Google: First Big Tent in Switzerland
On Wednesday, February 19, Google held its first "Big Tent" event in Switzerland. At the Folium Sihlcity, prominent figures from the worlds of politics and business gathered to discuss the significance and role of the Internet for Switzerland’s export-oriented economy.
Big Tent is a series of events organized by Google at which representatives from a wide range of sectors come together to discuss the impact of the internet on the economy and society, as detailed in a press release. Eric Scheidegger, Director of Economic Policy at SECO, opened the conference with a keynote speech. He emphasized the importance of the Internet for Switzerland: "The Internet permeates all areas of life and the economy and is of enormous importance for the Swiss economy." In the second keynote speech, Daniel Küng, CEO of Switzerland Global Enterprise, spoke about the importance of a digital business strategy for the success of every company. According to the export expert, SMEs that utilized the advantages of the internet worldwide would earn twice as much and create twice as many jobs.
A video link from National Councillor Ruedi Noser, entrepreneur and President of ICTswitzerland, who described the Internet as our lifeblood, was followed by a panel discussion with moderator Reto Lipp. He was able to welcome Robin Barraclough (Executive VP Global Categories & Marketing and member of the Executive Board at Emmi), Julia Graf (independent Internet entrepreneur), Helmar Hipp (CEO ifolor) and Monika Walser (former CEO Freitag lab AG and Partner Waega Group) as participants. They discussed the advantages of a successful export economy based on the Internet, which is essential in all sectors.
The official part of the event concluded with a discussion between Reto Lipp and Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist at Google and one of the founding fathers of the Internet. Afterwards, at the packed Folium Sihlcity, attendees were able to discuss their own views on the potential of the Internet as a 21st century trade route and its impact on the Swiss export economy over an aperitif.
