1. Project: Libeskind’s Sail against the wind
Category: PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Summary
Great cities need great investments. Libeskind’s Sail, a luxurious sail-shaped
apartment tower, is the first Daniel Libeskind’s project in Poland. This incredible 54-
storey and 192 m high investment developed by Orco Group emerged in the very
heart of Warsaw till July 2009, when the group of several people sued its construction
permit issued by the Mayor of Warsaw, simultaneously demanding a huge
compensation for the hypothetical losses caused by investment.
In result, the Regional Administrative Court has cancelled Libeskind’s Sail building
permit
and withheld its further construction. The suspension had economical consequences.
It caused Orco’s financial loss reaching 170 000 € per day and meant significant
architectural and economic waste both for Warsaw and the whole country.
In March 2010, the agency started the public affairs campaign which aimed at
reaching
the strategic opinion forming and decision-making groups that might have affected the
Court’s decision and, in result, expedite the investment by facilitating all the
procedures related to its further development.
After only 7 months of the comprehensive public affairs actions, the agency built a
strong municipal and political support for the Orco’s investment. In result it was
possible to accelerate the re-launch of the Libeskind’s Sail construction works.
Situation
Since the very beginning of its construction the Libeskind’s Sail was supposed to be
the most prestigious and luxurious apartment building in Poland.
The plight of Libeskind’s tower has been extensively covered both in Polish media
and international media. On June 29, 2010 The Wall Street Journal published a
special blog post entitled “Why Poland Can’t Build Fast Enough” which highlighted the
legal barriers’ harmful influence on the position of Poland in the global rankings.

2. Objectives
The most important goals of the public affairs campaign run for Orco were to
influence the city authorities’ attitude towards the further construction and to defend
the prestigious and reputable image of Orco Group. The main point was to show that
the withdrawal decision resulted from the administrative, not Orco’s mistake. The
campaign aimed at preserving the positive image of Libeskind’s Sail as the very
attractive location and were directed to Orco’s current and potential clients.
Moreover, the PR activities have also emphasized the significance of the project’s
completion and its influence on the capital’s overall image, especially before Euro
2012.
Strategy
The public affairs activities run for Orco’s investment had three main points:
 Operational: to accelerate the Supreme Administrative Court’s (SAC) decision
regarding the re-launch of the project’s construction works.
 Associated: to create a strong support for the investment’s re-launch among
opinion forming and decision-making groups including municipal and political
circles.
Other important goals were to avoid the situation in which the investment could have
become the element of war between past, current and potential city’s authorities or
worse, the element of the municipal election campaign planned for November 2010.
 Strategic: to create a friendly social attitude towards the investment’s re-launch
by emphasizing the huge significance of its quick completion as well as its
great importance for the Warsaw’s image during Euro 2012.
Execution
The agency conducted public affairs activities to influence legislative process using
techniques including media relations and direct lobbying.
The activities mentioned were implemented with the use of such tools as bilateral
meetings of Orco’s representatives with selected municipal officers (City Hall, the
Council of Warsaw,
the District Mayor and the District Council) and official letters supporting their
arrangement (even from David Libeskind himself). Aware of the forces of society, the
agency attached a great importance to the public consultations and debates.
The conducted public affairs campaing included also public relations activities like
individual meetings and dynamic media relations with the most important journalists.
That resulted in nearly 200 press and online publications and over 50 TV and radio
auditions. The agency engaged also an international law expert and a foreign
investement expert as key opinion leaders who represented an independent support.

3. Results
In October 2010, after only 7 months of the comprehensive public affairs activities the
main goal of the campaign was achieved - the local authorities upheld the building’s
construction permit.
The restored construction works that started in December will take two years, so by
Euro 2012, there will progress only the last finishing and elevation works.
The public affairs campaign run with the strong support of city’s authorities and public
opinion
was a huge success.
The state of art Libeskind’s Sail, the unique residential project will become a new
landmark
of Warsaw. Only in two years it will revive the skyline of the Polish capital and
encourage new investors to lay out their funds in Poland.