UBS and Swiss Skills surprise with a flash mob on the Bundesplatz

After the SwissSkills National Team delegation gathered on the Bundesplatz for a final photo together following their visit to the Federal Palace, the seemingly normal events suddenly took an unexpected turn. When a marching band played, nobody could have guessed what would follow. Shortly afterwards, a DJ appeared on the back of a truck on the square and got the party started.

The cleaning staff, who turned out to be a breakdancing troupe, kicked off a rousing performance. Suddenly, the supposed photographer whirled a "tourist" placed next to him through the air. A dance group joined in the action, accompanied by roller skaters and skaters who whizzed across the square and created a great atmosphere. Flag-wavers in traditional costumes completed the spectacle with Swiss tradition. Finally, a crowd of over 100 fans marched onto the Bundesplatz, made up of families, friends, training companies and associations from all over Switzerland who were in on the surprise. They cheered their Swiss professional champions with cowbells, signs and shouts of congratulations. The highlight was the unveiling of a huge congratulatory poster, accompanied by a shower of confetti: Switzerland is proud of you.

UBS organized this unique event as the main partner of SwissSkills to celebrate the sensational success of the Swiss vocational champions at the World Skills Championships. The SwissSkills National Team won no less than seven gold medals, seven silver medals and one bronze medal, making it the "Top 3 of World" and "Best Nation of Europe".

UBS Switzerland commissioned Jeff Zurich to co-create the idea of the congratulatory flash mob on the Bundesplatz. The dramaturgy was developed together and Jeff Zurich was then responsible for the planning and implementation on the Bundesplatz. Nadine Imboden was responsible for the artistic direction and choreography of the artists, while Get Some Popcorn was responsible for the film production.

With this flash mob, UBS and SwissSkills are expressing their appreciation and pride in the exceptional performance of the Swiss vocational champions and sending out a strong signal of the importance of the dual education system in Switzerland.

Highly emotional and shareable video content was also generated from the surprise party for a far-reaching social media campaign. The focus was particularly on TikTok. Through the TikTok Exchange Program (TTCX), additional versions of the videos were created and the Story Selection Ad greatly increased engagement with users. In addition to the social media activations, the videos were distributed via the Ringier network, including the new Blick Bites ad format.

Responsible at UBS Switzerland: Aydin Sahin (Head Marketing & Digital Sales), Sonja Kingsley-Curry (Head Marketing Initiatives & Innovation, Anne Martine Beck (Head Innovation & Creative Lab), Simon Bietenhader (Project Lead, Innovation & Creative Lab), Pascal Baumann (Creative Lead, Innovation & Creative Lab), Rita Vozarova (Head UBS Engagements). Responsible at SwissSkills: André Burri (Director SwissSkills), Janna Pfaff (Head of Partner Management), Martin Erlacher (Technical Delegate Responsible at Jeff Zurich: Loredana Briner (Project Lead), Michael Meyer (Creative Lead), David Bär (Conception & Production), Mischa Müller (Art Direction), Tobias Harbeke (Deputy Art Direction), Sophie Jäggli (Production), Stefanie Dell'Orto (Production), Caroline Etter (Event Production), Nicolas Müller (Event Production) Responsible at Get Some Popcorn (Film Production): Désirée Wismer (Production), Dominik Bauer (Director), Marco Frei (Lead Cinematographer) Responsible for Nadine Imboden - Entertainment in Motion: Nadine Imboden (show director), Mike Mächler (choreography)