Roger Schnegg will become the new CEO of Bernexpo AG. The board of directors of the Bern-based trade fair and event company has appointed the experienced manager, effective November 2026. Schnegg is currently CEO of Swiss Olympic and is thus returning to a place where he previously worked: From 1996 to 1998, he served as a member of Bernexpo’s executive board, heading the Trade Fairs and Events division.

Extensive network and strategic experience

According to the board of directors, the 58-year-old business economist (HWV) is a charismatic leader with an extensive network in politics, business, culture, and sports. Since 2012, Schnegg has led Swiss Olympic, the umbrella organization for Swiss sports, where he has made a significant contribution to the organization’s modernization and financial strengthening. The Board of Directors sees him as the ideal candidate to continue guiding Bernexpo on its path to consolidation, strategically position the Festhalle, and drive new business models forward.

Schnegg himself commented on the appointment: «Bernexpo is an economic beacon with national reach. I look forward to deepening our collaboration with employees, policymakers, the business community, the cultural sector, and the sports community, and to strengthening Bern’s position as a vibrant hub for trade shows, events, and conferences.»

Roger Schnegg and Bernexpo – Board of Directors Gives Positive Assessment

Pascal Jenny, Chairman of the Board of Directors, emphasized the CEO-designate’s personal connection to the company: «Roger Schnegg combines a strong connection to Bern and Bernexpo with the ability to rally people, organizations, and partners around shared goals. For us as the Board of Directors, it is important that Bernexpo, following a challenging period, reliably projects stability and entrepreneurial energy. With Roger Schnegg, we are laying a strong foundation for this.»

Bernexpo as a major venue

According to its own figures, Bernexpo hosts more than 30 in-house and guest trade shows each year, as well as up to 600 events of all sizes. The complex is one of the largest event venues in Switzerland and comprises 100,000 m² of outdoor space as well as approximately 50,000 m² of indoor space, spread across eight exhibition halls, 22 rooms, and a multifunctional building featuring an event hall and a convention center. With approximately 120 employees, the company is a major economic driver for the city and region of Bern.

For more information about Bernexpo, visit https://www.bernexpo.ch.

Bernexpo Fiscal Year 2025: Second-Highest Revenue in the Company's History

Bernexpo AG closed the 2025 fiscal year with operating revenue of CHF 56.5 million—compared to CHF 43.0 million in the previous year, this represents the second-highest revenue in the company’s history. EBITDA rose to CHF 4.7 million (previous year: CHF 1.77 million). The Annual General Meeting on May 27, 2026, acknowledged the solid operating results and commended the successful completion of a comprehensive transformation and investment phase.

A key factor contributing to the results was the opening of the Festhalle, which, according to the company, has established itself in the market and is making a significant contribution to the increase in revenue. In total, more than 400 events took place on the premises, including more than 250 events in the Festhalle.

A Diverse Event Portfolio as a Growth Driver

The 2025 event portfolio ranged from public trade shows to conferences and corporate events to cultural events. Particularly notable were events such as the BEA, SwissSkills 2025, the MUV Festival, the ISC Boulder World Cup, the Suisse Caravan Salon, HeroFest, the Sustainable Switzerland Forum, the World Cheese Awards, and numerous concert evenings at the Festhalle.

According to the statement, the significant investments made in recent years are now giving way to a phase of profitability. The necessary resources and liquidity are in place. A key focus is also on efficient collaboration with local service providers as reliable partners.

Board of Directors Elections: Re-elections, New Elections, and Change in Leadership

At the general meeting, incumbent board members Sandra Banholzer and Sascha Zahnd were re-elected for another term. Michael Frank was newly elected to the board, bringing with him his extensive experience in association and infrastructure matters.

As announced a year earlier, Peter Stähli handed over the presidency to Pascal Jenny after three terms in office. The General Assembly thanked Peter Stähli for his many years of service and his influential role during a period of major transformation.

