Events are more than just dates in the calendar - they are encounters, emotions and experiences. But behind every successful event is precise planning and often the right technology. Marc Blindenbacher, co-founder of Oniva, knows this world like no other. What began in 2019 as an internal project at Swisscom has now developed into an independent event software with international growth. In this interview, Marc provides exciting insights into how Oniva came about, the requirements for modern event solutions, the role of data, automation and AI - and also reveals which festival he would organize in a perfect world.
Marc, you are co-founder of the event software Oniva, an independent spin-off from Swisscom. Why don't you tell us about your company history, starting with Zoon in 2019 and continuing today.
Originally, we had the task within Swisscom of taking over the existing Swisscom event solution with a new team and developing it into a user-friendly and scalable product. What was already working well for Swisscom required some extensions for third-party customers. Based on discussions with customers, we continuously developed the event software and successfully brought it to market maturity. In 2024, we then decided to continue running Oniva (then Zoon) independently outside of Swisscom, as this gives us more freedom in terms of market presence and international growth as an independent company. After more than a year as an independent AG, we look back very positively on the decision, as we were able to further increase our customer growth both in Switzerland and internationally.
There are a lot of event software solutions out there. What sets Oniva apart from other players on the market and what added value do you offer your customers?
Events have a very special dynamic compared to other areas in which software is used. Everything has to work on time, as each event is linked to a specific event date or go-live time. This can also involve simultaneous access by several thousand participants. Oniva has been tried and tested thousands of times in this respect and offers excellent performance and reliability. Of course, this also means that we live this awareness in our customer support.
At the core of our event solution, we also offer a very high level of flexibility for registration logics. This allows us to automate almost all event structures and forms of an organization - for free or paid events. At the same time, we offer a high level of user-friendliness that allows all employees in an organization to organize events professionally.
Not least, we naturally offer high data protection measures with Swiss data storage, as the use of event software is always associated with the processing of personal data.
Please take us into your everyday life: What does your working day look like and what makes your heart beat faster at work?
As a young company, we are very dynamic and have a very wide range of different tasks. Essentially, I look after new customer inquiries and support organizations in the evaluation of event management software.
Events in all forms have inspired me for many years. It is the unique moments that make events so special and irreplaceable. Our event platform provides the basis for connecting participants and supports event managers in organizing events more easily and with less effort but more control. When customers rave about the unique event after an event and were able to have a successful experience thanks to our event platform, it gives me great pleasure and makes me proud.
You regularly provide exciting content with tips and tricks for event planners. Which two would you particularly like to recommend and why?
Well-attended B2B events are not always a given. Event marketing is often carried out via existing contacts within an organization. We reveal which measures can be used to increase event registrations in our guide "Fully booked" - especially for B2B events.
In addition, I think this year's survey "B2B Event Management Trends & Insights 2025" provides an interesting insight into B2B events in organizations. I think it can sometimes be good to see that other organizations may have similar challenges.
In the study you mentioned, you conducted a survey with 700 event experts on trends and opinions. What are the most exciting findings and aha moments for you? And where can you find more information and insights on this?
What is really impressive is that events within organizations are organized by people in a wide variety of roles. Only just under half are classic event managers. I think this is partly due to post-Covid, as many companies have reduced or completely eliminated their event teams during this time. In addition, events are organized by organizations in a very broad spectrum - from employee events to training courses to customer events. In this respect, it is clear that this task is decentralized in large organizations.
The second exciting point for me was that 58% of the participants in the survey stated that they achieve their goals better with events than with other forms of marketing. The live experience is therefore still the leader when it comes to knowledge and information transfer, customer and employee loyalty and networking.
The results of the survey can be found in our blog on B2B Event Management Trends & Insights 2025.
Before founding Oniva, you worked at Swisscom for a good decade, most recently as "Head of Event Data". In your opinion, what significance do data and automation have in today's event business?
Events are still very time-consuming. I think that wherever tasks and processes can be automated, this naturally helps to reduce costs. However, the unique nature of events often prevents large-scale automation in various disciplines. In our areas of attendee management, event registration, event communication and check-in in particular, however, the technological possibilities bring a great deal of simplification and automation.
I think existing data should be used in particular to measure the success of event marketing and to continuously improve your own event concept. This includes, for example, reducing the no-show rate through various measures or measuring the popularity of different event content.
"Content is king" is well known. Where do you think the journey will take us in the future - will data be the new kings or rather the queens of the event industry?
At an event 10 years ago, I said "Community is king, not content". Because if you have access to a community, you can activate it for almost any content. Today, we see that content is becoming increasingly interchangeable thanks to the use of artificial intelligence. However, events can counteract this trend with unique content - live events are unique, authentic and very often offer surprising experiences. This is precisely why I am convinced that the demand for events will continue to increase in the future. Artificial intelligence will not replace the event experience.
AI is on everyone's lips, not least in event marketing. What is your assessment of this and what does Oniva offer here today or in the future?
Artificial intelligence as a technology is here to stay. The increase in productivity is so high that hardly any organization will be able to avoid using these technologies.
At Oniva, event managers can already have professional event texts generated with artificial intelligence in various languages with just a few clicks. We will continue to expand the use cases, always with the aim of enabling every employee in an organization to organize great events.
Is Marc also a passionate event planner in his private life and if so, which events do you like to organize the most and most often?
More of a retired event planner. During my time at the Maag Halle, we organized over 360 events a year. At the moment, however, I'm concentrating fully on Oniva and my private life is focused on my family. Events are limited to family celebrations and milestone birthdays, although that can be quite time-consuming. :-)
If space, time and money were no object, what event would you like to organize and why?
I would organize a festival in Cappadocia where guests arrive in hot air balloons accompanied by electronic music and then land in front of a gigantic Burning Man-style stage. I think that would be a very magical moment.
