Locations from mega to mini

If you have a choice, you're spoiled for choice. Zurich's venue landscape is broad, colorful and varied. Small, innovative venues like the Marmite Food Lab exist alongside event beacons like the Hallenstadion or the X-TRA. In 2017, two new venues for events with up to 5,000 and 3,500 people, respectively, were opened in the form of Samsung Hall and Halle 622, a size that was missing from Zurich as a conference destination until recently. The two locations offer good, albeit less centrally located, alternatives to the 1780-seat Kongresshaus, which will be closed for the next three years for renovation and conversion work. Other alternative venues include the MAAG Halle or the Volkshaus. Large events can be held at the Zurich Zoo, among other venues, and smaller events at the Houdini cinema. In order to shed light on Zurich's extensive range of venues, MK has put together some venue suggestions for events of all sizes.

LARGE EVENTS (2000 to 5000+ people)

Zurich ZooFamilies are not the only ones who get their money's worth at Zurich Zoo. The 27-hectare site is home to various restaurants, seminar rooms and outdoor locations that can be booked for conferences, aperitifs, banquets, company celebrations and other events. All events are coupled with an eductive element that imparts knowledge about animals, habitats and nature conservation. Groups also have the opportunity to book one of the numerous experiential tours of the zoo. These include "Communication in the Animal Kingdom" or a "Sensual Zoo Tour". Depending on the occasion and location, events for more than 5,000 people are possible. www.zoo.chSamsung HallThe Samsung Hall in Dübendorf, which opened at the beginning of 2017, is the newest mid-size hall in Switzerland. There are 5060 standing and seated places available in the Hall, 580 standing places in the Loft and 800 standing places in the Club. A hydraulic telescopic grandstand (662 seats) and a balcony (960 seats) in the Hall allow variable seating in the 2000 square meter space. The location is near the Stettbach train station and offers over 250 parking spaces. www.samsunghall.chHall 622In the first half of 2017, 55,000 people already visited the new Hall 622. The multifunctional event hall with industrial charm comprises a 1818-square-meter main hall with gallery and an 880-square-meter foyer. The former ABB hall has a capacity of up to 3500 people. It is operated by Maag Music & Arts AG - just like the MAAG Halle. The latter comprises various rooms. The auditorium seats 940, the Härterei Club 750, the foyer 450 and Bistro k2 75 guests. In time for the 2017/2018 concert season, the 1200-seat Tonhalle MAAG will open its doors as a "box-in-the-box" in the MAAG Halle on September 30, 2017. Until the completion of the Tonhalle and Kongresshaus conversion in 2020, all Tonhalle concerts will take place in this temporary venue. www.bymaag.chX-TRAThe X-TRA, which opened 20 years ago, has been shining in new splendor since the beginning of 2017. The young Zurich architect Urs Baumann took an in-depth look at the past and gave the tradition-rich house a modern interior design. The many different rooms correspond to the current zeitgeist and can be rented individually. In addition to numerous public cultural events, the centrally located X-TRA also hosts corporate events. The flexible usage concepts of the different sized rooms make events of any kind possible. The location has a maximum capacity of 2000 people. www.x-tra.chBächlihof JonaThere is also room for 2000 people at the Bächlihof in Jona. The Jucker adventure farm is set amidst fruit trees on the shores of Lake Zurich and offers modern facilities. Guests enjoy the farm's own catering with many ingredients from the surrounding fields. Recently, the farm has a manufactory where Jucker Farm produces jams, syrups and chutneys, which are subsequently on the shelves of the farm stores. www.juckerfarm.ch or www.bächlihof.chFoundry HallThe Giessereihalle with the adjacent Turbinenplatz is the centerpiece of the multi-use Puls 5 building complex in Zurich West. The historic, 1540 square meter industrial hall is suitable for events with 500 to 2000 participants such as trade fairs, exhibitions, gala dinners, corporate events, road or fashion shows. www.giessereihalle.ch

MEDIUM-SIZED EVENTS (500 to 1600 people)

