Roger Büchel, CEO Kongresshaus Zürich: "The digital infrastructure was a major concern for me".

Werbewoche/m&k: The Kongresshaus has been a hotly debated topic in Zurich for decades. There were various projects, including new buildings elsewhere in the city. Finally, the decision was made to renovate, convert and expand the existing building. Looking back, was this a good decision?

Roger Büchel: In retrospect, it has to be said that we were lucky not to have put up a big thing. Talking about large congresses at the moment would really be the wrong time. Because the large congresses that we wanted to attract with a large center don't exist at the moment. At the moment, there is only a very modest willingness to fly and travel internationally. As a result, large international congresses are not taking place at the moment. I think it will be another two years before that happens again.

Will you be able to bridge this time gap well?

Yes, we will host many national events. That is why we are very well positioned for the current situation with the size we have now with the house - with a capacity of 2,000 in the congress hall and a total capacity of the entire complex of 4,500 people.

Keyword "hybrid events" - the Kongresshaus now also has a modern TV studio - has this only become a topic now with Corona?

We had already planned the TV studio and further expansions of the digital infrastructure before Corona - this was also a big concern for me personally. I come from the event technology industry and have a corresponding affinity for technology. When I first got involved with the project in 2019, I realized that the topic of technology, i.e. audio, video and lighting technology - digitalization - had been treated very stepmotherly until then. I then advocated investing more in digitization and digital networking. Also in sound systems, modern lighting systems and camera systems. There was a growing need for hybrid events even in the pre-pandemic era. Back then, people thought, now the Büchel is coming and wants to turn everything upside down here. But then Corona came along - with zoom and team calls and people started to understand me - and understood that digital networking is essential. We need to be able to transfer the content we produce live to the Internet. My thesis is that the big congresses will not come back: People will start connecting the different destinations. Then the Americans will stay in America, the French will stay in France, the Swiss will stay here, and that will be digitally networked.

After all, there are others - and also some new offerings at the Zurich location.

You can say that competition has increased greatly, among other things with the Samsung Hall and the Circle Convention Center, the Hallenstadion, where the ZSC is now moving out, and the new ice hockey stadium, which will also be available for event formats. But competition has also increased greatly nationally and internationally. That's why I've always said that if we want to play in this market, we have to position ourselves well - including in the technical area. We are in contact with Hallenstadion and The Circle. This stimulates and supports each other and makes Zurich a more attractive destination. Our venues are also very different and can complement each other. We simply have to work together and not against each other. So there is certainly no oversupply. There is still talk of an additional congress center - at least that was the case before Corona. But if another congress center or event hall were built in Zurich now, that would probably be more than enough.

What are your most important USPs?

In terms of our central location in the city, we have a triple-A situation - we have excellent public transport connections. Now we have certainly added a few USPs in terms of technology and climate neutrality, which is very much appreciated by customers. International corporations in particular attach great importance to events taking place in a climate-neutral manner. We are proud to be the first completely climate-neutral event and congress center in Switzerland since 2019. Everything that cannot be reduced is compensated via a forest conservation project in Peru. This results in us being completely climate neutral - without any additional costs for the event organizer. So every event we host is completely carbon neutral. We also have an in-house seawater plant. This is used to pump lake water - the energy is used to cover 70 percent of the cooling and heating requirements of our building.

The Zurich Film Festival will also use the new Kongresshaus.

Yes, this is certainly a lighthouse project. We will also host the Opening Night, as well as some of the film screenings. The Kongresshaus will be by far the largest cinema hall at the ZFF, or even in Switzerland. There is no other cinema hall in the whole of Switzerland with such a large screen. The fact that the new James Bond film will also celebrate its Swiss premiere in the Kongresshaus is fantastic.

What is the current market situation?

For the current situation we can be more than satisfied. Since the middle of August, we have had one event after another, even multiple occupancies, which is possible because we have several entrances. This is possible because we have several rooms and entrances, which are far apart from each other. Basically, we are confident that we can utilize the house well. It needs creativity and innovation. All those who can play along will have a chance to survive in the future. There will certainly be a certain shakeout in the event and location market.

In your opinion, what does the future hold for the MICE industry?

We are cautiously confident. We are watching very closely how the whole situation is developing. People talk about the new normal, but the situation will never be the same as it was before Corona - formats don't come back exactly the same. But new possibilities and opportunities are opening up. As a location, you have to be creative and find answers, like with a TV studio. Or how our space can be used other than for events. We're thinking very openly about that. Not only events will take place - the space can also be used for other purposes.

For example?

What's in vogue now are pop-up stores, for example. Where you offer products in a short time, with a sales area, and we are very open to such projects. This is not primarily an event, but rather a sales platform. Even before Corona, there was a decline in the classic trade fair formats. New ideas, new formats, more networking, more knowledge transfer are needed. Only exhibitions are no longer enough - all trade fair venues had to feel this very hard. A normal classic trade show exhibition format doesn't work anymore. Now new formats are needed, which can then also be combined with hybrid and digital possibilities.

The 47-year-old Roger Büchel has been leading the Kongresshaus Zürich as Director and CEO since the beginning of 2019. He studied Music, Sales & Marketing and General Management and holds an Executive MBA from the University of Zurich. Active as a professional musician and lecturer in his younger years, he founded and led an event technology company and then spent 25 years in several top management positions in international event and live communication companies.

Kongresshaus and Tonhalle Zurich shine in new splendor

The renovation of the Kongresshaus and Tonhalle in Zurich took four years - and it was much more than a simple renovation: The Kongresshaus is now brighter, more modern and more spacious. The Panorama Hall, a "building sin" from the 1980s, was removed. The concert foyer now offers a clear view of the lake and mountains. The new restaurant on the first floor scores with a view of the lake basin that is unique for Zurich. The Tonhalle is back to its former pomp and splendor - painted gold leaf has been uncovered again. Here, as everywhere else in the new building complex, it is not only the visuals that shine; immense investments have also been made in technology. This ranges from structurally optimized acoustics and digital networking to the in-house TV studio with curved LED video wall.

Tickets for the opening days on September 4 and 5 are available at Deeyouamsee.ch