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Gut Seeburg am Champagnerberg: Interview with Wolfgang Weiss at Gut Seeburg in March 2024

12. April 2024

An interview with Wolfgang Weiss: Almost four decades of polo passion and the founding history of the Gut Seeburg Polo & Country Club.

An interview with Wolfgang Weiss, the founder of the Polo & Country Club Gut-Seeburg, who has been active in the sport of polo for 36 years and founded a polo facility at Gut-Seeburg near Berlin after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He has collected polo documents with over 100 years of German polo history from around the world, offering a fascinating opportunity to gain deep insights into this unique sport, his personal experiences, and the heritage of polo in Germany. Ten questions from POLO+10, covering a wide range of topics and addressing his experiences, challenges, achievements, and vision:

You have been involved in polo for 36 years. Can you tell us what originally brought you to polo and what was your greatest motivation to become active in this field?

My enthusiasm for polo began in 1987 in Berlin-Frohnau with the sponsorship of polo events. Even though I had no experience with horses or riding, the thrill and aesthetics of polo fascinated me from the very first second. My enthusiasm for the sport quickly led to my first riding lessons, the purchase of horses, and polo lessons in Germany, Argentina, Florida, and California.

After reunification, you founded two polo clubs in Seeburg near Berlin. What challenges did you face when founding the club, and how did you manage to overcome them? How did the former LPG site become today‘s Polo & Country Club with the affiliated Polo Park Berlin, which is now managed by Thomas Strunck?

The founding of the Polo Club Gut Seeburg was aimed at developing a social and sporting background for the game of polo at Gut Seeburg; the Förderverein des Polosports Berlin-Potsdam served as a commercial association for all events and youth work and as a contact point for sponsors.

Over the years, I have freed myself from the clumsiness and restrictions on freedom of action by having a say in the clubs and turned everything into a company, which I will transform into a foundation in the future.

My active sporting days are over, and in Thomas Strunck, I have found a committed tenant with excellent contacts in the polo scene who will continue to run the polo matches in Seeburg.

What personal achievements in polo are particularly important to you, and why?

For me personally, my greatest achievements are not necessarily sporting successes but the enjoyment of the game itself, the memories of a multitude of experiences, the people who accompanied me during this time, and the interesting contacts that I have been able to make in many places around the world as part of the sport from 1990 to the present day.

The polo exhibition you have put together covers over 100 years of polo history. What inspired you to create this exhibition, and what do you want to achieve with it?

The collection and preservation of historical documents began with my enthusiasm for the sport of polo and its aesthetics and my passion for preserving historical artefacts and antiques. I kept posters and brochures from decades ago without realising that this collection would become unique as documentation, as there are hardly any regional „event prints“ left today as future contemporary documents, a fact that is suitable for continuing the polo exhibition.

POLO+10 and the Hurlingham Polo Magazine are the only regular print sources of information about regional polo coverage.

Is there a particular exhibit or piece in your polo exhibition that you are particularly fond of? If so, could you tell us its story?

My favourite piece is a poster for a polo tournament in Frohnau from 1927, which I discovered on a trip to Argentina in Buenos Aires at the flea market in San Telmo, and the 1906 club flag of the Berlin Polo Club.

How did the political change in Germany in 1989 influence the sport of polo and especially the activities at Gut Seeburg?

Suddenly, major hurdles such as horse transport by GDR transit were no longer necessary, and rooms and areas were available that opened up new possibilities for spacious horse keeping and created space for polo. Fuelled by the presence of the English as pioneers of polo on the Maifeld and in the barracks in West Germany, our willingness to invest led to the establishment of a large number of polo clubs in a short space of time, e.g., in Hanover with Wolfgang Kailing, in Aspern by the Kirsch family, we at Gut Seeburg, and two further clubs in Phöben and Finkenkrug.

Without reunification, this development would not have taken place, and for 20 years we fought for land with the Treuhand, the BVVG, and the JCC (New York). The property would not have become what it is now without these efforts. Now we see the children of my polo partners from 1990 playing together with their own children and partners.

How has polo changed and how do you see the future of the sport?

