Creativity in the family

"We have a total of eight children, which means we can draw on the full potential," say Bea Johner and Simone Pestalozzi. The two women are launching the first "Children and Learning" trade fair in Zurich on November 11. 120 exhibitors will be offering an overview of learning and support services for children aged four and over at the Kongresshaus. "Every child has different needs. My son wanted to play the drums, for example," reveals Simone Pestalozzi. "But is this just a momentary whim or does it really make sense to buy a whole battery of drums, timpani and tchinelles now?" the parents asked themselves. But who knows what to do? They finally found some useful help at Musik Hug. There is a music teacher there. He carries out an assessment with any budding talent. The son was allowed to let off steam on 30 different instruments. Depending on his talent, the music teacher recommended the horn.

"It can't be that parents have to research all these assessment options themselves for every talent or learning difficulty. We want to create a platform where such services are offered collectively," decided the mothers, who have both pursued international careers as a lawyer and economist. Their company, which was born in just over nine months, already has a website www.kinderundlernen.ch, which also features a "fostering database" that already contains 80 providers that can be filtered by region and category. The website with the claim "Kinder fördern! Fun in learning!" is also the accompanying portal for the fair. It is intended to "facilitate encounters between parents who want to give their children the best possible support and people and organizations whose work supports the development of children". The initiators are convinced that the "Children and Learning" fair will help to close a gap between parents on the one hand and therapy and support services on the other. "Until now, there was no platform for comprehensive information. With this trade fair, exhibitors can present themselves optimally at relatively low rates," says the promotional material.

In fact, alongside major publishers and renowned game manufacturers, most exhibitors tend to be small companies that can hardly afford large advertising campaigns. With a minimal stand rental fee of a few hundred francs, the trade fair offers a gratefully received opportunity for suppliers of such niche products. "In the first phase, I made 50 sales calls a day on the phone and finally got two commitments by the evening. When the first important representatives appeared on the platform, there was suddenly a real pull," says Simone Pestalozzi. The demand from exhibitors is now so great that the Kongresshaus has already had to be reserved for two days in 2013. The contracts for the first "Children and Learning" exhibition in Basel at the Congress Center for November 2013 have also already been signed. The exhibition will be advertised with posters and flyers by professional poster companies as well as spots on Tele Zürich, SSF and Radio 24. The two organizers acquired the marketing know-how in their previous jobs. Of course they are also present on Facebook, but they have not yet fully exploited the possibilities of social media. This is set to improve next year "We're still from the older generation," joke the two attractive mothers. Before she decided to start a family, Bea Johner completed a doctorate in economics. She worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers and was also stationed in Tokyo and Hong Kong for a long time for the international services and retail group DKSH. It was there that Johner realized that she "didn't just want to restructure companies and cut people down, but actually wanted to build people up and do something good for them". The change from international business to an "SME with six children" was a very big step. "But change has defined my whole life." Bea Johner finds support from her husband, a psychologist who offers business management coaching in Zollikon.

Simone Pestalozzi completed her doctorate in St. Gallen. The lawyer specializes in tax law. She discovered that she was interested in business at the age of 17 during an exchange year in Chicago. She later managed the outsourcing contract for IT at ABB for ten years. In this role, Pestalozzi also learned what efficient organization means. "I had to structure my life if I wanted to find time for my two children between my business appointments all over the world." Her husband is a partner in a large commercial law firm in Zurich. With this background, the couple are convinced: "We are addressing a topic that must interest many people because they are also looking for solutions." It's not just about problem children. All children have a huge number of needs and talents. "We can get them to play with our mediation," says Bea Johner, looking for an explanation for the success of her trade fair, which is already becoming apparent. 3000 visitors are expected in Zurich. Admission is free - "and of course we're hoping for rain," jokes Simone Pestalozzi.

Andreas Panzeri