
Real-time weather
Optimised safety concepts (“Safety First” applies to all areas)
TW has set itself three key topics in the area of business: Promotion of the local economy, transparent business practices and sustainability of the event in the long term.
Highlights 2024 in the area of business:
CO₂ footprint measurement
Around 25 million euros in regional added value
Traditional volunteer evening at the Passat
Internal TW app for team communication
“Black book” with topics in need of improvement
Advertising with authentic images
Transparency on the topic of sustainability
The sails for more sustainability were successfully set at Travemünde Week 2024. The first sustainability report was created in collaboration between Travemünde Week and the start-up Khulula. But this is just the beginning, 2025 is the next waypoint on the course towards more sustainability.
Holger Ambroselli is the author of the sustainability report for Travemünde Week. Photo: Katrin Heidemann