Thanks to digital networking, players and clubs are more closely connected worldwide; contacts can be made more quickly, and appointments can be arranged. International networking creates independence for clubs from associations and manipulation within them.

Polo equals money and time, and nothing has changed in the last 120 years; the documents from the polo exhibition prove this.

How do you promote young talent and what importance do you attach to youth work?

Youth and junior work is the cornerstone of polo and is my absolute priority. From the very beginning, we developed a polo youth programme in conjunction with sponsorship and partnerships to reduce costs, to give children the opportunity to learn and practise the sport.

We still pursue this goal today by training children and young people in riding as basic work for the sport of polo. A golf school with a short course and driving range, flats, and guest rooms round off the country club concept. The work with children and young people, such as in Berlin at our Gut-Seeburg art school, therapeutic riding, and our pony farm, are important further mosaic stones in the further development of the club.

What are your future plans and visions for both polo activities and the polo exhibition? Are there any special projects or initiatives that you would like to tackle?

We will continue to develop and strengthen the sport of polo in Seeburg with the help of investments and a new 10-year contract with Thomas Strunck, thereby supporting Thomas with his openness to all polo players in Berlin and the polo environment at Ladies and Youth Cups in order to consolidate his previous work at Gut Seeburg.

I will continue to promote and support the sport of polo and guarantee this for the future through a foundation.

I will expand the polo exhibition by continually extending the documentation and continue to make the rooms available for company seminars, meetings, guided tours, and press events.

I would be happy to receive information on suitable objects for purchase.

These questions should not only emphasise the passion and achievements of the initiator and passionate polo player but also offer deeper insights into the culture and development of the sport of polo. Mr Weiss, thank you very much for this interview and all the best for the future development of your impressive polo exhibition.

By POLO+10
Photography Frank Altmann / unitedimages.com

An interview with Wolfgang Weiss: Almost four decades of polo passion and the founding history of the Gut Seeburg Polo & Country Club. An interview with Wolfgang Weiss, the founder…

Instagram, Polo News

The Central European Polo Association with a new mission

18. March 2024

POLO+10 is proud to have been an exclusive partner of the Central European Polo Association (CEPA) for a long time.

The Central European Polo Association, better known as CEPA, was established by Czechoslovakian polo player Ulrich Ferdinand Kinsky in 1929 in Vienna. It served as the governing body for Polo Clubs in Central Europe, disseminating information from the British Hurlingham Polo Association.

Due to the political situation and the rise of Nazi Germany, CEPA lasted only until August 1st, 1939, when it was abolished by the NS Partei in Vienna.

For almost 70 years, CEPA did not exist. However, when Baron Richard Drasche from Polo Club Schloss Ebreichsdorf in Austria embarked on a mission to reunite polo with former Eastern European countries, including the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Romania, he revived the Association with Uwe Zimmerman and Maria Dominowski in 2008.

As each country established its own national association, CEPA became redundant. Therefore, it was restructured with a new plan and mission and handed over to someone new. Jan Zavázal, certified HPA Coach, together with Sylvia Strube and Veronika Svobodova from La Republica Polo Club in Prague took over CEPA with a plan to create a tournament calendar for Central Eastern Europe. This aims to spread information about events happening in central Europe as well as in the former Soviet states, where polo has been growing since the early 1990s.

In addition, CEPA holds a history that began in the Habsburg monarchy, a legacy that should not be forgotten. CEPA continues to publish this precious history, which is still not 100% complete, as the historical facts of the individual countries are a part of
its journey.

CEPA also disseminates Rule Updates from the Hurlingham Polo Association, as it is the respected rule book in Central Europe. Last but not least, a youth program is in place. The aim is to give young people a chance to get involved in this sport by integrating them into the polo society. The mission here is to establish connections with Polo Clubs around the globe and offer job positions for young talents who wish to travel the world by
working in Polo.

