For this group of people at increased risk of complications from both infections, the federal agency is launching a targeted, nationwide Vaccinate Against Influenza and Covid-19 Campaign. It starts on Monday and lasts until November 19, according to the FOPH.

The corresponding notices appear in various magazines, on screens and online in the environment of health topics. People over 65 years of age and people with pre-existing conditions are to be addressed.

Almost all persons in Switzerland have already come into contact with the coronavirus and their immune system has come to grips with the virus. In persons without risk factors, the current virus variants tend to cause mild courses of the disease. However, those who are particularly at risk have an increased risk of a severe course.

The flu is also not always harmless. It can sometimes lead to serious complications. The annual flu vaccination protects against this, as the FOPH wrote. It is also recommended for people with an increased risk of complications. (SDA)

Specifically, in the second half of 2021, the service providers - which took into account two companies that were initially affiliated with each other - would have charged for services amounting to approximately two million francs, the report says. The costs billed during this period were "incomprehensible" given the functionalities developed during this period. However, the FOPH did not question this disproportion between service provision and billing.

Billing practice not comprehensible

Over a period of several months, lump sums amounting to around half a million francs each had been invoiced - even though the services were contractually to be invoiced according to the amount of work involved. Here, too, the FOPH had not provided a comprehensible explanation for its billing practices, the SFAO wrote.

Moreover, it was not possible to check the content of the services invoiced because no work reports were available, although the suppliers were contractually obliged to provide them. "The FOPH has never requested these, so that de facto no audit of the content of the invoice has taken place."

The SFAO also asserted a conflict of interest. Because the position of Head of Digitization Covid-19 had to be filled at short notice, an external employee had been brought in as a mandate holder.

However, the latter was acquainted with the managing director of one of the two service providers. At the time of the audit, the two business partners were in third-party companies. It was not clear from the discussions with the FOPH whether this "apparent conflict of interest" had been disclosed.

BAG refers to urgency

In a statement, the FOPH acknowledged that, given the crisis situation and the urgency, their approach had not been in line with normal processes. The FOPH had therefore decided to award the contract by private treaty.

"With the usual procurement process, the system would not have been ready until about three months later," the FOPH wrote. The fact that a solution could be put in place quickly accelerated the vaccination campaign and gave many people rapid access to vaccination.

However, the authority rejected individual points of criticism. For example, the FOPH referred to a written statement by the former head of the Digital Transformation department, in which he confirmed that the client had already informed him of the networking with the managing director of one of the two service providers during the initial meeting.

The agency also said it does not share the suspicion that the FOPH has been billed for unaccountable services for the second semester of 2021.

During this period, the supplier implemented the adjustments from the vaccination recommendations during ongoing operations and implemented other commissioned elements, according to the FOPH. And despite a last-minute postponement of the campaign, all services were delivered on time and reliably, it said. "The chosen strategy thus proved successful, and operations were guaranteed at all times," the FOPH wrote.

The SFAO recommendations have already been implemented by the FOPH for the most part, it added. For future crisis management, it will be important to involve the experts for public tenders more closely in the crisis organization.

SFAO relativizes criticism

The SFAO did not comment on the FOPH's statement. However, it wrote in the report that the failures and weaknesses in procurement had to be put into perspective in the context of the extraordinary situation at the time, which was difficult to plan for.

Indeed, things had to move quickly when the FOPH initiated procurement and development in mid-October 2020. As early as mid-January 2021, the application developed was launched by the participating cantons and was productive.

In the meantime, the FOPH's contractual obligations have ended, as the authority points out. The cantons had the option of taking over the systems if necessary. (SDA)

Mass media have a central role in times of crisis. This was evident at Covid-19, when they were tasked with providing the public with the latest information and assessments of the current situation in an appropriate manner - based on the communication of the health authorities and also on their own research.

At present, possible indiscretions between politicians and media professionals are dominating the public debate. This calls into question the balance and independence of some of the media coverage. However, if all articles published in Swiss media on the Corona pandemic are considered, a different picture emerges.

