The Circle Conference welcomed 880 people
On Thursday, "The Circle Conference" took place in the new Circle Convention Center at the airport. 880 visitors were inspired by the 19 speakers and expert discussions about the future of the MICE industry and other current topics such as innovation, digitalization, mobility and much more. In addition, 70 exhibitors presented their MICE services.
"With The Circle Conference as a premiere in the new Circe Convention Center, we hit the nerve of the time at exactly the right time and gave the starting signal for the new beginning of the MICE industry. The Circle Conference clearly showed that the trade public is hungry for live events with personal contacts on site and is oversaturated with virtual offerings," says organizer Oliver Stoldt, who is extremely satisfied. Stefan Feldmann, Head The Circle, Zurich Airport, is also pleased with the successful staging of the first major event in the Convention Center since the Circle opened: "The positive feedback from the MICE industry today shows that the flexible congress facilities directly at Zurich Airport meet a need of today's world."
The trade show with forum was organized by Janin Heukamp and Oliver Stoldt of MICE Service Group Switzerland in collaboration with hosting partners Zurich Airport, The Circle Convention Center, Hyatt Regency Zurich Airport The Circle and Hyatt Place Zurich Airport The Circle. Heukamp felt the success confirmed "that the trade fair only makes sense if it thrives on genuine exchange and real encounters."
In an expert discussion, HotellerieSuisse President Andreas Züllig, epidemic expert and consultant Daniel Koch, jazz festival organizer and St. Moritz community president Christian Jott Jenny, Oliver Stoldt and Stefan Feldmann took a look at the future of the MICE business. The opinion clearly emerged that in the congress and event business, in addition to the classic presence solutions, the rapidly developing digital tools - whether on-site or online - will also gain a foothold and are a welcome addition for forward-looking and creative concepts.
Daniel Koch pointed out that people will have to live with the virus for a long time. "But the measures will be scaled back and it will be pretty much back to normal in the next few years," Koch explained. For Christian Jott Jenny, it was clear that concerts cannot be digitized. For example, he said, the Festival da Jazz in St. Moritz with 3G concept will take place live next week. But the organizers would have to learn to deal with new digital tools. Andreas Züllig noted that there was no substitute for social contact between people. He estimated that there will be a hybrid, especially for smaller events. Possibly, he said, there will be fewer very large congresses in the future than before the pandemic. Züllig and Jenny were optimistic about the coming summer season in the mountain regions, but less so for places that rely on international clientele.
Exceptional program, networking and exhibition
In addition to the discussion about the future of the MICE industry, The Circle Conference offered a broad program with selected speakers, workshops, technical and stage discussions. The interactive trade fair concept enabled the 70 destinations, conference hotels, incentive providers, event locations and meeting places to come into direct contact with visitors.
Among the speakers were Solar Impulse pioneer Bertrand Piccard, ex-Mr. Corona Daniel Koch and the honorary president of FC Basel Bernhard Heusler. International expert Sita Mazumder and experts German Ramirez and Reto Wampfler spoke on digitalization, innovation, social selling and change management. Expert Leonie Müller, ex-FIFA referee Urs Meier, the female pilot group #clearedtoland, professional pilot Philip Keil and the "king of pickpockets" Christian Lindemann spoke on topics such as new work, communication, leadership and mobility. The Circle Conference was moderated by business journalist and China expert Martina Fuchs and SRF presenter Florian Inhauser.
