New statistics of the meetings sector are proof of how important this segment is for Switzerland. The first comprehensive statistical survey of the meetings segment covering all events with ten or more participants indicates that 19% of the hotel overnight stays recorded in 2011 were generated by visitors attending meetings. Consequently, Switzerland Tourism’s intensified segment-based marketing activities abroad, as well as the current substantial investments in congress and hotel infrastructures, are of crucial importance to guarantee Switzerland’s position as a top destination in the meetings sector.

To obtain detailed statistics of the hotel overnight stays and sales generated by the congress tourism segment (meetings, seminars, conferences, incentive travel, and other professional events), Switzerland Tourism (ST) has been systematically collecting all data of events taking place in Switzerland (one-day or multi-day professional events with a minimum of ten participants) since 2009. Approximately 18,500 events held in 2011 have been entered in this new database (Switzerland Meetings Statistics Database) enabling, for the first time, an in-depth analysis of the structure and importance of this segment for the hotel and the tourism industries.¹ This analysis is presented in the “Switzerland Meetings Report”.

According to the “Switzerland Meetings Report” the congress tourism segment generated approximately 19% of all hotel overnight stays in 2011 (or 6.6 million out of a total of 35.4 million). Based on ST’s estimates, sales in this segment in 2011 amounted to CHF 2.2 billion². “The data we collected show how important it is for Switzerland to intensify its marketing activities in this segment abroad. The Switzerland Convention and Incentive Bureau (SCIB) is already also active in promoting the meetings market for Switzerland in countries such as China and India, as well as and in Southeast Asia”, said Jürg Schmid, CEO of Switzerland Tourism. “Small events (ten or more participants) have also been included in this analysis for the first time. The latter offer rural and alpine regions an opportunity to differentiate themselves, and also have a stabilizing effect during difficult times”, Schmid added.

Difference in significance based on geographic areas and seasons.
ST’s analysis brings to light the differences in the importance of congress tourism based on geographic location and season. Most of the hotel overnight stays in this segment were recorded in large and small cities where they made up more than one third of all overnight stays. In the mountain regions they represent 5.3% of all hotel overnight stays. In 2011 the frequency of conferences, incentives and meetings was highest in the months of March and May (each with a share of 13% of the total number of events), followed by June (11%), and November (9%). Over 70% of the events took place during the low season of leisure tourism. Thus, congresses and meetings are all the more crucial for the tourism industry in the off-season for leisure travel.

Intensification of SCIB activities.
The Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau (SCIB) is handling the marketing of congress tourism on behalf of Switzerland Tourism and focuses on the acquisition of international multi-day events, specifically conferences of associations and corporate meetings. In 2011 the SCIB contributed to the organization of 43% of all international multi-day events held in Switzerland³. The SCIB is already active in Europe, North America and Russia and, in 2011, has expanded its activities in India, China and Brazil. According to Barbra Steuri-Albrecht, Head of the SCIB, “the prospects in China and India are very interesting, especially in the segment of incentive travel.”

Infrastructures: a decisive factor for Switzerland’s competitiveness.
Even if the Swiss franc does not have the same impact on congress tourism as it does on leisure tourism, Switzerland is facing significant challenges in marketing itself as a congress destination in Europe and North America as a result of the current economic environment. However, in the eyes of congress organizers Switzerland still offers undeniable advantages in this segment, most notably easy access to destinations by public transportation, reliability and top quality of services and accommodation infrastructures, the high level of attention paid to sustainable development criteria in event organization and a comparatively low value added tax.
Development of congress and accommodation infrastructures and their superior quality are vital factors for Switzerland’s competitiveness as a congress destination. Investors are confident in this area: The major renovation and construction projects involving congress infrastructures to be completed in the next five years represent an investment volume in excess of one billion Swiss francs.

In late 2013 the Swiss Tech Convention Centre will open up on the campus of the Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne. It will have space for up to 3,000 people and is the first fully automated convention center in Europe. The facility can be converted at the push of a button to accommodate a particular event.
In Zurich, in immediate proximity of the airport, two hotels and a 1,500-seat convention center comprising an area of 200,000 m ², are expected to be completed by 2017. “The Circle” will offer an exceptionally attractive destination for business tourism.
The most significant investment projects in the business and congress hotel industry represent an equally sizable investment volume. Zurich and the greater Zurich region alone will provide more than 1,600 new hotel rooms⁴ by 2015, an increase of 12% compared to 2011.

A list of current hotel and congress infrastructure projects is available at:
MySwitzerland.com/meetings

¹ The “Switzerland Meetings Report” presents an in-depth statistical analysis of these data. The report is available in German or English upon request.
² The amount of sales generated was determined with the Event Impact Calculator (Tourism Economics, Oxford Economics) that destinations and congress infrastructures can use to analyze the economic consequences (direct and indirect sales, taxes and fees) of the events they hosted.
³ Source: Switzerland Meetings Report. 43% of a total of 1,034 events.
⁴ Source: Zurich Hoteliers Association