This comes with a new brand identity and website which were introduced to represent a modern look for modern times. CEPA welcomes tournament organizers to publish their tournaments.

www.cepapolo.com

Text and Photography by CEPA

POLO+10 is proud to have been an exclusive partner of the Central European Polo Association (CEPA) for a long time. The Central European Polo Association, better known as CEPA, was…

Polo News

Berenberg records best operating result in Bank’s history

27. January 2021

• Net profit for the year up 78.7% to €108.2 million
• Return on equity reaches 52.0%
• Impressive outperformance by wealth and asset management strategies and mutual funds
• 67 capital market transactions, providing companies with €14.8 billion in capital
• Equity trading exceeds volume of €100 billion

Hamburg. Even in 2020, a year dominated by the coronavirus crisis, Berenberg has shown that the Bank is well equipped for all market phases thanks to its high-performing business model. Net profit for the year rose by 78.7% to €108.2 million (previous year: €60.5 million). Berenberg had already grown earnings by 160% in the previous year. Adjusted for extraordinary effects, the Bank’s operating profit is now also the highest it has ever recorded.

“Even in this difficult environment caused by the coronavirus pandemic, we have demonstrated the robustness of our business model”, says Managing Partner Hendrik Riehmer. “I’m proud of the way our business responded to the huge change in working practices. In some of our offices we’ve had up to 95% of our staff working from home. Our investor conferences and roadshows moved online, and everything worked well.”

“Our Investment Bank division is in an excellent position. In addition to a record number of 67 capital market transactions (IPOs and capital increases), which provided companies with a total of €14.8 billion in capital, the Bank also had a record year in terms of trading volumes and we continue to grow market share in research”. This is how Managing Partner David Mortlock explains the main driver behind the outstanding result. “I’m particularly excited about progress we’re making in the UK and US”, Mortlock added. “There were also other factors that led to our recording the highest ever commission income. These included the expansion of our range of funds and our portfolio management in Wealth and Asset Management, which are more than impressive in terms of both performance and increasing volumes, and our extensive range of credit funds”, says Hendrik Riehmer.

Net commission income rose from €355.5 million to €415.6 million in the reporting year (up 16.9%). Net interest income, which is less relevant for earnings, dropped from €63.4 million to €55.8 million (down 12.0%). This was due in the main to the general level of interest rates and the cut in interest rates in the US. Net income from trading activities decreased by 56.8% to €6.8 million (€15.7 million), reflecting the Bank’s prudent approach to uncertain market environments. The other operating result rose from -€2.2 million to €17.7 million and primarily contains the scheduled sale of shares in the former Berenberg Bank (Schweiz) AG, the sale of the business with external asset managers, as well as pension provisions.

Berenberg continued to invest in enhancing the business model. The Group’s headcount rose from 1,474 to 1,573 as a result (up 6.7%). “There were especially significant investments in IT, while costs for travel and marketing naturally dropped off considerably”, says Managing Partner Christian Kühn. While personnel expenses increased from €212.9 million to €226.5 million (up 6.4%), non-personnel costs decreased from €124.3 million to €115.5 million (down 7.1%). “We invest in people, know-how and digitalisation. On the cost side, we are benefiting from narrowing the focus of our business model in recent years”, adds Kühn.

Return on equity rose from 28.5% to 52.0%, while the cost-income ratio also improved from 79.9% to 70.9%. The ratio of current net interest income to net commission income is 12:88 (15:85), which underlines the significance of commission-earning operations. At an excellent figure of 13.5% (12.4%), the tier 1 capital ratio is the second-best in the Bank’s history and testifies to its solid position. The total capital ratio climbed from 14.4% to 15.7%. The Bank’s equity amounted to €295.5 million after the annual financial statements were approved (€287.5 million).

Net new assets in Wealth and asset management amounted to 3.4 billion Euro. Assets under management in the Berenberg Group edged up from €40.7 billion to €41.3 billion (up 1.5%) despite the assets lost through the sale of parts of the business. Total assets declined from €5.1 billion to €4.7 billion.

The Bank took advantage of the repeatedly strong financial performance and has already recognised all of the provisions required by 2022 under the new rules for general valuation allowances (BFA 7). “We did not need to record any specific valuation allowances in our credit business in the reporting year. When considered alongside the high amount added to the general valuation allowances at an early stage, this reflects our prudent and conservative governance approach,” says Christian Kühn.

