Golden times at the Xaver Award 2022

Golden Xaver Awards are only given for particularly outstanding achievements - and this was true for four projects this year: Among others, the audio rebranding of the Swiss Film Award by Mjm.cc and Great Garbo for the Federal Office of Culture received one of the golden trophies. "A new, extraordinary corporate identity was created for the Swiss Film Prize and a new composition was recorded together with the ZHDK. This comes across as large and international - at the same time a strong Swiss reference is noticeable. A wonderful project that definitely deserves the Xaver", says jury member Nadine Imboden, explaining the choice.

In addition, the OneMillionRun by Datasport and iRewind for Weltklasse Zürich swung golden at the top. "The OneMillionRun inspired the jury. Within a very short time, over 100,000 people were motivated to go out and jog a million kilometers on the same weekend. In addition, a huge media presence was achieved and money was raised for a good cause," explains jury member Maximilian Souchay. The project also won the Public Xaver through public voting.

High density of high-quality projects

Also shining golden is the Swiss Pavilion Expo Dubai 2020 by Bellprat Partner and Expomobilia for Presence Switzerland. "The Swiss Pavilion is an extraordinary symbiosis of architecture, scenography and storytelling. It convinces with a virtuoso entrance area as well as a fog idea that lets you start in the unknown, rise up and then look over a panorama," jury member Mauro Testerini explains the decision.

The WOW Museum - Room for Illusions by Aroma für Illuseum also secured a gold award. "A museum in the middle of Zurich, which from the first moment makes you completely forget the world outside. A magic and a world full of illusions and colors for young and old. This project makes happy and therefore deserves a Xaver," concludes Nadine Imboden.

In addition, six silver and five bronze awards were presented. Jury president Dany Waldner sums up: "It was easy for us to be allowed to judge with such a high density of high-quality projects. We would of course be delighted if it now continues in this way in the coming years."

Winged creativity: Best Corona Special

The pandemic also spawned numerous innovative projects with entirely new approaches. In order to honor this creativity appropriately, the Jury 2022 launched a special award Best Corona Specialwhich was awarded to five projects.

One of the award winners was the Heitere On Air Festival by Heitere Events - a virtual festival that took place parallel to the on-site events. Another Best Corona Special Award went to Migros Hiking Sounds by Tit-Pit for Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund: an event concept in a manageable setting that combined the booming hiking segment with a festival atmosphere and live music in the Swiss mountains.

The Next Generation 2021 Swiss Education Showcase by SVTB, Artos, AudioRent Clair, Habegger, Emme, Winkler Livecom, B+T Bild+Ton, Light-Design Eventtechnik and Eventpartner for the Task Force Vocational Training also received an award. The aim of this educational offensive was to provide future event specialists with the necessary skills to carry out their profession, despite the pandemic, with nine virtual large-scale events.

Another winner was Sunrise Skylights - A bright spot for the festival summer by Red Spark, Rock-it Event and Winkler Livecom for Sunrise Communications: This featured national and international acts performing in a drive-in open air. The Swisscom Fan Screen by Swisscom Event & Media Solutions also received a Best Corona Special: Here Swisscom, as a partner of Swiss-Ski, brought fans and athletes together by means of a giant LED screen in the finish area during the Corona ghost races.

Lifetime Achievement Xaver Award for Peter Habegger

The Lifetime Achievement Xaver Award, which recognizes outstanding industry personalities, will be presented in 2022 to Peter Habegger, founder of Habegger, headquartered in Regendsorf, with locations in Lausanne, Bern, Austria and Qatar. Peter Habegger is considered a pioneer of the Swiss event industry: more than 40 years ago, he and his wife founded their own hi-fi business, which started with mobile discos and equipment rental, laying the foundation for a golden era that today culminates in a leading industry player with 130 employees. The company has been involved in projects such as Roger Federer's 2014 "Match for Africa" at the Hallenstadion, Art on Ice, the Swiss Awards, the Super 10 fight, numerous UEFA Champions League draws, the 2018 IOC session in Kuala Lumpur, and major general meetings such as those of Swiss Life and LafargeHolcim.

What distinguishes the trailblazer, who is now 64 years old? "I have always lived in the future and imagined five years in advance what the industry needs, where the journey is going, and what future innovations might be," says Habegger. In addition, he always focused on people: "Culture and values are essential. Success depends on that, and that's why Habegger always had the best employees."

Peter Habegger himself has always deliberately kept out of the public eye - and, by his own admission, gave Expo Event its first interview in 40 years in the run-up to Xaver. "I have always seen myself in the background and had joy when others had joy."