Outlook for 2026: Strong Bookings Confirm Strategy

Bernexpo is starting 2026 with a strong booking situation and numerous trade show, cultural, and convention highlights. According to the press release, the high volume of events in the corporate and convention sectors is ideally complemented by what has now become a robust concert portfolio. The ongoing development of new event formats is paying off, while established guest and in-house trade shows continue to form a solid foundation. The organization is focusing on improving efficiency, cost management, and new business.

Bernexpo closed the 2025 financial year on a solid note with a high turnover of over CHF 56 million and EBITDA of around CHF 4.7 million. The high investments made in recent years in digitalization, strengthening the event pipeline and the New Festival Hall are bearing fruit.

New festival hall successfully positioned

Good solutions were found for refinancing the high investments. The Neue Festhalle is successfully positioned on the market. Detailed information regarding the 2025 financial year will be published with the invitation to the Annual General Meeting on May 27, 2026.

Tom Winter leaves Bernexpo

Tom Winter has decided to accept a new challenge outside Bernexpo during the second half of 2026. The Board of Directors would like to thank him for his great personal commitment over the past five years or so. Together with the Board of Directors, he has managed to steer the company through the coronavirus pandemic. He has also gradually built up Bernexpo's digital expertise and strengthened the event pipeline for the future. Another highlight is the construction and opening of the Neue Festhalle, which has had a very successful first financial year. The Board of Directors has already initiated the succession process.

Bruno Battaglia becomes new CFO

The effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the various geopolitical upheavals, as well as the investments for the construction and completion of the Neue Festhalle, have placed enormous demands on the company's financial management. Jan Gilgen has therefore decided to step down from his position as CFO but remain with the company. The Board of Directors would like to thank Jan Gilgen for his great commitment.

Bruno Battaglia will take over the CFO role from September 2026. Bruno Battaglia, a proven financial expert and business economist, knows the company extremely well, as he already worked as CFO at Bernexpo from 2018 to 2021. The Board of Directors is looking forward to working with Bruno Battaglia.

Bernexpo stages more than 30 in-house and guest exhibitions and up to 600 events of all sizes every year. The Bernexpo site is one of the largest event locations in Switzerland. It comprises 100,000 square meters of outdoor space and around 50,000 square meters of indoor space spread over eight exhibition halls, 22 rooms and a multifunctional building with an event hall and congress center. With around 120 employees, the company is an important economic factor for the city and region of Bern.

Around 50 interested MICE professionals from German-speaking Switzerland visited the city of Bern last week to experience the Bernexpo festival hall live, discover the six Bernese business destinations, network with event professionals and find out lots of news.

The focus was on Bernexpo's Festhalle, which only opened in April of this year. During an exclusive tour with Ingrid Walker, Head of Customer Engagement & Event Sales at Bernexpo, and her team, the new dimensions that the sustainable event location has to offer became clear: space for up to 9,000 people, various state-of-the-art halls, rooms and spaces that are suitable for congresses, trade fairs and conferences as well as large events such as festivals, shows, concerts, theater or sporting events.

"Business tourism is a key segment for us - especially along the Biel-Bern-Interlaken axis. Together with the mountain destinations, we offer unique diversity in a small area in the MICE sector. Made in Bern and the Bernese destinations are working closely together to establish the Canton of Bern as a leading business region," emphasized Pascale Berclaz, Director of Made in Bern AG.

Attractive MICE offers from the Business Region Bern

The diversity of the Business Region Bern's MICE offerings was also brought to life: the destinations presented their offerings and innovations in three locations in the city - the Casino Bern, the Hotel Bern and the traditional Zunftgesellschaft zu Metzgern. Particularly creative formats such as quizzes, memory games, cheese tasting, paper-cutting workshops and business activities turned the workshops into interactive experiences.

The successful day was rounded off with networking and an aperitif riche at the Hotel Schweizerhof Bern & Spa. The Made in Bern AG business event took place for the 10th time this year. The next event is planned for Tuesday, January 27, 2026.

The new Festhalle will catapult Bern to a new level as an event location with space for cultural events, shows, congresses, trade fairs, concerts and other events for up to 9,000 people. Republica has been supporting the LiveCom company Bernexpo for around ten years with the strategic brand management of the new Festhalle - from construction communication and branding to the farewell to the old Festhalle with the "Bye Bye Fest".

