Zurich, the event capital? In conversation with tourism expert Vanessa Reis

Vanessa, take us into your everyday life: What are the most exciting moments in your job as Head of Convention Bureau? And are there ever days when you wish you could pause everything for a moment?
The variety makes my job unique: from international presentations to local project work with stakeholders from tourism, business and science. I am particularly enthusiastic about successfully acquiring congresses for Zurich. Of course, there are also challenging days - especially when I want to push too much at the same time and all projects are running simultaneously. But the dynamic nature of the industry is exactly what I love.

Many event organizers associate Zurich with luxury and a high quality of life. But how easy is it really to deliver this quality on the organizational side? Are there sometimes surprises that make even you break out in a sweat?
Zurich Tourism stands for a premium destination with a high quality of experience. We at the Convention Bureau live these goals every day - from consulting to our own events for event planners. Thanks to our flexible partner companies and dedicated teams, customers experience Zurich as perfectly organized Swiss clockwork - even if this sometimes requires long days, short nights and spontaneous reorganization.

If you had to use a metaphor to describe Zurich as an event location: Would it be a quiet, stable locomotive or rather a Tesla that is constantly energized?"
Zurich is definitely a Tesla! We are innovative and modern, but also very reliable.

Zurich has established itself as a leading event location. But are there areas where the infrastructure is reaching its limits? Where do you see the most urgent need for action?
For events with up to 1,000 people, Zurich is ideally positioned. For congresses with 1,000/1,500 participants or more, however, there is a lack of facilities that meet international standards for plenary rooms, breakout rooms and poster sessions. A multifunctional convention center would close this gap and could significantly strengthen Zurich's position as a congress location. To this end, we have commissioned a congress study, which will be published in the spring.

The high costs of Switzerland are often an issue. How do you convince event organizers that Zurich is the perfect choice for their events?
We are a premium destination with all the positive attributes that come with it. International accessibility, first-class infrastructure and short distances, high quality standards, a pioneer in the field of sustainability and a unique combination of urban quality of life and nature experience.
As all of this is often difficult to present on a tablet at a trade fair, we use fam trips as our most important sales tool, where we invite international event planners to the destination and let them experience the premium destination and service.

Hybrid events, sustainability, focus on experiences - the market is changing rapidly. Is there anything that has particularly surprised you in terms of how quickly or differently it has come about than you expected?
The speed of the digital transformation has surprised everyone and at the same time the fact that many organizers have not retained hybrid events. I think the cost factor on the one hand and the need to meet in person again are the main reasons for this so far. Which of course makes us happy, but I'm also curious to see where the journey with hybrid events will take us in the future.

When you look at the event landscape in Zurich, what do you think providers such as JED Events, the Kongresshaus or smaller specialist venues could do better together to make the market even more attractive?
Cooperation between the venues could be even stronger when it comes to joint marketing. Zurich could score points over other destinations for major events with a decentralized event concept, thanks to short distances and the perfect infrastructure. To achieve this, all venues would have to pull together.

I'll ask you directly: do you see the competition in Zurich as motivation for everyone involved to improve? Or is there sometimes also a desire for more cooperation instead of competition?
Competition should actually be a positive force and drive business and quality forward. In Zurich, my impression is that we tend to slow ourselves down because the locations are in too much competition. Event requests have already been lost to other destinations before they go to another provider within Zurich. As a destination representative, I would of course like that to be different.

How could politics work better with the event industry to strengthen Zurich's position as a leading event location?
In a European comparison, we see that those cities where the event industry is anchored in politics are more successful in acquiring congresses. It would be important for all stakeholders to be aware that major events can serve as milestones for relevant economic and scientific topics. Of course, I would like to see this even more on the political agenda. This is another reason why we initiated the congress study.

If we meet here again in ten years' time: What would have to have happened for you to say, "The Zurich of today is the epicenter of the event industry"?
In ten years, we would have a strategic concept for congress acquisition that is coordinated with science, business and the public sector. Incidentally, we are currently working on this. This would enable us to regularly attract congresses and major events with international appeal. The hotel industry and existing venues would support this strategy and perhaps there would even be a sustainably built, multifunctional convention center.

In addition to Zurich, is there another city that impresses you as an event location? And what could we learn from it?
In Europe, we like to look to Scandinavia because we are similar as event locations. In particular, the way in which sustainability is consistently integrated into event planning is exemplary.

One last, somewhat unusual question: if Zurich were a host as an event location, what would you attribute to it as a character trait? And why?
Zurich would be the perfect host: cosmopolitan, professional and always excellently organized. A little reserved at first, but always extremely polite. When you come to visit a second time or stay longer, you are already welcomed as if you were staying with friends.