Dr. Alexander Ort, a lecturer and researcher in health communication at the University of Lucerne, and co-author Tobias Rohrbach have published a comprehensive study on this topic in the "International Journal of Public Health" entitled "Covering the Crisis" performed.

The study is part of a research project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and led by Prof. Dr. Sara Rubinelli and Dr. Nicola Diviani, which aims to provide important insights for communication in future health crises.

To this end, the research team used an automated process to scrutinize all articles published in newspapers in German- and French-speaking Switzerland between the beginning of 2020 and mid-2021, i.e. during the "hot" phase of Corona. A total of 1,171,114 articles were analyzed, i.e. more than a thousand articles per day with a more or less significant connection to the pandemic.

Competent experts taken into account

This sheer volume of articles illustrates the challenges faced by media professionals in the face of the massive health crisis: on the one hand, it was necessary to satisfy the increased need for information, and on the other, not to neglect other relevant news and prevent information fatigue.

As the analysis shows, the Covid coverage took place in all departments: The journalists addressed the effects on all areas of society and accurately depicted the "multi-system character" of the crisis. Another finding is a "solid" correspondence between topics and actors: Media professionals quote experts in those specific fields in which they are competent. "In contrast to previous research in the U.S., there are few empirical grounds for criticism to accuse the [local] media of providing a platform for the wrong voices on the wrong issues," the study says.

With regard to the communication of health authorities, the researchers conclude that it should definitely be "clear and consistent" in times of crisis, as the media must also first develop strategies and routines to deal with the new situation. "If this can be done, health authorities and institutions can rely on the news media to disseminate relevant information in a balanced way."

Another key to successful communication is to provide the media with experts from various fields - in addition to epidemiologists and health experts, for example, from business or law - as respondents, so that they can be quoted in the appropriate contexts.

The process itself is banal and commonplace in federal government. A large part of the reporting is based on information that would not actually be intended for the public. Or if, then later, as in the case of the information about the contract for the vaccine doses with Pfizer, the View could disseminate one day before the official communication by the Federal Council.

Publisher Michael Ringier and the former president of the Swiss media group Berset tell us how Walder and Berset - and Lauener respectively - found each other. Sunday ViewEditor-in-Chief Peter Rothenbühler made an identical statement; Rothenbühler commented on this in "Arena" and Ringier raised the issue at an internal plenary meeting.

When things got going with Corona in early 2020, Walder quickly and consistently retreated to his home office. There, he informed himself intensively about Covid and what could be done about it. He really knew everything about the subject, Ringier employees recall. Walder probably also thought he knew what the federal government should do and wanted to find out promptly how the authorities planned to deal with the pandemic. He therefore contacted Federal Councillor Berset, whom he knows personally (but is not on friendly terms with). Communication then took place mainly between Berset's chief information officer Lauener and Walder. Whether and to what extent the head of the Interior Department and his spokesman had violated official secrecy by supplying Walder will now be investigated by special investigator Peter Marti, provided a court allows him access to the data that Lauener and Walder had exchanged.

It is not without a certain irony that the discussion about the Corona leak in the Berset department can only be held because of another leak. Investigator Marti had discovered the Lauener-Walder communication in a trial about the so-called crypto leaks and tapped them as by-catch. By some route, they then found their way to the editorial office of CH Media, which began reporting in mid-January. set off a wave has.

Even if the dimension of the affair surrounding the overly trusting dealings between Berset's spokesman and Ringier's CEO is now considered unprecedented and unique, measured in terms of the intensity of the exchange and the actors involved, the events are more commonplace than they might appear - despite all the media excitement. The media and politics have a close structural relationship.

But: When is close too close?

Too much information is currently missing for a clean classification of the present case. The whole discussion so far takes place on the basis of the reporting of the articles in the Switzerland at the weekend takes place. But what does 180 communication processes mean? Does every mail response count, even if it's just a thank you or an acknowledgement of receipt? Is 180 a lot? Are there any comparative figures?

