Michael Weber…feeling the soul of the city
Born in 1945 in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, “the Jewel of the Middle Ages”, he graduated from the University of Erlangen with a degree in English and Romance linguistics and literature, specialising in tourism from the Rothenburg times. He became Assistant Manager of Nuremberg Tourism in 1971, remaining there until 1980, and Director of Franconian Regional Tourist Board ten years later, in 1981 and then spent 23 years as General Manager of Nuremberg Tourism (1987 – 2010).
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Michael Weber was also active in numerous leading honorary offices in local, national and international tourism and corporations: German Association of Tourism Officers, European Union of Tourism Officers, European Cities Marketing, German National Tourism Association, Tourist Boards of Bavaria and of Franconia, German Tourism Seminar, Tourism Institute of Munich University, German Toy Road, Holiday Route Nuremberg – Pyhrn – Adriatic Sea, Chamber of Commerce, and many more.
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Throughout his professional career, he focused on marketing, professional education, teaching and consulting but also saw the importance of networking on a local as well as a national and international level.
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When speaking of Michael, nobody hesitates to praise him: “He had a feeling for the soul of the city.” (Lord Mayor Maly during his farewell address). “He leaves as a colleague and a friend.” (Dieter Hardt-Stremayr in his speech on the same occasion).
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The best moment of my professional career:
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I have two moments! 1989, when the iron curtain fell and the citizens of the German Democratic Republic flooded Nuremberg, and 2006, when Nuremberg was one of the places where the FIFA World Cup took place in an incredibly splendid atmosphere.
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Why I will never forget the meeting in…
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… Cardiff, because I was given the role of a grizzly on the stage.
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ECM has brought me…
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… many, many friends and a wider look at tourism problems and solutions.
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One cannot survive working in tourism….
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… without being able to see beyond the end of one’s own nose.
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Finally, I will have the time to….
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… optimise my skills as a magician, and to learn how to operate not only a computer, but also a dishwasher and a tumble dryer.
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Dieter Hardt-Stremayr and Michael Weber
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