Wealth Management

Berenberg’s Wealth Management is focused on complex tasks for high net worth individuals, family entrepreneurs, decision-makers as well as foundations and other charitable organisations. Its core service is portfolio management, where clients can choose from a large number of strategies that cater for the different risk/return profiles. “In 2020, all of our wealth management strategies outperformed the market,” says Hendrik Riehmer. “In investment advisory, where clients take decisions in tandem with an advisor, we established an Investment Consulting function in order to offer our clients a unique service in terms of service level, investment quality and long-term results”. In Private Equity (PE), a fully digital offering was created where investments can be made in selected PE funds from a figure of just €200,000. “We see individualised and personal advice as absolutely essential for complex assets. However, this advice is increasingly being complemented by modern digital solutions such as the Berenberg Wealth Management Portal. Clients can use this app any time not only to get an overview of how their assets are developing, but also to look at various evaluations.”

Asset Management

The success of the realignment of Asset Management initiated three years ago is demonstrated impressively by the performance of the mutual funds. Of the 21 Berenberg funds, 17 currently have a 4 or 5-star rating from Morningstar thanks to their strong performance. “In 2020, the funds in our equities platform far outperformed their respective benchmarks once again, and each ranked amongst the top spots compared to competitors. We have been winning over clients and market observers alike with our fundamental stockpicking approach”, explains Hendrik Riehmer. In Equities, the Bank now has first-in-class products in the areas Germany, Europe, Global, Small and Medium Cap and ESG. Average performance in 2020 was 23.8%, which constitutes an outperformance of 18.5%. Multi-Asset Investors were focused on aggressive and sustainable strategies. The Bank is one of the first currency managers worldwide to use alternative data to generate excess returns in Currency Overlay. It is innovations like these that have allowed Berenberg to copperfasten its position as one of the world’s largest active currency managers.

Investment Bank

“The expansion of our Investment Bank division is continuing with great success”, says David Mortlock. A number of milestones were achieved in 2020, which saw the number of covered companies rise from 890 to 1,100. The hiring of additional Senior Analysts contributed to this development. As of the end of the year, there were 89 analysts in London covering 842 companies, with 27 analysts in New York looking at 258 companies. A Research Team comprising around 15 members will be established in Frankfurt this year and will be specially dedicated to German Small and Mid Caps. The Sales Team is one of the best-performing in Europe. It is made up of 53 generalists and eleven specialists who provide assistance to the 950 institutional clients in Europe and the US. “Communication between the stakeholders is particularly important in times of uncertainty”, explains David Mortlock. “This is why we organised more than 30,000 virtual meetings in 2020 between investors and the management of the companies we analyse. There was also major interest in our 30 investor conferences, all of which took place online because of the pandemic.”

Clients produced a new record in equity trading. The numerous activities in March/April and November in particular led to record sales, which exceeded the €100 billion mark for the first time.

There was also a significant jump in Equity Capital Markets. The Bank accompanied a total of 67 transactions (38) with an issue volume of €14.8 billion (€4.4 billion), helping companies to borrow amounts of capital never seen before. A total of eleven IPOs, 44 accelerated bookbuilds and six new convertible bonds were organised. Berenberg reinforced its leading market position in the German-speaking countries. It expanded its presence in France and the Benelux countries as well as entering the Scandinavian and southern European markets. In the UK, Berenberg is now the corporate broker for a total of 40 companies. The Bank’s performance in the US is particularly pleasing. It assisted twelve transactions there, including the IPO for CureVac as well as the issue of subscription rights for BioNTech. Both of those companies are pioneers in the research to find a COVID-19 vaccine.