And on the receiving end, at Ringier, the insinuated passing on of Walder's information to the View against the statement of the editorial team, which denies instrumentalization. They had done their own research and did not let themselves be fed by the CEO, the View-Christian Dorer and Ladina Heimgartner.

For a better understanding of what is going on, let's go back to the perimeter around the Federal Palace in Bern. Anyone who spends more time in this microcosm develops confidential acquaintances with politicians over the years, and vice versa with media representatives. The "dedicated line" through which Covid information is said to have flowed from Berset's office directly to Walder's office is part of a system: complex networks of such communication channels stretch through Bern, even if they are usually narrower in diameter than the line in the present case.

If 30 people know about an explosive Federal Council decision in advance, which is a realistic figure, then that's 30 people who also know that there are 29 others with the same information. Disclosure seems justifiable under these circumstances. Others could have done it - and do it.

Now here we come to the answer to the question of when close is too close.

The problem with the Berset/Lauener-Walder contact lies, on the one hand, in the systematic way in which information is passed on and, on the other hand - and almost more importantly - in the personnel of the addressee. Would a simple federal house editor of View or Tages-Anzeiger had maintained a dedicated line with Lauener, it would have been a different constellation, even if the end result would have been the same reporting. As a former editor-in-chief at several Ringier titles, Walder still considers himself close to journalism even as CEO and sometimes intervenes in the editorial business himself. For example, with his own guest contributions or when he urges the editorial team to publish a Covid appeal.

A heart for journalism at the top usually proves to be a stroke of luck for editorial teams. At Ringier, it is a disadvantage.

Walder has apologized for his statement in a video that became public, which was declared confidential, that he had instructed his editorial offices to support the governments in coping with the pandemic with their reporting. He has yet to apologize for his captious e-mail exchange with Lauener, although his behavior (as far as it is known) exposed the editorial offices to the outrageous suspicion that they had served as Corona mouthpieces for the government.

Even if the SVP now tries to make political capital out of the affair with accusations and demands for the resignation of SP Federal Councillor Berset, interest is likely to wane at some point. At the same time, the legal clarification of the events will be protracted, since they are taking place in three interwoven arenas.

The collusion of an influential head of the media with a federal councilor during a sensitive phase of state policy was just as expected as its later revelation in competing media. Seen in this light, the case also stands for functioning self-regulation.

For Marc Walder, the renewed exposure of internal information that puts his company in a bad light should be a lesson: either don't get caught - or just let it go.

Two-thirds of the Swiss population are willing to resume cultural visits without further hesitation. This was the finding of a survey conducted on behalf of the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) and the General Secretariat of the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (GS EDK) in September and October 2022. The survey shows that what was missed most during the Corona crisis in the context of cultural activities were encounters and exchanges.

The willingness to attend a cultural event has increased significantly since the third survey in April 2021. Whereas at that time only 30 percent of respondents were willing to visit cultural institutions or events again "without major reservations," this proportion had doubled by fall 2022. However, 30 percent of respondents continue to express some concerns.

Corona not over yet

Around half of respondents report that they have become accustomed to staying at home and are now less likely to visit cultural institutions than before the Corona crisis. They also express the view that the Corona crisis is not over yet

The uncertainty surrounding the pandemic also continues to affect amateur culture. For example, 18 percent of those who engaged in amateur cultural activities say they have given them up since the crisis. This figure is worrying, since amateur culture makes a contribution to the cohesion of the population that should not be underestimated. It also forms an important basis for professional culture.

Digital cultural offerings are becoming increasingly important. However, these can only supplement, not replace, analog cultural activities, as the survey confirms: 69 percent of respondents still consider local offerings to be indispensable. For a large part of the population, cultural activities are an important part of living together.

The complete results of the survey are available here.

The Swiss population downloaded the SwissCovid app 3.8 million times. This applies to the period from the app's launch on June 25, 2020, until its temporary deactivation on April 1, 2022. However, only around 1.7 million apps were active on average every day, according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). In an overview of the app's use, the Federal Office concludes that the app was not able to develop its full potential, but that it can provide valuable support in pandemic situations.

