For the sixth time, Miniatur Wunderland invites people who cannot afford the entrance fee as part of the campaign “I Can’t Afford It.”
On 23 dates in January, everyone is welcome—whether they are welfare recipients, single parents, pensioners, refugees, or large families—who feel they cannot afford the admission. All they have to do is say the sentence “I can’t afford it” at the entrance, and they will be granted free admission without any further questions.
The event was organized for the first time in January 2015. The campaign was launched for the first time in January 2015. Since then, nearly 100,000 people have taken advantage of the offer. In its first year, there was one hate letter from the far-right scene because the campaign was also open to refugees. However, since then, the reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. The explanatory videos about the campaign on Facebook and YouTube have been viewed millions of times. Some people in the comments express concerns about potential abuse of the offer, but the opposite is true. The number of regular visitors has even slightly increased. That those who say “I can’t afford it” genuinely cannot afford the admission is evident in the bistro: on these selected days, the revenue per visitor is 30-40% lower.
“I’m happy for every single person who finds out about this offer and takes advantage of it. Maybe one in a thousand will exploit the program, but in the end I don’t care about them. The last few years have shown that it pays to trust and believe in the good,” explains Gerrit Braun.
On each of the 23 campaign days in January, hundreds of visitors are expected to take up the offer—on peak days, even more than 1,000 per day. There are emotional scenes at the entrance every day. You only need to stand at the entrance for a few minutes on these days to see that it’s worth it. The reactions of the people are touching and motivating. Unfortunately, the high demand also shows that, despite record employment, many people in Germany still live in precarious conditions. For us, it is a great joy that we are in the fortunate position to offer these people a beautiful moment,” says Frederik Braun.
A video in which Frederik and Gerrit Braun explain the campaign has been online on Facebook and YouTube since Thursday afternoon. The first campaign day is Sunday, January 5th, and it runs until January 30th, excluding Saturdays. All dates and further information can be found at www.miniatur-wunderland.de/leisten
YOUTBUBE: https://youtu.be/QmbG-ZlFFaU
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MiniaturWunderlandHamburg/videos/905841079860382/
