Basel and Miami Beach Sign the City Partnership Agreement
Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and Hans-Peter Wessels, member of the Government of Basel-Stadt, will sign the official agreement that seals the partnership between Basel and Miami Beach. The signing ceremony will take place just before the 10th anniversary of the Art Basel Miami Beach.
Basel and Miami Beach have shared close ties for a decade already. These ties will be formalised in the form of a city partnership agreement today, Monday November 28 2011, which will be signed at a ceremony at Miami Beach City Hall. The foundation of the agreement was laid during Art 42 Basel in June, when President Guy Morin and Matti Herrera Bower signed a Memorandum of Understanding at Basel City Hall.
It is no coincidence that the signing takes place just before Art Basel Miami Beach kicks off this year to celebrate its 10th anniversary. The regular exchanges between the two cultural capitals go back to the first Art Basel Miami Beach in the year 2002. Since then, the two cities have continually intensified their relationship. For Basel-Stadt, today’s signing of the official partnership treaty is also a confirmation of MCH Group’s commitment to Miami Beach as a business location.
The cities’ extensive common interests in the cultural field are at the heart of the partnership arrangement. Furthermore, strategic cooperation will also be promoted in the economic, trade, education and research fields. The city partnership model represents a platform for lively exchanges between all actors interested in these areas.
Extension of the global network
Basel is already twinned with the State of Massachusetts and the city of Shanghai, China. Building on mutual strengths, city partnerships represent an integral part of the activities performed by the Department of Presidential Affairs that have both a direct and an indirect impact on the positive development of the cities involved. Similar to Basel, the southern US city of Miami Beach is also the site of numerous cultural events, ranging from exhibitions of classic collections and modern art to ballet performances and concerts.
The Art Basel Miami Beach show is one of the most prominent art events in the United States. With its additional thriving clusters in the fields or tourism, business development and education, Miami Beach is an inspiring partner city and a welcome addition to Basel’s global network. Miami Beach has entered into over ten of such partnerships, with Basel being the only partner city in the central European region.
For further information, please contact:
Sabine Horvath
Leiterin Aussenbeziehungen und Standortmarketing Basel-Stadt
Phone +41 (0)61 267 40 87
Mobile: +41 (0)79 623 30 14
E-mail: sabine.horvath@bs.ch