According to the report, contact tracing is effective if the app is widely accepted in the population, is used, and the time between infection and contact restriction is thereby reduced to such an extent that chains of infection are interrupted in good time. The FSO compared the resulting relevant factors of acceptance, use and contact tracing with its figures for the SwissCovid app.

Acceptance, usage and contact tracking with SwissCovid

In the area of acceptance, the SwissCovid app has some catching up to do, as the figure of 3.8 million downloads shows. This does not take into account multiple downloads, such as when someone has bought a new smartphone and therefore installed the app again. The FSO assumes that the SwissCovid app has not reached around half of the adult Swiss population.

In terms of usage, only around 1.7 million of the 3.8 million downloaded apps were active on average. However, users also used the app regardless of the epidemiological situation, i.e. even during periods with relatively low case numbers. This indicates that people used the app on a sustained basis once they had decided to do so.

The FSO measured contact tracking by the average time it took for users to enter a Covid code into the app after receiving it. Overall, the population entered 206,443 Covid codes by April 1, 2022 - 49 percent of them within two days of symptom onset. This time period maps the app's potential to break chains of infection, according to the report. Any factors that extend this period indicate opportunities for improvement.

Conclusion

The SwissCovid app provides the basic requirements for an application that can be used in everyday life with no particular additional effort, as the FSO concludes. The evaluation of the SwissCovid app monitoring 2020-2022 shows that the app found substantial, but not maximum possible acceptance and use.

In particular, the delays between symptom onset and Covid code entry would provide insightful information about the app's potential to break infection chains. "If the potential of the SwissCovid app can be exploited, valuable time can be gained to contain the growth of infection numbers and break the momentum of a pandemic," the report says. (Kevin Fischer/jor)

This article was first published in Netzwoche.

Zoom, originally developed for use in companies, suddenly became a mass product during the Corona pandemic. Not only did companies turn to the software to keep their business running in the home office, but consumers also used it for things like family reunions and yoga classes. This explosive growth already flattened out with the removal of the Corona restrictions.

Focus on large companies

Zoom is now focusing on large corporate customers and, among other things, the call center business to lay the foundation for new growth. The strategy also includes using its strong position in video conferencing to also offer voice telephony to corporate customers. In this area - Zoom Phone - the past quarter was the best so far.

In the online business, which Zoom does primarily with consumers and small businesses, a decline of seven to eight percent is now expected for the current fiscal year. Previously, Zoom expected stagnating revenues in this area. Zoom lowered its revenue forecast for the fiscal year from previously just over $4.5 billion to just under $4.4 billion.

Investors sent the stock down about eight percent in after-hours U.S. trading. (SDA)

The mandate, which will be retendered in August 2022, is a national Information campaignwhich is aimed at the general population, the FOPH writes in a statement. The Covid 19 information campaign "How to protect yourself" will be transformed into standard population information by the end of 2022 and further developed for the post-pandemic phase from 2023.

The FOPH wants to continue the dialogue with the population so that "the people in Switzerland (continue to) know the respective applicable behavioral recommendations, inform themselves about the (booster) vaccination in order to renew it if necessary, and maintain or further develop their health skills in coping with major public health challenges," it continues. In this context, the aspect is always taken into account that measures must be taken more quickly due to possible changes in the Covid 19 dynamics.

The tender will be conducted in a two-stage process with prequalification and pitch and will be based on Simap.ch published. The mandate is expected to last from 2023 to 2026.

Sustainability remains the defining issue

Despite the Corona crisis, the issue of sustainability has not lost its importance. It will continue to challenge the industry and lead to a rethink. Nevertheless, optimum protection of the contents must always be considered as the basic function of packaging, demanded President Philippe Dubois and Managing Director Andreas Zopfi in their remarks. The heated debates in the pre-Corona years about disposables, plastics and the poor image of packaging have not come to a standstill. The SVI responded by stepping up educational efforts about the functions and performance of packaging. Among other things, a partnership was established with the trade journal Pack current agreed. It remains a goal of the association to communicate the benefits of packaging more clearly and more broadly to the public. For this reason, the SVI was also one of the first associations to join the national pact "Closing the loop for plastics and beverage cartons".

