Giant circus

The event week started early. On Monday, the Swiss Film Association (SFA) and the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) invited guests to the Edi'04 awards ceremony at the Zurich Schauspielhaus, where a top-class jury selects the best Swiss productions of the year from the categories Corporate Films, Commercials and Clip & Trailer. As this is not the first film competition of the year, there are also one or two familiar faces - such as the Blindenheim spot by Markus Ruf and Danielle Lanz, which has now also won national gold after its various international awards.The event was a big get-together for the film and advertising industry, there were huge cheers everywhere, and only the dramaturgy of the awards procedure has not (yet) been fully mastered by those responsible. It's very nice that all the winners are invited on stage in Oscar fashion and that everyone gets to breathe at least one thank-you into the microphone. But after all, this is Zurich-Switzerland and not Hollywood-US-of-A.
SFA President Andres Brütsch immediately vowed to do better on this point. After all, dramaturgy and building suspense are core competencies of filmmakers, he said, and immediately declared this point to be a top priority. He also felt that the distribution procedure was too long and lacked atmosphere. Nevertheless, the Acapickels did a good job of mixing things up. The best girl group in the world (or was it the oldest girl group?) was a blast. Even the introduction - the ladies performed an a cappella version of the theme tune from "Star Trek" (aka Spaceship Enterprise) - turned out to be a real howler!
Their patience was rewarded with a large buffet on the upper floor of the Schauspielhaus. Unfortunately, none of the speakers had advertised this properly, so that some guests (including the shortlist author) began to complain loudly shortly after the end of the official part that the Edi had descended to the non-catering level of the Golden Ear. However, the good news about the waiting food outlet quickly made the rounds via the bush telephone and everyone was reconciled.
Highly professional topics were on the agenda the following day at the Lakeside Casino Zürichhorn. Publimag hosted the traditional publishing conference for trade and specialty press. The mix of topics ranged from the enforcement of quality in the trade press to a fitness check for trade and specialty publishers and from implementation-oriented readership research to the somewhat long-winded presentation of business ethics as a stumbling block or success factor, before the Q-Award quality prize was presented for the first time. The winners were: La Forêt - Wald und Holz in the quality category, Immobilien-
Business for the market presence, HK Gebäudetechnik for innovation and Schweizer Bauer for the overall impression.
But what ultimately pleased us most at the Media-Daten offices on Kanzleistrasse was the award from Werbewoche in the design category. So you, dear readers, are now holding an award-winning trade magazine in your hands in two senses.
Conference moderator and speaker Karl Lüönd was in good form. The head of the Media Institute of the Swiss Press Association, who is actually known as a rather objective interlocutor in small talk and discussions, is always animated on stage by a sparkling esprit, which is reflected in his sometimes very, very pointed remarks between the lines - to the obvious amusement of the audience, as many a satisfied guest could be heard at the aperitif. In and of itself, one could have
Lakeside for the night. Because the Wirz Cocktail '04 also took place at Lakeside the following day. Moderator Mona Vetsch led a panel discussion on the topic of "Women on the carpet: where have they gone?" with so-called career women, including MGB General Director Gisèle Girgis-Musy and Doris Aebi, Director at Björn Johansson Associates.
This was criticized by some, mainly female, guests: Not one of the successful female executives on stage was caught in the dilemma between family with child(ren) and company. And so an important perspective was not represented in the discussion. Which ultimately also left the impression that the balancing act between a top career and family really does seem to be an almost impossible one. In stark contrast to the balancing act between family and aperitifs, as the guest list showed. Because there were also some working mothers on it.
Last but not least, there was the pure entertainment program at the end of the week. The Conelli Circus tent on Zurich's Bauschänzli is now shining once again, and it's not just children's eyes that are lit up at the sight of it. And just as the doors opened, Zurich saw the first snowflakes of the season. Circus director Herbi Lips must have a direct line to the snow gods responsible for Zurich - or he and city mayor and welcoming speaker Elmar Ledergerber have installed a snow cannon on the Fraumünster that we have not yet discovered.
Beat FritschIn the pre-Christmas hustle and bustle as the festive season approaches - in Zurich, this can be seen every year when Bahnhofstrasse is wrapped in a sea of lights. Or that a circus tent is erected on Zurich's landmark in the Limmat, the Bauschänzli. This is where the shortlisted author experienced the premiere of Circus Conelli. And precisely because the festive season is just around the corner, other communication industry hosts are also quickly squeezing the dates for their events into the advertising agenda; in addition to the circus, the Edi'04 award ceremony, the Publimag-
Publishing conference and the Wirz Cocktail'04 on the weekly program. So no more silent nights.
