89 % of all business events handled through the Switzerland Convention Incentive Bureau (SCIB) that took place in Switzerland in 2019 involved attendees travelling from other countries. In 2020, nearly all events had to be cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated protective measures and travel restrictions.

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The pandemic produced great uncertainty in the tourism industry and among travellers. Trust and goodwill were much needed.

Long lead times for meetings

In view of the long lead times for business events (3 to 18 months for meetings and incentive trips, 2 to 5 years for conferences), there are already countless such events in the planning process. By the end of the year, SCIB had logged 169 enquiries for business events in 2021, most from the markets of North America (33), Switzerland (31) and Benelux (23). This is thanks to the work of the SCIB employees in these markets. Personal contact was stepped up during the pandemic, and partners in Switzerland were able to be represented by the SCIB experts in their market activities.

At the same time, SCIB concentrated on developing new concepts and tools for small, high-quality digital and hybrid meeting solutions, as business events of this nature will be in even greater demand in future.

Clear, simple communication with the Clean & Safe label

People’s experiences of the pandemic have made the organisers’ confidence in a country’s safety, stability and infrastructure even more important when choosing an event destination. Switzerland can offer all of these: particularly in the long-haul markets, Switzerland continues to be perceived as a very clean and safe country. Strong and easy-to-understand messaging was more important than ever during the pandemic, in order to build this trust in foreign markets. That is why, at the behest of Switzerland Tourism ST, the trade associations launched the Clean & Safe label for the meetings industry too.