Swiss pavilion planned for three major events

Crowds outside the House of Switzerland at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil houseofswitzerland.org

The cabinet has decided to promote Switzerland through a “House of Switzerland” at the European football championships in France next year, the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea and the 2017 World Expo in Kazakhstan. 

In a statement on Wednesday, the foreign ministry said the aim was to “present Switzerland’s capacity for innovation to a wide international audience and promote Switzerland’s interests”. 

It said international events such as the World Expo and major sporting events attract a great deal of public and media interest from around the world. 

“Experiences at the Shanghai World Expo (2010), the Olympic Games in London (2012) and Sochi (2014) and the World Cup in Brazil (2014) have demonstrated that the Swiss government and its partners can benefit from this attention to present Switzerland and its strengths in their best light to a wide audience, promote their interests in the international arena and foster relations,” the ministry said. 

Presence Switzerland, the section of the foreign ministry responsible for Switzerland’s image abroad, has been given the mandate. 

The cabinet has earmarked CHF9 million ($9.3 million) to this end. It added that participation in the various events would follow the principle of public-private partnership, which will generate sponsorship revenue for the Confederation. 

Euro 2016 

The foreign ministry said that following its promotional activities during the 2014 football World Cup in Brazil, a House of Switzerland in the heart of Paris would be built during next year’s Euro 2016, which runs from June 10 until July 10. 

“The House of Switzerland Paris 2016 will provide a promotional platform not only for sport, but also for the Swiss business and culture sectors. A special focus will be placed on young people in both countries – the House of Switzerland being designed to connect the younger generations,” it said. 

One precondition, however, for Switzerland’s promotional presence in Paris is that the Swiss football team qualifies for the tournament. The team is currently third in its six-team qualifying group. The top two teams in each group go through automatically. 

The operational budget of CHF1 million will be covered by partners and internal foreign ministry funds. 

World Expo 

From June 10 to September 10, 2017, a World Expo on the theme of “Future Energy” will take place in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. 

The foreign ministry said that by taking part in the expo, “Switzerland intends to communicate its expertise and innovation in the energy sector and focus attention on its responsible approach to utilising natural resources”. 

It added that “because of its economic potential, Kazakhstan is also an interesting destination for Swiss businesses. Switzerland’s participation in the World Expo will provide them with an attractive opportunity to introduce themselves and their products to a wide audience”. 

Switzerland’s budget is CHF4.7 million. The net government expenditure after deduction of partner contributions is estimated to be CHF3.15 million. 

Winter Games 

Finally, the 2018 Olympic Winter Games will take place from February 9-25 and the Paralympic Games from March 9-18 in Pyeongchang, South Korea. 

Switzerland first developed the House of Switzerland concept in 2004 as a platform for Swiss sport and international communication during Olympic Games. As usual, the House of Switzerland South Korea 2018 will be a place for the Swiss Olympic team to meet and celebrate and will act as a base for communication. 

Furthermore, the government and its partners from business, academia and tourism will be able to promote Switzerland to South Korean and international audiences as “an enthusiastic sporting nation, a place for innovation and an attractive tourist destination”. 

The budget for Switzerland’s promotional presence at the 2018 Games is CHF3.3 million. The net government expenditure after deduction of partner contributions is estimated to be CHF2.2 million.