Aperitif in the Schauspielhaus foyer: From IPM Siri Fischer (l.) and Head of Communications Bettina Singeisen with Erwin Schnee from Adim.
Felix Courvoisier, Member of the Condor Management Board, with Barbara Biesuz and Völkl Marketing Manager Philipp Schnell (from left).
Wim Kolb (l.), editor at Frame Eleven, with Anka Refghi, consultant at the identity agency twfe, and Stefan Halter from IP Multimedia.
Graphic designer Tanya Weiss (l.) and Corinne Annaheim, project coordinator at Condor, with 3D and compositing artist Dany Bittel.
Reviewing the wild Ultra party in Cannes: Martin Fueter from Condor and Markus Gyhr (l.) from Ultra Images.
New company founded, Part 1: Nadia Rosasco and Henriette Scherer (l.) from Rosas'n'Co with occasional director Yves Spink.
New company Part 2: Andrew Katumba (l.) and Luzius C. Rüedi, new with Bossa Films, and Isabelle Plieninger.
Ray McCormack (l.), producer of Soho@Topic Film, with director Beat Rebmann and stylist Ezgi Cina.
From JvM: Copywriter Dave Hanselmann (l.) with consultant Christina and CD Alexander Jaggy.
Good colleagues over a cozy beer: Marc Haas (l.) from Frame Eleven with composer Alex Kirschner.
Would easily pass for brothers: Jürg Steudler (l.) from Regardez and Mike Helmy from Allcom Productions.
Advico-CD Daniel Comte and Barbara Strahm were also quick to pose for a photo.
Bigwigs: Swiss Press President Hanspeter Lebrument (left) with Publimag advertising manager and conference organizer Christian Rufener.
Winner! Thomas Stuckert, Samuel Helbling and Pierre C. Meier (from left) are delighted with the Quality Award for Werbewoche.
Also present at Lakeside for the aperitif: Viviane Rauch-Lyoth and Dani Truttmann from NZZ am Sonntag.
Moderator Karl Lüönd with Ulrich Utiger from Schweizer Bauer and Daniel Kaczynski, Managing Director of the Swiss Press Association (from left).
Barbara Dohner (l.), Zürichsee-Zeitung, Guido Eberhard from Automobil Revue and Michèle Meissner from Compress.
Darko Panic (l.), Publimag, with Corinne Blaser, cross-media specialist at Publimedia, and Jean-Christophe Francet, also Publimedia.
Hosts of the successful Wirz Cocktail'04: Wirz Managing Director Geri Aebi (l.) and Vice Chairman Jost Wirz.
Daniel Matter (l.) from Matter & Partner,
Barbara Brugger, Wirz Brugger Lüthi Direkt, and Consultant Peter Urs Naef, UBGnetwork.
Two CEOs among themselves in front of the Lakeside Bar: Christof Kaufmann (l.), OMD Switzerland, and Martin Knoll, McDonald's Switzerland.
Looking after the guests: Urs Binggeli from Wirz Corporate with Leta Filli (l.) from Telekurs and Petra Rüegg, Fidelity Investments.
Intensive discussions: Wirz CD and Management Board member Hanspeter Schweizer (right) with Ivan J. Wagner, Executive Director Ernst & Young.
Women for the carpet of the future: Sandra Ulrich (l.) from Pickpay and Daniela Schönholzer, Sunrise, with Michel Ganouchi.
Now a real Zurich circus dynasty: Katharina, Herbi, Christine and Chantal Lips (above, from left) with their baby Kristina.
Best company: Touring Marketing Manager Reto Kammermann with singer Marianne Cathomen (l.) and the racy Yolanda Tavoli.
Traveled to Zurich especially for the Conelli premiere: Hassania and Jan Tanner from the Basel agency Tanner Communications.
Drinking Cüpli together and having a great time: PR specialist Klaus J. Stöhlker and entertainer Monika Kälin.
On the road for cult VIP TV and "on air again" on TeleZüri: presenter Simone Zikmund and producer Peter Wyss.
Once again, Schoscho Rufener (left) and Frank Bodin were delighted with the Conelli Circus Christmas program.