About the opportunities and challenges of large-scale events for regional development, around 200 participants from politics, science, and society discussed on March 25th (Tuesday) at the spring reception of the association regionen.NRW in the state parliament in Düsseldorf. Special focus was placed on the structural development initiatives “REGIONALEn” in the Bergisches RheinLand and South Westphalia, which will celebrate their presentation year in 2025.

In her contribution, Minister Ina Scharrenbach emphasized the importance of special formats like the REGIONALEn for strengthening regional identity and innovative capacity:
“The regions not only define their future tasks – they actively take them into their own hands. Many people are concerned that things cannot continue as they have in the past. What makes the REGIONALEn special is that, instead of the state government, the regions themselves develop the goals and ideas. Thus, the REGIONALEn can make an important contribution to finding regional answers to demographic change or the sustainable transformation of the economy and to turning frustration back into courage.”

Panel Discussion: NRW with Unique Feature “REGIONALEn”

In the high-profile panel discussion, including Prof. Dr. Walter Siebel, former Technical Director of the IBA Emscher Park, the special features of formats like the REGIONALE were highlighted:
“REGIONALEn represent exceptional, time-limited situations. They must have a clear end and must not become the rule. It is precisely this that creates focus – faster decisions and swift implementation become possible. At the same time, REGIONALEn are meant to serve as role models and trigger practical innovations. Therefore, they take place within regular funding structures that are fundamentally open to all regions.”

Looking ahead, those responsible for large-scale events that will serve as engines for regional development in the coming years provided insights into their work – including Manifesta 16 Ruhr 2026, the two State Garden Shows in 2026 in Neuss and 2029 in Kleve, the Federal Garden Show 2031 in Wuppertal, as well as the International Garden Exhibitions 2027 in the Ruhr area and 2037 in Garzweiler.

Networking and Dialogue

Informal conversations rounded off the evening, giving guests the opportunity to network and develop shared perspectives.