The motto for the opening campaign "Big Time in Bern" was intended to emphasize the importance of the newly built multifunctional hall and arouse anticipation. The activating question "Are you ready for Big Time?" appeared on posters, ads and social media. The target group was encouraged to submit clips in which they got ready for "Big Time in Bern". This included celebrities such as footballer Christian Fassnacht, contortionist Nina Burri and radio presenters and comedians Moser and Schelker.

This was accompanied by an activation competition for "Big Time" tickets right up to the opening. The campaign culminated at the event itself, where the best video contributions were shown on a giant screen as a spectacular image film.

Republica CEO Bala Trachsel is pleased with the result of years of work: "I am delighted that the full extent of the new brand identity that we developed on behalf of Bernexpo is finally coming to fruition." Bernexpo CMO Lea Frisch adds: "Together with Republica, we have staged the new Festhalle as what it is: a relevant entertainment brand, a host, an initiator, a networker and thus an independent player that is breaking new ground."

Responsible at Republica: Creative Direction: Florian Birkner, Art Direction Branding: Annina Mettler, Art Direction Campaigning: Pascal Herzog, Consulting: Lara Gross, Brand Strategy: Bala Trachsel, LiveCom: Nora Müller, Stephanie Frei, Text/Concept: Désirée Sattler, Simon Leray, Re Wilk, Danielle Hausmann, Motion: Nina Hofmann, Design: Tamara Lüthi, Content Concept: Valerie Koenen, Visual Storytelling: Fabienne Homberger, Video: Benoit Perritaz.

Under the motto "Big Time", Bernexpo officially inaugurated the new festival hall on Friday at the same time as the opening of the BEA spring fair. At the ceremony in the new congress center, presenter Sandra Studer welcomed numerous prominent guests, including Federal Councillor Albert Rösti and National Council President Maja Riniker.

The new Festhalle will create additional space for concerts, trade fairs and congresses on the Bernexpo site. The new building combines the Stage concert hall and the Cube congress center, connected by a spacious foyer. A multifunctional infrastructure, modern technology such as a large LED wall and a comprehensive logistics concept should make the location attractive for various formats.

As part of the BEA, various focus topics will also be presented in exhibitions and events until the beginning of May. After that, the area will also be revitalized outside of event times with a restaurant and new meeting areas.

The event program for the new Festhalle already includes over 30 cultural and congress events. Concerts by Dropkick Murphys, Kraftwerk and Gotthard as well as the Xaver Award of the Swiss LiveCom Association Expo Event are planned, among others.

The Bern Wine Fair has been held annually on the Bernexpo site since 1995 and has developed into the largest wine fair in the Espace Mittelland with around 70 exhibitors and 10,000 visitors.

As part of a succession solution, the Board of Directors of the previous sponsors has decided to hand over the event to Bernexpo.

Through the acquisition, Bernexpo intends to utilize existing partnerships and tap into new thematic areas in order to further develop the trade fair. The transaction is planned for spring 2026.

The MVP of the exhibition stand configurator offers Bernexpo customers a standardized and digital solution for booking exhibition stand packages. The new packages consist of various service and performance categories, which is why complex calculation and business logic had to be mapped to develop the tool.

Digitally mapping this complexity and presenting it in a user-friendly way was the major challenge of the project. Until now, the booking process was time-consuming - but since Wednesday, users have been able to put together and book their desired stand package much more easily online. In the first phase, the MVP will be activated for selected trade fairs.

"With the new configurator we are revolutionizing the trade fair business in Switzerland. It simplifies processes considerably and sets new standards in the industry," says Lea Frisch, Co-CDMO at Bernexpo. The launch of the MVP for trade fairs is Bernexpo's first step towards simplifying, optimizing and digitalizing all its offerings and processes.

MVP as the first milestone

The MVP of the trade fair stand configurator was deliberately switched live at an early stageto collect feedback from users. In the subsequent optimization phase, the tool will be continuously developed, rolled out and gradually made available for other trade fairs and events.

