Basel: Between business and culture

Several times a year, the world comes to Basel. This is not a flowery exaggeration, but a fact: Both "Baselworld" (for jewelry and watches) and "Art Basel" (for contemporary art) are the world's leading trade fairs in their fields, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors.Against this backdrop, reinforced by its convenient location in the border triangle of Switzerland-Germany-France and the booming life sciences, biotechnology, medtech, chemistry and nanotech industries, the miniature metropolis on the Rhine bend has developed brilliantly in recent years.The infrastructure and public transport meet high standards, while the cultural scene offers far more than is usual for cities of this size. For companies from out of town, this means that Basel is worth a (business) trip. Conferences can be planned, congresses held or meetings organized there - and the offers for winding down after a hard day's work seem almost unlimited.

Own bureau for corporate events

Anyone thinking about holding an event in Basel can get official advice on request: The Incoming & Convention Bureau aims to make it easier for companies to prepare and hold business events and serves as a central point of contact. Philipp Schmid, head of the Incoming & Convention Bureau Basel Tourismus, emphasizes the advantages of "his" city: "With three train stations, the EuroAirport and excellent public transportation, getting here is easy," he says. "The region is home to a life science cluster, but Basel is also attractive to visitors from other industries - and not just because of the many and varied trade fairs: "The number of overnight stays has grown steadily in recent years. This is due to the marketing as the Capital of Culture, but also to the increase in the congress business."

Guests feel appreciation

Although places like Berlin or Barcelona could think in even bigger dimensions from a business point of view - in Basel, guests "feel the appreciation and a very personal service". Every overnight guest, whether in the city for business or pleasure, not only receives a free ticket for buses and streetcars with the so-called BaselCard, but also a discount on various attractions. In any case, however, almost everything is easily accessible on foot.

Fasnacht: celebrating against a historic backdrop

Companies that want to offer their employees or customers something after a conference or meeting can use the historic city center for dinners, for example: "Guild halls, the town hall or even museums can be rented for evening events," says Philipp Schmid.According to Jonas Scharf, the CCB team supports customers in the implementation of their events from the very beginning: "We advise on planning, provide furniture, organize technology and hostesses; we also have excellent catering," describes the Managing Director.

Infrastructural challenges mastered

If you ask the event expert which Basel events of recent years have particularly stuck in his mind, Scharf doesn't have to think long: On a political level, he says, it was the OSCE Ministerial Council Conference of 2014; on a business level, it was the ITI World Symposium, which was held in 2017 with 5000 dentists from 90 countries. "The OSCE delegates, including top politicians such as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry or Sergei Lavrov from Russia, found ideal conditions in Basel," says the CCB chief, not without pride. "The modern and compact environment of the local Congress Center proved to be very suitable for this high-profile event. "At the ITI World Symposium, it was possible to incorporate the plenary hall with interpreter booths for simultaneous translation into the hall, right next to the impressive industrial exhibition and the catering areas.The new networking tool Poken, in which digital business cards and social media links are exchanged easily via a short-range radio, also made its debut at the event," says Jonas Scharf.By the way, the Managing Director has a personal tip for the time after or between business appointments: "A visit to the Fondation Beyeler gives me the special flair that can be felt throughout the city each early summer during Art Basel," he reveals.The art museum is considered one of the most beautiful of its kind - worldwide. "Even though I may not be completely objective here: I would say that's true," Jonas Scharf explains with a smile.