Continuing education courses could take place, but still expandable

Due to Corona, the technical events could only be held online for the most part, but nevertheless attracted a high level of interest in the industry. The introduction day to packaging and the basic seminar were successful. The training program for packaging managers, which leads to a federal diploma, is still struggling as a result of the Corona crisis. At the moment, it is not possible to achieve a satisfactory class size.

Swiss Packaging Award successful

The 52nd Swiss Packaging Award last year was also influenced by the government's Corona measures. A total of 46 packaging solutions were submitted by 34 different participants. A physical award ceremony was not possible in spring 2021, which is why the winners were initially informed in writing. However, the award ceremony, which was festive as usual, could then be made up for on August 17, 2021 in the Kursaal Bern.

Reorganization of the office

After Andreas Zopfi returned to the SVI as Managing Director on October 1, 2020, the office was completely reorganized in 2021. Philipp Stalder successively took over the management of the new SVI Academy in the second half of the year, formally then as of January 1, 2022. Consolidating the SVI's position in French-speaking Switzerland is the task of Jérôme Bovet. In 2022, the breakthrough in French-speaking Switzerland must be achieved for the SVI's offers, otherwise the SVI's position in French-speaking Switzerland is fundamentally up for debate, said Andreas Zopfi. Susanne Köhler, responsible for communications, left the SVI in the second half of the year. She was succeeded as press editor by Dirk Schönrock, formally as of January 1, 2022. The office team also includes accountant Anita Werren from OBT AG, but she is not employed by the SVI.

New websites were designed and launched for the SVI and the SVI Academy in 2021. In addition, the SVI is increasingly active on social media channels. In addition, a business survey was launched among members in 2021 for the first time since 2014. Very encouraging: Around two thirds of the companies are optimistic about the future.

Small profit and 10 new members

SVI's financial statements for 2021 closed with a small profit of CHF 833. In addition, the long-standing trend of declining membership was reversed: SVI recorded ten new members in 2021. The membership fees of the SVI will not be increased to 2023.

It was with regret that the resignation of Michael Villiger from the Board was announced. Tobias Leischner, CEO of Bourquin SA, was proposed and elected as a replacement. The SVI would also like to have the entire value chain of the packaging industry represented on the board in terms of personnel. With Micaël Müller, Head of CoE for Packaging at Migros Industrie, a representative of the retail trade was newly elected to the Board. All other existing board members were confirmed in their positions and Philippe Dubois was re-elected as president.

The SVI Board for the term of office 2022 to 2025 is now composed as follows: Christine Arnet, Philippe Dubois (President), Tobias Leischner, Micaël Müller, Hansruedi Schafflützel (Vice President) and Patrick Semadeni.

The consequences of the Corona pandemic are widening the gap between rich and poor, also in Switzerland. The number of long-term unemployed people has tripled. Precariously employed people and sans papiers have fewer opportunities to earn money. Lonely people have become even lonelier. And all this has gone largely unnoticed by the public. The new campaign for HEKS shines the spotlight on these problems and literally puts them at the center of society.

According to a population survey conducted by HEKS with more than 1000 participants, the respondents think that gastronomy, culture and event industry as well as elderly people and children have suffered the most from the pandemic. The reason may be that the challenges of these populations were very present in the media during the crisis. However, the problems of people on the margins of society are in the "blind spot" of the population because of the lack of touch points and also the lack of media coverage. HEKS' new domestic campaign aims to change this - by making the social consequences of Corona publicly visible and thereby creating solidarity in society.

Spotlight on the social consequences

The campaign shines a spotlight on the problems of people on the fringes of society. And it does so by using a spotlight that exists in the middle of Zurich: The light installation on Heimplatz, where colored light dots scan the surroundings in the evening. At places where the colored points of light move over it, authentic settings were set up that are representative of the problems of those affected. For example, a sparsely furnished kitchen with a refrigerator that often lacks even the most basic necessities. The films bring three touching scenes to the public's attention, as they are currently happening thousands of times throughout Switzerland as a result of the Corona crisis. The urgent message is: Look now and help.

