Zurich is not only a world famous financial hub. It is also a formidable capital for the MICE industry. Zurich Convention Bureau has invited MICE professionals from all over Switzerland to the Zurich MICE days and it caused a respectable sensation amongst its leaders. Welcome to the world's top three city for life quality!
by Urs Seiler || 28 October 2024
When the MICE community (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Events) from Switzerland met in the lifestyle capital on the lake of Zurich, the participating guests were ready to break out of their routine and learn something new. This was at the top of the agenda at the MICE Days in Zurich from 25 - 26 October. And the guests came in large numbers from all parts of the country to the venerable National Museum and to various locations.
Thomas Wüthrich (left), director of Zurich Tourism and formerly a business leader of MCI Group («when people meet, magic happens») with guest speaker and TV personality Jeff Baltermina (right), opened the Zurich MICE Days. It set the tone of what was to follow on MICE edutainment, on networking - and as a show for spectacular locations in and around Zurich.
The director of Zurich Tourism said in his opening interview at the venerable Swiss National Museum, next to the main train station and a mere 11 (!) minutes from Zurich airport, how important the goal for a MICE event is and it set the tone of what was to follow on the shore of the beautiful Lake of Zurich.
From the Silicon Valley on the Lake to Gen Z-Edutainment
After the networking opening at the Swiss National Museum the attendees were to explore five inspiring insight sessions that delved into the latest trends and topics shaping the meetings industry:
They went off to the Umami, brand new centre for «vertical farming» at the end of Badenerstrasse. The unique production site has just opened to the public – and for events.
Then the insight-session «Trends in Event Catering» in the – nomen est omen – food lab in the «BRIDGE» at the Europaallee next to the main train station.
The new «Zollhaus», also in the immediate vicinity of the main train station, offered insights into improvisation vs event management.
At the «Silicon Valley at the Lake» in the Interim-Loft the attendees deep-dived into artificial intelligence.
Last but not least the writer’s choice to attend took place at the Westhive (picture above) at Hardturmstrasse. Students from the University of St. Gallen lead the session «Entrepreneurship and Gen Z». It opened up the horizon as to the direction in which social networks are developing and why it is becoming increasingly important for companies to network with Gen Z.
Regional tours on Saturday finally took the MICE professionals to the Business Hub Zug, close to Zurich and famous for its low taxes, and the first-class meetings and events destination of Rapperswil at the foot of the lake of Zurich.
MICE Location Finder Show
For the author of this blog and notably most of the participants at the Zurich MICE Days, trendy event locations are a valuable content of the programme.
We are exclusively highlighting just one young location that presented itself in the MICE exhibition in the afternoon in the famous Schiffbau. The brand new WOW Museum (!) offers companies unique opportunities to surprise the senses and strengthen team spirit, right in the heart of Zurich, just off Bahnhofstrasse at Werdemühlestrasse.
Numerous other event locations such as FIVE, located high above Lake Zurich, where the Rolling Stones misbehaved in the 1960s, or the Dorint Group or the Marriott c/o Sheraton Zurich Hotel on Pfingstweidstrasse and of course the FIFA museum of the world’s football association convinced the MICE community with their offerings.
Zurich is a formidable event hub, largely thanks to its economic strength and its life quality. In the worldwide Mercer ranking it finds itself regularly on second or third spot, narrowly followed by the next MICE hubs of Switzerland Basel, Bern and Geneva, all amongst the world’s top fifteen cities. Zurich figures also amonst the top 15 cities worldwide in the Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index.
Networking for the MICE community
The 4th edition of the Zurich MICE Days was a formidable edutainment forum and a networking stage that would be missing if Zurich Convention did not organise it every year.
The admirable Vanessa Reis of the Zurich Convention Bureau, organiser of the Zurich MICE Days, in her closing speach, just returning from important MICE events in Las Vegas and Dubai with Zurich Convention Bureau’s Manager Gregory Baur (left) and speaker Jeff Baltermina (middle).
So, what’s more important - what you know or who you know? Both of course. It wouldn’t surprise us if Zurich MICE Days grew into a viable trade fair. But this might just be wishful thinking of the writer of these lines.
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