Since January 2009, Switzerland has one more event agency: Ruedi Jäger and Werber Stulz have joined forces in the field of event planning and organization and founded the Eventgroup agency.
The two founders have many years of experience in the event sector. Jäger built up and expanded the event games company Mobile Games. Schulz has been running the artist and event agency Event & Consulting in Geroldswil for almost 25 years. His core competence is the booking of national and international entertainment artists, according to a press release issued on Friday.
Eventgroup, which claims to be the first Swiss agency dedicated to green event management, is based in Obfelden, Zurich.

The project of a separate television channel for cultural programs and Romansh-language contributions has met with skepticism at SRG. SRG has no possibility of financing a "Helvetisches Arte", said spokesperson Daniel Steiner on Wednesday in response to an inquiry from the newspaper Südostschweiz. Accordingly, there is also no project for a cultural channel. Steiner explained that part of the SRG management team, led by Director General Armin Walpen, will be attending the conference on "arte helvétique - a cultural channel for Switzerland, from quadrilingualism to Idée Suisse" in Bern on Friday, because an interesting topic will be discussed.

The Basel agency Kreisvier has created a campaign for Lukas Klinik that focuses on people with the slogan "Life is waiting". Beautiful, contemplative and strong moments in life are shown. The core message is: The specialist clinic for tumor diseases helps those affected to take part in life again, increase their quality of life and thus promote the healing process through inner satisfaction. Targeted image advertising is intended to increase awareness of the clinic at home and abroad and, as a result, increase bed occupancy, according to a statement from the agency.
In addition to advertisements and brochures, Kreisvier also further developed the clinic's corporate design.
Responsible at Lukas Klinik: Christoph von Dach. Responsible at Kreisvier: Christian Jost (Head of Consulting), Angela Stubauer (Consulting), Sven Kahler (AD), Gerald Mink and Désiré Heimlicher (Text/Concept).

The Zurich-based media and Internet agency Update has developed a new Website which focuses on the Aargau media company's range of products and services. In an animated "product carousel", visitors can find out about the publisher's products and switch to the websites of the newspapers, magazines and radio, TV and online stations with a single click.
In addition, the new website offers information on the company's history and structure, "best practice" examples and contact options for advertising customers, according to a press release issued on Thursday. A short portrait of the company in epaper format, a company-wide job exchange and a media center with news from the publishing house are also available.

The 100th issue of Sportmagazin, the monthly sports publication from the Blick Group, will be published on February 23. As of the 101st issue on March 16, distribution will be significantly increased, as Ringier announced on Thursday. Sportmagazin will now be added to Blick as a monthly publication. The previous Blick sports specials will now be integrated into the sports magazine as focus topics and will therefore no longer appear on newsprint but on glossy paper. The layout is also undergoing a relaunch and is particularly convincing thanks to a stronger visual language and better reading guidance, according to the statement.
The first issue of the new sports magazine will be 64 plus 4 pages with a focus on Formula 1. The option of a separate subscription remains available.

The media company Tamedia is planning a new building on the Werd site in Zurich. The five-storey building, designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, will create space for around 300 additional workplaces, according to a press release from Tamedia. The new building will replace the three old buildings at Werdstrasse 11, 13 and 15, while an extension to the existing building at Stauffacherquai 8 will complement the project.
Tamedia wants the building to make a contribution to the architecture of Zurich's city center while at the same time striving for a sustainable building, according to the statement. A double façade facing the Sihl river, for example, is intended to act as a climate buffer and natural ventilation system and reduce the need for artificial ventilation systems. In addition, the building is to be operated CO2-free and without the use of nuclear power.
Construction work is expected to begin in 2009, with the first editorial offices and publishing houses moving from various external locations in Zurich to the Werd site in 2011.

OMD Switzerland has won a pitch to become the new media agency for the Geneva-based fashion retail chain H&M. The Swiss branch of the international media network became Migros' in-house agency in December. OMD Switzerland has also recently taken on the brands Dacia, Pro Patria, Renault, Sanitas and WE.

The introductory show for farmers enjoys great popularity: 3+ receives Prix Walo nominations and announces third season.
The Swiss private broadcaster 3+ has aroused the interest of a wide audience with its in-house production "Bauer, ledig, sucht...". According to the broadcaster, the first two seasons, which aired last year, held their own against the strong competition, writes 3+ in a press release. It has therefore decided to shoot a third season. Preparations are already in full swing. Farmers who are looking for their happy love can now register.
The format is not only well received by the public, but also by critics: "Bauer, ledig, sucht..." has received two nominations for the Prix Walo. Both the show and presenter Marco Fritsche, who comes from Appenzell, were nominated for the most important prize in the Swiss entertainment industry.

Every year, the Expo+Event Swiss Association recognizes particularly successful projects with the Xaver Award. The first phase of the competition has been completed. The jury has now reviewed all entries and announced the nominations. The following projects have been nominated for the Xaver Award 2009:
Category: Best Live Communication Campaign
Swiss Football Lounge Agency: Aroma
The Miller Way Life Agency: Standing Ovation
High touch with a high-tech agency: Impact Unlimited
Category: Best Expo Project
The staged brand agency: Impact Unlimited
Swissdec Agency: Designculture
Expo Zaragoza 2008 Agency: Nüssli
Category: Best Event Project
Migros Familypark Agency: Bellprat
Börsenart agency: art.I.schock
VIP-Hospitality EM 08 Agency: Aroma
Category: Best Supplier Project
BMW Roadshow Middle East Agency: Habegger
Eventlokale.ch Agency: eventlokale
UBS Arenas Agency: Habegger

The Xaver 09 award ceremony will take place on April 15, 2009 in Zurich.

Axel Springer Switzerland and the online portal for women Aufeminin.com are establishing a marketing cooperation. The company will take over the marketing of Aufeminin.com's German, French and Italian-language sites in Switzerland from March 1, 2009. The head of the new marketing unit for Aufeminin.ch, Gofeminin.ch Alfemminile.ch at the Geneva branch of Axel Springer Switzerland is 35-year-old Marie France Gauthey.

Tom Curley, president of the U.S. Associated Press, strongly criticized the practices of the U.S. military and Pentagon against journalists last Friday in Kansas. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, their work has been obstructed and harassed, with access to war zones restricted and AP journalists harassed and imprisoned for no reason. He had also been threatened by the military that the AP and he would be ruined if they continued to adhere to their journalistic principles.
Curley went on to say that the Pentagon alone spends more than $4.8 billion annually on "information warfare" to influence public opinion about U.S. wars and foreign policy. More than 27,000 people work in PR and media activities to paint a good picture of the U.S. and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, he said. He compared the situation to that of the Vietnam War, where a similar propaganda and intimidation machine had been built. "We therefore need journalists," Curley said militantly, "who are willing to go to jail for defending freedom of speech and expression."
" Curley's speech at the University of Kansas

Maxomedia has designed and produced a special kind of annual review for SBB. Various videos showcase the projects of the three SBB core customer segments "Children", "Young people" and "Adults".
The respective segment managers will personally act as presenters. In this way, SBB employees and partners will get an "entertaining and above all authentic picture" of the segment's activities in 2008, the agency writes in a press release.
A personalized direct mailing, consisting of a card and a bag of biscuits, as well as a newsletter led the recipients to the microsite where the videos can be seen.