"Our goal was and is to develop a flexible and future-proof tool that meets the requirements of the trade fair business," says Michael Dietrich, Executive Project Director at Jung von Matt Tech. "With the MVP, we have managed to make a complex B2B product configurable and purchasable."

Technology and creativity combined

For the implementation, the team at Jung von Matt Tech used technologies such as the PHP framework Flow with event-sourced content repository, Neos CMS, Apollo, GraphQL and Nuxt.js. A core feature of the application is the enrichment of structured data for the central configurator logic and additional metadata for the visual presentation - based on existing imported product data. The interface was also redesigned and is based on Bernexpo's new CI/CD - combining technology and creativity.

Responsible at Bernexpo: Lea Frisch and Dominic Burkhalter (Co-CDMO), Karin Bigler (Venue Manager), Simon Schütz (Application Manager), Sven Mach (Head of IT Applications). Responsible at Jung von Matt Tech: Michael Dietrich, Nicolas Neeser (Project Management and Business Analysis), Michel Löw, Stefan Bruggmann, Manuel Meister, Szymon Gregorczyk (Web Development), Louise Zöckler, Josh Kehrer, Joel Rohland (Concept & Creation), Michelle Scholz (Managing Director), René Schwarz (Managing Partner).

The completion of the new Festhalle Bern is progressing and is already making its mark: The shimmering façade, the 500-metre-long arcade and state-of-the-art technical features such as a 150 m² LED wall make the multifunctional building a real eye-catcher. "Both completion and marketing are proceeding according to plan," explains Tom Winter, CEO of Bernexpo AG.

With the Stage concert hall and the Cube congress center, the Festhalle combines two flexible event spaces and offers stars such as Gotthard, Felix Lobrecht and international congress organizers an impressive stage. Sustainability was also taken into account: the architecture not only creates space for major events, but also for local meeting places such as markets or a record-length tavolata.

In addition to the multifunctional facilities, highlights include events such as the World Cheese Awards and the Muv Festival. "With the new festival hall, we are revitalizing the Bernexpo site in the long term and strengthening Bern's international appeal," says Winter.

IKEA will be represented at Herofest with an exclusive stand. On Sunday, from 3 p.m., visitors will have the unique opportunity to win selected exhibits and take them home with them. In this way, IKEA is helping to extend the life of furniture that the lucky winners will be able to enjoy within their own four walls for a long time to come.

Culinary art in the gaming universe

Knorr presents itself with a food-inspired stand where visitors can compete in an exciting competition: In "Overcooked 2", the aim is to prove teamwork and speed in the virtual kitchen. In addition to the fun of the game, Knorr products can be sampled, which not only impress with their great taste in the game, but also in real life.

Discover the world of Pokémon

At the Pokémon PLAY LAB stand, everything revolves around the popular Pokémon universe. Here, fans have the opportunity to explore the world of pocket monsters in depth. Whether video games or the trading card game - visitors can prove themselves in battle and learn the basics of the game. A must for Pokémon enthusiasts of all ages.

Herofest 2024 offers an impressive variety: more than 70 artists will be showing their work, over 50 games will be playable and 30 communities will ensure a varied program. Whether Rocket League, Fortnite, Farming Simulator, Overcooked or Mario Kart - there will be an extensive selection of games for every taste on site. Various merchandise and fan articles, as well as retro treasures, can also be purchased in a large retail area and taken home as souvenirs. Interdiscount is also celebrating its premiere at Herofest and will be offering a wide range of electronics and computer accessories on site. With over 200 exhibitors and community areas, Herofest is set to grow again this year.

Prize money totaling over 30,000 francs will also be awarded on the Herofest main stage. Another highlight are the numerous content creators who will be on site. Among them are well-known names such as Maelo Romani, Noahreyli and Alessiadaily, who will meet their fans and provide exclusive insights into their creative projects. Whether gaming streams, vlogs or social media - the stars of the scene will bring a breath of fresh air and provide exciting moments. Some of them can also be challenged in various games at different stands.

You can find more information about the individual Herofest VIPs here here.

