Cinnamon Life Business Forum series kicks-off, featuring globally acclaimed expert Andreas Krüger

• Andreas Krüger presents his insights at the Cinnamon Life Business Forum series

 Cinnamon Life, Sri Lanka’s largest and most iconic integrated multi-functional development project to date, in association with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and German Development Cooperation (GIZ), recently hosted the first chapter of the Cinnamon Life Forum series. The first thought-leader featured at the event was renowned property policy expert and the Managing Partner of Belius GmbH, Berlin – Andreas Krüger. During his session, which was attended by the city’s top business leaders, developers and investors, Andreas explored the pertinent topic of creative placemaking and entrepreneurship in the 21st century. He also shed light on the important role that the real estate industry plays in supporting the transformation and growth of a city. 

The Cinnamon Life Business Forum Series was launched to share powerful ideas that will ultimately help to shape Colombo into a dynamic and competitive city. By exploring the subject of modern day placemaking and entrepreneurship, Andreas Krüger tackled a wide array of important areas during the forum, including political, government and public administration policy making and the importance of understanding different roles, stakeholder monitoring, adhering to recommended methods and embracing process innovation. 

He also touched on smart participation and collaboration formats, economic and financial feasibility, as well as the need to adhere to a respectful, transparent and accessible culture of dialogue, communications and marketing. The first segment of the forum was dedicated to addressing the key questions in the field of innovative placemaking and entrepreneurship in modern times, whilst empowering Sri Lanka’s top business audiences.

In addition, Andreas Krüger also delivered exclusive insights from the drastic transformation of Berlin, a dynamic and fast-paced city that thrives on entrepreneurial drive, contrast and creativity. These valuable insights, coupled with useful learnings from some of Andreas Krüger’s projects such as Moritzplatz and Prinzessinnengärten, collectively shed light on the important role that citizens and residents play in the development of a city and its governance, whilst fostering the understanding of behavioural changes that are required to keep a city constantly evolving and transforming.

Commenting on the successful completion of the event’s inaugural session, Andreas Krüger, Managing Partner of Belius GmbH, and Berlin stated: “It was a pleasure to kick-start the Cinnamon Life Business Forum series and be a part of this innovative initiative that is helping to reshape the city of Colombo. I hope that the forum discussions will prove useful and informative to Sri Lanka’s business communities. Though Sri Lanka has evolved and progressed rapidly since the end of the civil conflict, the country has yet to see a mixed development as large as Cinnamon Life making a mark on its skyline and economy. This project and the country’s rapidly growing real estate industry at large, will play a crucial role in the development and positioning of the city of Colombo as a regional hub, and I hope that the topics discussed at the forum will shed a light on the role that large-scale property and real estate projects will have on the island’s overall urban and economic development.”

Raised in north Germany and currently based in Berlin, Andreas Krüger is a multidisciplinary expert with decades of experience in the fields of creative placemaking, content related space strategies, urban humanity, artist interventions and cultural and creative working processes. He also has in-depth knowledge of the areas of international exchanges, urban development, urban planning, property policy, construction and real estate, among others. 

Andreas currently serves at the helm of Belius, a Berlin based strategic consultancy, which supports policy makers, urban administrations, property owners and investors, users as well as civic initiatives. His team helps them in their efforts to create and maintain human centred, liveable, relevant and economically feasible spaces. Additionally, Andreas specializes in curating urban residences and developments for cultural, retail and commercial as well as residential use.

Cinnamon Life is a mixed development by Sri Lanka’s premier listed conglomerate, the John Keells Group. Upon completion, the project will comprise of an 800-roomed luxury Cinnamon hotel, an array of entertainment facilities, apartments, retail and entertainment malls, office spaces, and many other attractions. The development’s iconic design by Cecil Balmond will span across 4.5 million square feet, and it envisioned to be the epicentre of modern South Asia. Designed to be the first multi-functional development of its kind in the country, and a city within a city, Cinnamon Life is set to strengthen Colombo’s position as a travel, trade, lifestyle and entertainment hotspot in the Indian Subcontinent.

Pix by Indraratna Balasuriya