People's HouseSince its opening in 1919, the Volkshaus has been a place of encounter and pulsates thanks to its diverse guests. It positions itself as a place of enjoyment and relaxation, which places great importance on friendliness and attentiveness. The Volkshaus includes various meeting rooms, four halls for 50 to 360 people and a theater hall with 1600 seats. Everything from flipcharts to professional stage equipment is available. www.volkshaus.chBanana ripeningThe location in Zurich West exudes industrial charm. Where bananas were ripened for 50 years, there is now a large event and three multi-purpose rooms as well as a 1600 square meter terrace. The entire area can accommodate 1,000 guests, and the event room is suitable for events with up to 360 people. www.bananenreiferei.chSeedamm PlazaThe Seedamm Plaza in Pfäffikon SZ scores with a panoramic view of Lake Zurich and 400 parking spaces. It aims to appeal to customers looking for an event location outside the city of Zurich, away from the distractions of a big city. Under one roof are 40 seminar rooms, the Plaza Event Hall, three restaurants, two bars and 142 hotel rooms. The event hall has a capacity of up to 600 people, and the entire building can accommodate up to 2500 participants at any one time. This summer, eleven seminar and congress rooms and two plenary halls were given a new look. www.seedamm-plaza.chCasino Theater WinterthurThe Casinotheater Winterthur is located in the old town of Winterthur, five minutes from the train station and close to various parking garages. The location has a capacity of up to 510 guests. Upon request, the in-house agency will work with the artists to create a dramaturgy for corporate or private events. The spectrum of the supporting programs ranges from singing to comedy and parody to artistry. In between, the chefs of the casino theater gastronomy provide variety with culinary interludes. The venue is suitable for seminars, conferences, banquets, GVs or gala dinners. www.casinotheater.chGate27Also in Winterthur is the gate27 congress center, newly built three years ago. The modern, bright auditorium is equipped with high-performance sound and presentation technology. The catering service of the in-house bistro takes care of the physical well-being. The gate27 serves as a platform for meetings, congresses, seminars, banquets, film screenings or concerts. Thanks to various adjoining rooms, group events are also possible. The auditorium can seat up to 630 people, and aperitifs or snacks during breaks can be served in the foyer. www.gate27.ch

SMALLER EVENTS (50 to 250 people)

Miller's StudioMiller's Studio has cult status as a theater. The premises can be rented and are suitable for banquets, presentations, private theater performances or company Christmases. Located on the outskirts of Zurich, the location is easily accessible by public transport or car. The theater room seats 240, and the foyer, including the bar, seats 120. In addition to Miller's, other venues are available for events on the grounds of Mühle Tiefenbrunnen. In most of the rooms, the restaurant Blaue Ente also offers culinary delights. www.millers-studio.chRunning castleHigh above the Rhine Falls, the largest waterfall in Europe, lies Schloss Laufen. It is part of the cultural heritage of the canton of Zurich and has the northernmost train station of the Zurich transport network ZVV: "Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall". For events from 10 to 200 people, it forms a picturesque backdrop and upscale gastronomy with seasonal products. The facilities include a knights' hall, a round tower and a castle parlor, all of which have WLAN and a seminar infrastructure. As social programs, boat trips to the Rhine Falls Rock, boat trips on the Rhenish Amazon, wine tastings in the historic castle wine cellar or visits to the Rhine Falls and the climbing park can be booked. www.schlosslaufen.chHoudini Cinema/BarHalf a year after its opening in 2014, the Houdini cinema on Badenerstrasse had to close its doors again immediately due to a fire. In the meantime, the building has been restored and the five cinema halls with 32 to 54 seats can be rented for seminars, presentations or private film tours. Apéritifs can be held in the bar and mezzanine. The Houdini, which is located in the Kalkbreite cooperative housing estate, combines three floors in an open spatial structure to create an architecturally interesting "miniplex". On request, there are guided tours behind the scenes of the cinema operation with a focus on "architecture", "film industry" or "cinema technology in transition". www.kinohoudini.chMarmite food labSince 1959, the magazine "marmite" has documented the culture of eating and drinking. The in-house food lab, with space for up to 60 people, hosts culinary corporate and Christmas parties, team-building events, workshops, press conferences and tastings. The loft space is located in a landmark building and includes an open kitchen island with high-end appliances. An adjacent oak table seats 16 people. In addition, a stage and state-of-the-art technology are available for presentations and recordings. www.marmite-events.ch

More info

Can't find the right venue for your event? The Convention Bureau of Zürich Tourism offers support in finding the right location and arranges the service providers you are looking for. Under this link a venue finder is also available, which filters the offerings according to category, location, capacity and infrastructure.