Tischrede Regierungspräsident Christian Amsler am Stars Symposium 2018 

Hotel Chloschterhof, Stein am Rhein, Montag, 24. September 2018 19:00 Uhr 

Dear Sönke Bandixen, Mayor City of Stein am Rhein

Dear Exekutive Chairman of the stars Foundation, Dr. Toni Schoenenberger,

Dear leaders and CEOs

Dear participants of the stars symposium,

Dear guests, 

First of all, let me deliver my most important message to you from the government of the Canton of Schaffhausen. In the name of the governing council I would like to say to you, that it is a very great honor to have you all here from all over the world in Stein am Rhein, Canton Schaffhausen, at the boarder of the river Rhine. 

We are very proud, yes even excited, to have the stars Symposium every year with us in Stein am Rhein, here in the Canton Schaffhausen and I am also very pleased and honored that the stars Staff have asked me as the president of the Schaffhausen government to say a few words here tonight at this occasion as a Dinner Speech. 

Actually, with great interest, I have studied your program. You heard about the two thousand thirty challenges and choices, China - Shaping Tomorrow, Africa - Promise and Reality, Competing Values, Systems and Ideologies in a Globalized World, Shaping the Future and Global Leadership. What a great and wonderful program! 

So, for me also as the minister of education, I think it is also quite interesting that the stars symposium program is mainly based on modern teaching and learning strategies and includes presentations, plenary discussion, project work, team tasks, workshops, and many more. 

Certainly you will learn in Stein am Rhein a considerable number of facts and skills about the world and leadership, but most importantly, you will learn the value of knowledge and how to obtain it and this, as you know, will be a continuing process for the rest of your lives. By attending the stars symposium, you have chosen the path of enhancing your experience in learning. And if I may say so, ladies and gentlemen, you have made a very good choice! 

Let me also say a few words about Schaffhausen, the so called “little paradise” at the border of the river Rhine. 

Today, we are proud to say that Schaffhausen is an international business location. It is actually the achievement of many parties involved that so many international and well-known companies have chosen to have its locations right here in Schaffhausen. But we all have to work very hard in order to keep Schaffhausen such an attractive location and to become even more competitive especially on an international level.  

Schaffhausen was mainly known as a location with traditional industrial production sites, then there was a structural change and Schaffhausen became a business location for sophisticated high tech firms and innovative service and production companies, also with attractive taxes conditions. 

And it is still ongoing! 

In order to create more jobs and to keep this very positive development process going, we need both, such as established companies of all sizes and as well as new, innovative companies from abroad. The main goal is to open up and diversify the whole area, that the local economy is no longer dependent on a few sectors and companies as it was until the nineties. 

I am not only the Minister of Education and foreign affairs, but also the Minister of culture and sports! Here in Schaffhausen we have a very rich cultural agenda bursting with all sorts of cultural activities and attractions. We have some very interesting museums, every two years we celebrate the International Johann Sebastian Bach Festival, in May we have the opportunity to spend wonderful days with fabulous Jazz music at the Schaffhauser Jazz Festival, then during the summer month of August we have the fantastic "Stars in Town" Music Festival with popular music in the very heart of Downtown Schaffhausen with famous musicians from all over the world. 

Next to the targets set on business development, the Canton of Schaffhausen also wants to become more and more an attraction for young families. Young families with kids appreciate the beautiful and unspoilt nature in our region and the excellent and safe schools.  

Schaffhausen is definitely a very attractive place for living. Currently, we can observe an enormous boom and hype in the local real estate market and interesting building projects pop up everywhere, which clearly are the result of a strong demand in new residential and office buildings. 

So we also have a close and attractiv connection to the economic area of Zurich. 

Well, Schaffhausen, is located in the center and heart of Europe. With 40 Minutes, we are also very close to the airport of Zurich, which is an important flying Hub for most of the international Airlines. 

Now, we are already more than in the middle of September! As you probably know, we had a very dry summer with a lot of heat and problems with the fishes in the river Rhein. But now, the weather changed.

There’s a lot to like about the autumn in our region: walking through thick carpets of red and golden leaves, taking in the fresh and crisp air and sensing the warmth of the sun. And if the weather by a chance should all of a sudden become chilly and wet, you will find shelter in the cozy and charming restaurants of our region. There are a huge number of paths and hiking trails over the Randen – which is our local mountain, or maybe rather hill - just minutes away from the city of Schaffhausen. Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with the area, just follow the yellow hiking trail signs, which indicate the trails as well as many places of interest, such as viewing platforms and restaurants. From those platforms you can enjoy fantastic panoramic views, which stretch from here as far as to our famous Swiss Alps and also across the Black Forest. 

We all here in our area hope very much that you will return to your countries, in which you live and work, with a good impression and fond memories of our beautiful Schaffhausen region!

I wish you only the very best for now but also for all your hopes and achievements in the future – young leaders of the world!