Campaign calls for a closer look

All advertising media lead to the landing page Heks.ch/lookwhere you can find detailed information and personal stories about the respective HEKS projects. Everyone can help to improve the situation of the people affected in Switzerland by making a donation or submitting a petition.

The campaign can now be seen on TV, via online and social media ads, advertisements and posters. In addition, around Refugee Sunday on June 18, 2022, donation flyers, posters, and social media ads will be used to match the campaign.

Responsible at HEKS: Hanspeter Bigler (Head of Communications/Marketing), Brigitte Roth (Head of Marketing/Fundraising), Nina Fink, Andrea Oertli (Domestic Theme Officer). Responsible at Wunderman Thompson: Swen Morath (Co-CEO), Marika Magnuszewska (AD), Julia Staub (Text), Saskia Kremser (Strategy), Stephan Lanz, Nadine Treier (Consulting), Kim Prinzing (DTP). Shining Film AG x Color Film: Laurent Arber, Florian Brunner (production), Hannah Dobbertin (direction), Elia Grunder (camera), Lea Hättenschwiler (set design), Nicolas Bechtel (editing), Simon Hardegger (color grading), Leonardo Sanfilippo (supervision). Photography: Jonathan Heyer.

In the previous year, the figure was over 50 percent. The coronavirus thus ranked sixth among the greatest concerns in Switzerland. Fear of unemployment has also decreased significantly compared to the previous year. In urban areas, however, the fear of the coronavirus and new viruses is generally still somewhat greater than in rural areas.

Biggest concern: Ukraine war

The new biggest concern of the Swiss is the war in Ukraine. The military conflict in Europe, which was not yet asked about in last year's worry barometer from moneyland.ch, shot straight to first place. 62 percent of the Swiss say they are very or extremely worried about this. This is followed by concerns about climate change and Russia.

"The general fear of possible wars is now also one of the biggest concerns of the Swiss population," says Benjamin Manz, CEO of moneyland.ch. Possible wars are now a major to very major concern for half of the people surveyed - a year ago, it was only 37 percent.

Concerns about health insurance premiums have also declined noticeably: In recent years, this topic was always the biggest cause for concern in Switzerland - even bigger than pension and environmental issues and the coronavirus. Manz suspects that the size of these worries is strongly related to how premiums develop. "Unlike this year, premiums are expected to increase significantly again for 2023, which could make this concern more important again in the future."

"Many financial aspects, such as retirement provision, will move somewhat into the background in 2022," observes Manz. 40 percent of the Swiss population are generally very or extremely worried about their own finances. This means that this topic is not among the biggest concerns in Switzerland. The exception: their own finances are the fourth biggest concern of respondents with assets of less than 20,000 Swiss francs.

Women worry more

In many areas, women are more worried than men. For example, 51 percent of the women surveyed said they were very or extremely worried about a nuclear war and 51 percent about a third world war. Among men, the figure is only 39 percent in both cases. A strikingly large number of women are also concerned about their finances and retirement provision.

Men, on the other hand, worry more often than women about certain international issues. For example, 30 percent of men say they are very or extremely worried about global sovereign debt. This is a major concern for only 21 percent of the female participants in the study. Men are also more concerned about specific countries such as China and the USA. However, respondents of both sexes are similarly concerned about Russia.

Over 50s fear Russia

A comparison by age shows that for most topics, older people between 50 and 74 are more likely to say that they are very or very worried. Around 72 percent of respondents in this age group say they are worried about Russia. By contrast, regardless of age group, the Swiss-wide average is just 56 percent. "Current events in Europe are likely to bring back memories of Cold War fears, especially among older people, when Russia was seen as the biggest threat to the West," Manz says.

People between the ages of 50 and 74 are also particularly worried about foreigners in Switzerland and further immigration. In particular, respondents between the ages of 18 and 25 are hardly worried at all in this context.

