As a founding member of ECCIA – the European Cultural and Creative Industries Alliance – Walpole’s work reaches far beyond British shores. Composed of seven European member organisations in Italy, France, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Germany and, of course, the UK, ECCIA's members join forces to represent the luxury sector’s shared values in Brussels at the European Commission. Our latest interview series introduces you to the CEO of each ECCIA member and brings you the key details that every high-end brand should know about the luxury sector in the country they represent.
For the next instalment in the series, we head to Berlin to speak with Clemens Pflanz, Founder and CEO of Meisterkreis in Germany...
Walpole: Can you tell us about your association? How many members are there in your organisation, and what are the requirements of membership?
Clemens Pflanz: Meisterkreis, founded in 2011, has over 90 members including companies, as well as cultural and scientific institutions. The members of Meisterkreis stand for the culture of excellence in and from Germany. All represent the highest level in quality, creativity and durability. Excellence is achieved through a business model that relies on intellectual property, craftsmanship and engineering, the 'aura of special', selective distribution, and the development of new markets.
What are the qualities and characteristics of your country’s luxury sector that make it unique in the world?
German excellence is a universe of different poles, between tradition and avantgarde, craftsmanship and advanced technologies, romanticism and progress.
What would you say the primary talking point is amongst the luxury sector in your country right now?
How to secure competitive advantages through the lack of new talents, particularly in craftsmanship and IT.
What is the biggest challenge to the growth of the luxury industry in your country, both domestically and internationally?
People from Europe, Asia and America usually associate German excellence with the outstanding achievements of German engineering. But the nature of German high-quality products cannot merely be reduced to technical perfection and clear lines. Complex Riesling wines and performances by Pina Bausch or Sasha Waltz just as equally represent an uncompromising philosophy of quality and overflowing of creativity, as do the masterpieces of the Leipziger Schule. Employing its international network, Meisterkreis supports its members’ businesses in reaching international markets. Our commitment here ranges from providing specialised knowledge on the respective market conditions to hosting international events and joint marketing initiatives.
What are the calendar highlights of that your company organises throughout the year?
Highlights are the meetings with our European counterparts and friends: with Comité Colbert on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the German French friendship treaty in the residence of the German ambassador in Paris. Also, our visit to Stockholm with Swedish members of the Gustaf Committee III. We look forward to welcoming Laurel, our Portuguese partner organisation, to Berlin in November. Other highlights in 2023 are the internationalisation of the Meisterkreis with the opening of Meisterkreis-Clubs in Shanghai, Dubai, NYC and Singapore.
What has been the proudest moment for you in your tenure at Meisterkreis?
As a founder and Chairman of Meisterkreis, it always makes me proud to see that the idea of achieving better results through joint activities succeeds. Meisterkreis uses the creative areas of tension created by its diversity and generates innovative product offerings, business models and partnerships.
Why is an organisation like ECCIA important?
ECCIA is of enormous importance for the European high-end and luxury industry, and offers great opportunities, both politically and entrepreneurially. ECCIA represents the strongest European brands and cultural institutions in the top segment, which no other continent can even come close to offering. If we envisage strengthening and further developing these clusters of excellence that exist in every European country, we will be able to secure and expand our competitive advantages in the long term.
> Find out more about all the member organisations within ECCIA and its work here
> For more information on Walpole's international work and ECCIA, please contact Charlotte Keesing on [email protected]