Corporate Banking

Corporate Banking assists SMEs as well as companies geared to the capital market. Alongside the traditional corporate client business, it encompasses the areas of Shipping and Real Estate, Infrastructure & Energy as well as the special area of Structured Finance. There is a special focus on issuing credit funds. This allows Berenberg to offer third-party investors such as institutional investors and large single-family offices the opportunity to invest in credit together with the Bank. The focus here is on structured finance, ship loans and projects from the fields of energy and infrastructure. “In the Private Debt asset class, we are one of the fastest-growing asset managers in Europe. We can offer our clients strong returns in an environment characterised by low interest rates”, explains Hendrik Riehmer. The volume of illiquid alternative assets grew to €4 billion. No fewer than three of those funds offer possibilities to fund projects in the field of renewable energies. Alongside the core markets like Germany, Japan and Australia, 2020 marked our entry into two additional markets – namely the US and Finland. In the Infrastructure segment, fibre-optic projects are also financed for private investors as fund subscribers. In Structured Finance, Berenberg has established a leading role in the financing of corporate acquisitions with its credit funds. Clients are benefiting from many years of expertise in international shipping through the shipping loan fund, which has been in place for four years now. The fund provides financing for 130 ships and has not suffered any disruption thanks to its conservative approach.

www.berenberg.com · info@berenberg.com

• Net profit for the year up 78.7% to €108.2 million • Return on equity reaches 52.0% • Impressive outperformance by wealth and asset management strategies and mutual funds •…

Lifestyle, Polo News

70 years of Porsche factory collection in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen

14. May 2020

On 26 May 1950, the first 356 was handed over to a customer

An unprecedented success story started seven decades ago on 26 May 1950 when the first new Porsche car was collected from the factory in Zuffenhausen by its new owner. To this day, customers come as close as is practically possible to the brand’s roots when they pick up their new car. In the anniversary year, the first Taycan was also collected by a customer from the parent plant in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen.

The history of factory collection all began outside on a field in view of Plant 1. This is where Ottomar Domnick laid the foundation for this tradition when he collected his sports car on 26 May 1950: a Porsche 356 in Fish Silver with the commission number 5001. Being the first customer in Germany was a dream come true for this specialist in neurology and psychiatry. Ottomar Domnick was 43 years old when he collected his Porsche – incidentally the same age as Florian Böhme who was handed the first electric sports car in Zuffenhausen on 21 February. He collected his Taycan on the day of his 43th birthday.

Before the celebratory handover, Ottomar Domnick took the passenger seat in his Porsche 356 next to Herbert Linge, who had invited him to take a final test run. Herbert Linge started his training at Porsche KG in April 1943 and was one of the first mechanics to be employed after Porsche returned from Gmünd in Austria at the end of 1949. “I was 14 years old when I started work at the first Porsche training workshop. In those days, we were six mechanics and two technical draftsmen. Ferdinand Porsche often walked past our workshop with important guests in tow. He would always stop to say hello while keeping his guests briefly waiting. That’s something I’ll never forget,” says Herbert Linge, who clearly remembers every car collection at the factory. “When Ottomar Domnick collected his Porsche 356, he really celebrated the occasion. But he had been coming to the factory every day anyway to see how far on we were with the work. Even Ferry Porsche briefly dropped in when the doctor was presented with his sports car.”

Even today, factory collection at the Porsche headquarters is a particularly special experience for customers. “The most exciting aspect of this first encounter is that the customer has never actually seen the car before,” explains Tobias Donnevert, Head of Factory Collection and Sales Operations Personalisation. “The customer has configured the car of his choice in the Porsche Centre or together with the customer service of the Porsche Exclusive Manufacture department and has only seen the colour combinations on photos or tiles. So when he collects his personal Porsche, he is seeing it for the very first time. This is a very special moment, reserved exclusively for the customer at the beginning of the handover.”

At the plant in Zuffenhausen, Tobias Donnevert and his team welcome around 20 customers every day who come to collect their new cars. In 2019, there was a total of 2,500 customers and almost 3,000 in Leipzig. Before collecting their car, customers are also invited to take a tour of the factory and see, among other things, how the Porsche 911 is manufactured in Zuffenhausen. A visit to the Porsche Museum is also on the agenda. At Porsche in Leipzig, customers are given an insight into the production of the Macan and Panamera models. Customers can also take a test run in a similar Porsche on the plant’s own FIA race track.

The Domnick Foundation, which manages his estate, still has the original order form from Ottomar Domnick with the commission number 5001. The order was processed by the Volkswagen Hahn dealership as there was no sales distribution in Germany at that point. “Volkswagen” had been crossed out by hand and replaced with “Porsche-Sport” on the order form. To this day, Ottomar Domnick’s Porsche 356 represents the beginning of Porsche in Germany, and it also directly stands for the start of personal factory collections in Zuffenhausen.