By contrast, a comparatively large number of young people are afraid of unemployment. 37 percent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 25 say they are very or extremely worried about this. Regardless of age, this is the case for only 28 percent of Swiss people. Young people and people in the middle age group are also noticeably more worried about their relationship or marriage than people aged 50 or over.

Western Switzerland worries about health

There are sometimes enormous differences between German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland. In general, residents of French-speaking Switzerland are more pessimistic and say much more often that they are very or extremely worried about most issues.

"This is where cultural differences between Switzerland's two largest language regions come to the fore," Manz notes.

But the list of the greatest concerns also looks somewhat different in French-speaking Switzerland than in German-speaking Switzerland (Table 3). For example, the French-speaking Swiss worry about nothing more than their own health (64 percent). Just about half as many German-speaking Swiss (33 percent) say they are very or very worried about this.

Health insurance premiums also remain one of the biggest concerns across the Röstigraben. "This is probably related to the higher premiums in French-speaking Switzerland compared to German-speaking Switzerland," Manz suspects. Although German-speaking Swiss are also concerned about premiums, other aspects outweigh them in this year's worry barometer.

Expressed in figures, the consequences of the pandemic are as follows: In 2020, the sales of the companies surveyed collapsed by more than half. A large number of orders were not carried out during the past two years - for projects under 50,000 Swiss francs, there were an average of 50 projects per company, and four for projects over 200,000 Swiss francs.

Live remains the favorite - hybrid formats catch up

Hybrid formats in particular have gained strongly in importance. At 47% of the companies surveyed, this event form showed the strongest growth rate in the last two years. Many companies have supplemented their business model with various online technologies: live streaming was the most popular. Other technologies included audio and video production as well as image and video portals.

Although the share of digital and hybrid events has increased sharply, offline events still generated 56% of revenue.

Virtual, hybrid and other event formats, such as pop-up events or Corona-compliant micro events with certificate requirements, accounted for between 13 and 16%. Regardless of execution mode, public and employee events generated the majority of revenue. To a lesser extent, special trade fairs or specialist congresses as well as public trade fairs or general meetings were to be found in the sales portfolio of the last two years. For the next few years, however, companies are again counting on the live format: 61% predict that the immediate encounter will see the greatest growth. Again, the live experience is closely followed by hybrid solutions with 55%.

Training and recruitment get a boost

For half of the respondents, the number of employees has decreased by an average of three people over the last two years. Only 12% recorded an increase in employees.

However, most are now expecting growth again. In addition, apprenticeships and internships are an integral part of the HR strategy of the companies surveyed. Thus, 88% stated that they generally have offers for interns or apprentices. Around one third are currently training apprentices.

The shortage of labor was identified as the biggest challenge in the coming years. To actively counteract the brain drain, most respondents are focusing on their attractiveness as an employer and investing in training and work culture.

Success through diversification and partnership

43 percent of survey participants have used the last two years to open up new business areas. The spectrum of diversification is wide: streaming and consulting, among other things, were increasingly used. It has also become apparent that challenges can be better overcome together - which is why two-thirds of respondents were working with a partner or actively seeking cooperation. Overall, nearly half of the companies were also actively engaged in promoting sustainable events. In this regard, 46% made their clients aware of sustainable events and offered the corresponding services. In addition, there were a number of other measures to improve sustainability such as internal projects, use of sustainable materials or investment in sustainable infrastructure.

Good report for the associations

The work of the associations themselves was also well received by members. 84% of all companies expressed themselves as satisfied to very satisfied with the work of Expo Event, SVTB and VSSA. Crisis management during the pandemic also came off well: 91 % of respondents said the association had done a good to very good job.

The Event Trend Study Switzerland was conducted - already for the 5th time - as a member survey by Expo Event Swiss LiveCom Association, by the Swiss Association of Technical Stage and Event Professions SVTB and by the Association of Swiss Stadium and Arena Operators VSSA. A total of 179 companies participated in the survey period from January 17 to February 11, 2022.