Casla brings together B2B marketers and leaders from Bochum and Sheffield to celebrate 75 years of partnership

6th August 2025

Sheffield is full of brilliant businesses doing innovative things in the advanced manufacturing, healthcare, education, cultural and digital sectors. It’s world-famous for its history of steel production, its many music legends, and for being the ‘greenest’ city in the UK.

A lesser-known characteristic of Sheffield is its twinning with the city of Bochum in western Germany. This partnership dates back to 1950 - when the average weekly wage was around £6, most jobs were manual, barely anyone owned a washing machine, and if you wanted to call someone, you had to go to a red public phone box.

Bochum is also famous for its industrial heritage, as well as theatre, currywurst, and for being home to the world’s largest mining museum. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the twinning and deepen the ties between the two cities, Casla is hosting a virtual event, bringing together B2B marketers and leaders from both cities.

Image of Bell

"Presented by the people of Bochum to the people of Sheffield on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the twinning between their two cities" Located on Pinstone Street, the Bochum Bell was made by apprentices at the Krupp AG Works and reflects Sheffield and Bochum's shared heritage in the manufacturing of the highest quality steel. Image Credit

We know how valuable it is to bring people together in a room to share knowledge and experiences, and we're looking forward to this chance to learn from each other. We’ve experienced the power of events first-hand, and it was a common theme in the conversations we had with other Sheffield businesses as part of our research report on marketing trends at Sheffield’s B2B SMEs.

The virtual event is free to attend, and will be taking place on September 3rd, 2 - 3pm Sheffield time / 3 - 4pm Bochum time. Head to the Bochum & Sheffield B2B Marketing Virtual Panel Discussion Event page for all the details and to register.

The panellists are:

We’re looking forward to having the opportunity to explore our similarities and differences in how we do business in a digital world. Topics will include the role of place, what’s working in B2B marketing right now, and there’ll also be time for a Q&A.

Bochum recently brought a little bit of Sheffield to its city centre with the ‘Sheffield Inn’ pop-up. It was filled with artwork showcasing Sheffield buildings, from the Crucible to Sheffield City Hall and Winter Gardens, as well as historical information about Sheffield and the twinning agreement established in 1950.

Both cities share a rich industrial heritage in developing coal and steel industries, and we’re excited to share ideas and deepen ties as we take steps forward in business in a fast-changing landscape.