“Management Berater” April 2000
Residing in a palace
The owner of a business centre gains a competitive advantage not only from a comprehensive
and innovative service offer or a worldwide network.
Also the architecture of an edifice can facilitate the "office sharing" decision when,
besides emphasising the full service, the ambience is playing an important part.
"Come and visit us and you will see what I’m talking about“ rhapsodises Steffen Herbst,
owner of the BMS Büro and Marketing Service. His company does not reside in a highly modern
and architecturally exchangeable building, but in the tobacco branch Yenidze,
built between 1907 and 1909 by Hugo Zietz as a production site for cigarettes.
The impressive building reminds rather of a palace than of a manufacturing site.
But there is a reason for that:
The Dresden city council prohibited the construction of a factory on these premises and therefore,
the entrepreneur had to find a solution. The chimney for example was built in the form of a minaret.
After a partial destruction during World War II,
the Yenidze served as a depot and administration location for the Dresden Tobacco Kontor as from 1953.
In 1991, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the planning for the reconstruction and a multiple use began.
The BMS then overtook the service management and created, within two years,
a modern full-service business centre available to companies on more than 8,000 sqm on six floors.
Notably charming is the building’s huge dome, housing a restaurant that can be rented for various events.
For those who want to relax after work,
the summer terrace is a perfect opportunity offering a magnificent view of the entire city.
More than a business centre
For Herbst, the establishment of a modern business centre is just the beginning. "We do not want to limit our services to our floors but, instead, offer them to all tenants. Therefore, the next project is the management marketing for the entire building" explains the dedicated centre manager and already thinks one step ahead: "Regular coaching seminars for employees of the office centre industry are a reasonable supplement of our service portfolio." Another innovation is a private foundation centre, created by Herbst. During their first steps, founders of new businesses are helped for a period of three years with words and deeds by business economist Herbst, a lawyer and a financial service provider. Besides the consulting services, the founders can also rent a fully equipped office for some 300 € per month. He describes this idea as "giving birth to our new customers".
Unite the future with the past
With so many plans, the view is set beyond the horizon. In the near future, Herbst will dedicate himself to cultural sponsoring and host vernissages for hitherto unknown artists. With all due set-up for the future, he allows himself to look back into the past: "I would like to go back to the roots of this building and open a tobacco museum" Herbst describes one of his wishes, which he is going to accomplish very soon.