On 26 May 1950, the first 356 was handed over to a customer An unprecedented success story started seven decades ago on 26 May 1950 when the first new Porsche…

Europe, Polo News

U.S. Polo Assn. Named Official Apparel Partner of Germany’s Prestigious Engel & Völkers Berlin Maifeld Cup

20. August 2019

The Event Will Take Place at Historical Olympic Park Where One of America’s Greatest Athletes, Jesse Owens, Shattered Records & Broke Barriers in the 1936 Summer Olympics

U.S. Polo Assn., the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA) announced it will serve as the official apparel partner for the prestigious Engel & Völkers Maifeld Cup. The event will be held at the Maifeld Berlin Polo Club starting August 16^th with the finals scheduled for August 25th. The finals will be played on the Maifeld fields at historic Olympiapark, which served as the Olympic Park for the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics.

The Maifeld Cup, also referred to as the German High Goal Polo Championship, has become one of the most prestigious and popular polo events in Europe. This high-profile event not only attracts polo players from around the globe, but also influencers from the worlds of entertainment, business, culture, politics and sports. With the historic Berlin Olympic Stadium looming in the background, the event offers a spectacular setting for the 10-day tournament with eight highly competitive teams vying for the championship.

“We are thrilled to be the apparel partner at this very prestigious and important polo event in Germany, which, along with the rest of Europe, is a major market for U.S. Polo Assn.” said J. Michael Prince, President & CEO of USPA Global Licensing, which manages the multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand. “We are also very humbled to be able to sponsor this event which takes place in one of the truly special and historic venues in sports, as the backdrop of Olympiapark is where one of America’s most admired athletes, Jesse Owens, shattered records and broke barriers by winning four gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics.”

As the official apparel partner for the event, U.S. Polo Assn. will produce custom designed performance jerseys for all players as well as custom uniforms for umpires and specially designed outfits for event staff. In addition, there will be a “pop-up” shop with a curated apparel collection at the event, providing tournament attendees with an opportunity to both commemorate the event and take home a piece of the polo lifestyle.

“As the organizing agency of the Maifeld Polo Cup 2019, we are looking forward to partnering with U.S. Polo Assn. as our official apparel partner, with its authentic connection and long history with the sport of polo,” commented Moritz Gaedeke, Co-CEO of Sevendays Polo Event GmbH. “The playing ground for the final matches, the Maifeld, is one of the world’s most renowned polo fields within Olympic polo stadium and a perfect setting for Germany’s most prestigious tournament.”

U.S. Polo Assn. and USPA Global Licensing Inc. (USPAGL)

U.S. Polo Assn. is the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), the nonprofit governing body for the sport of polo in the United States founded in 1890, making it one of the oldest sports governing bodies. With a global footprint of $1.7B and worldwide distribution through 1,100 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores, department stores, independent retailers and e-commerce, U.S. Polo Assn. offers apparel for men, women and children, as well as accessories, footwear, travel and home goods in 166 countries worldwide. Recently ranked 4th largest sports licensor and 36th overall in License Global magazine’s 2019 list of “Top 150 Global Licensors,” U.S. Polo Assn. now takes its place alongside such iconic sports brands as Major League Baseball, National Football League and National Basketball Association.

USPA Global Licensing Inc. (USPAGL) is the for-profit subsidiary of the USPA and the exclusive worldwide licensor for the USPA’s global licensing program. USPAGL is the steward of the USPA’s intellectual properties, providing the sport with a long-term source of revenue. USPAGL also produces global broadcasts to bring the sport of polo to consumers and sports fans around the world including the GAUNTLET OF POLO, the sport’s new high-goal $1M prize money series played on U.S. Polo Assn. Field.

www.uspoloassnglobal.com

INSTAGRAM: @USPOLOASSN

Thomas Wirth, POLO+10

The Event Will Take Place at Historical Olympic Park Where One of America’s Greatest Athletes, Jesse Owens, Shattered Records & Broke Barriers in the 1936 Summer Olympics U.S. Polo…