Indie Awards ceremony on Sunday

A special highlight on Sunday will be the presentation of the Indie Awards. The best indie games exhibited at HeroFest will be honored in the categories "Visitors' Favorite", "Nox Game Award" and "Solaris Game Award". Indie games, short for "independent games", are games that are programmed and designed by smaller, independent developer studios. They are often characterized by creative ideas, unique game concepts and a special charm.

Review

Cosplay flash mob thrills the city On September 28, a cosplay flash mob caused quite a stir in Bern's city center. Over 20 cosplayers from all over Switzerland took part in this colorful event to promote HeroFfest. The elaborately designed costumes, which came from various gaming and anime worlds, captivated numerous passers-by and attracted many curious glances. The campaign not only brought Herofest closer, but also showed how deeply rooted the cosplay community is in Switzerland.

The biggest LAN party in Switzerland

Around the corner And right next door, also on the Bernexpo site, SwitzerLAN, the biggest LAN party in Switzerland, is taking place again. Here, 2,000 gaming enthusiasts will celebrate their passion for gaming together for four days and into the night.

2023 was particularly intense in terms of the number of events and infrastructure utilization, Bernexpo Groupe announced following the Annual General Meeting. "With the many events and almost one million visitors, Bernexpo Groupe made a major contribution to value creation for the city and canton of Bern," summarized Chairman of the Board of Directors Peter Stähli.

In the cultural sector, the Group has focused on targeted partnerships. Last year, a concert by the rock group Muse and the hip-hop festival Spex were organized in cooperation with the Gadget Abc Entertainment Group. There was also a guest performance by Guns N'Roses in collaboration with Live Nation. A partnership was also launched with the Gurtenfestival for joint events in the fall and winter months.

Significant increase in sales

Despite the loss of space due to the construction site, the intensive event year resulted in consolidated sales of CHF 53.5 million for Bernexpo Groupe in the 2023 financial year. This represents an increase of 27.7% compared to the previous year, when revenue amounted to CHF 41.9 million. At the same time, operating expenses rose by 24.6% to CHF 52.4 million (previous year: CHF 42.1 million) due to the high number of events and the additional expenses incurred in connection with the new building.

The average headcount at Bernexpo Groupe last year was 132 full-time equivalents - 23 more than in the previous year. This increase is due to the increased business activity in connection with the marketing of the new festival hall, the internalization of digital marketing and the support of the construction project.

Two Board members re-elected

Re-elections to the Bernexpo Board of Directors were also on the agenda at the Annual General Meeting. Sandra von May-Granelli and Dominique Schmid stood for re-election at the end of their term of office. Both were re-elected for a further three years by a large majority. The terms of office of the other members of the Board of Directors run until the 2025 and 2026 Annual General Meetings.

New festival hall as a "game changer"

With regard to the new building project, Bernexpo Group said that the work is on track in terms of content, schedule and costs. Marketing is running at full speed and an important part of the activities is taking place in a concentrated manner in direct exchange with the respective existing and new partners, as well as very significantly in the network with the Congress Hub Bern.

"We are looking forward to putting the rooms into operation in time for the opening of BEA 2025. We are working hard to drive forward the marketing of the new festival hall," says Tom Winter, CEO BERNEXPO.

The new festival hall is a game changer in terms of sustainability, Bernexpo Groupe continued. The reasons cited include compliance with the Minergie-P standard, the biodiversity areas created, the mobility concept and the use of energy, building and event technology.

On the exhibitor side, the wide range of new products and innovations from over 100 companies attracted a great deal of interest. All sectors were represented, from traditional family businesses to global industry specialists. The exhibitors were delighted with the diverse specialist audience, from apprentices to specialists.

The industry get-together in Bern offered insights into new digitalized processes and future technologies from the fields of robotics, machines, products, systems and tools. Visitors experienced variety and action in the special zones: they were able to witness live welding of aluminum and steel ornaments or watch how masters of their trade took red-hot iron directly from the forge. In the special SwissRobotics zone, member companies from the Swissrobotics.net section demonstrated everything that is possible with robot technology: from simple handling tasks and the machining of the smallest parts to cooperation between humans and robots. In this special zone, several members presented their products and expertise live with real demonstrators. The focus was on the latest technologies, which were presented in a playful and realistic way.