Farmer’s brunch on 1 August at the Swiss pavilion at Expo Milano 2015
Bern, 30.07.2015 - Federal Councillor Johann Schneider-Ammann, Vice-President of the Federal Council, and Claude Hêche, President of the Council of States, will celebrate 1 August 2015 at the Swiss pavilion at Expo Milano with a farmer’s brunch. Award-winning producers from the Swiss Local Food Competition will be on hand at the Swiss National Day celebrations, inviting the public to taste their specialities. The official delegation, comprising representatives from the worlds of politics, agriculture and tourism, will arrive at Rho Fiera Milano station on the Treno del gusto with on-board chef Georges Wenger holding special tasting workshops. Miss Switzerland, Laetitia Guarino, will be the patron of the celebrations at the Swiss pavilion, and the Swiss Military Brass Band will provide entertainment.
Expo Milano – focusing on the theme of Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life – opened on 1 May and runs until 31 October 2015. The Swiss pavilion welcomed over 760,000 visitors in the first three months, with a daily average of 8,400 visitors. 65% of visitors to the Swiss pavilion were from Italy, 15% from Switzerland, 10% from other European countries (France, Germany, Austria and Spain), and the remaining 10% from further afield (United States, China, Brazil and Australia). According to an initial survey conducted among a sample of visitors to the Swiss pavilion, 98% would recommend a visit. 20% said their perception of Switzerland had changed positively after their visit to the Swiss pavilion, citing as reasons the reception they received from the staff of the pavilion, the general content and in particular the concept and the message of the towers.
Many representatives of the federal, cantonal and municipal authorities have visited the Swiss pavilion: the President of the Swiss Confederation Simonetta Sommaruga, Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard, Federal Councillor Johann Schneider-Ammann, dozens of members of the Council of States, including its president, Claude Hêche, dozens of national councillors, including the National Council president, Stéphane Rossini, and more than 150 members of the cantonal parliaments of Basel, Graubünden, Ticino, Fribourg, Valais, Thurgau, Jura and Zurich. The Swiss pavilion has also welcomed important representatives of other countries, including Sheikha Najla Al Khalifa, princess of Bahrain, Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, prime minister and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai.
“At Expo Milano, Switzerland has shown – via the towers filled with Swiss products conveying universal values – that the future of the planet also depends on the behaviour of each and every one of us. Our towers embody a concept similar to that of the responsible supermarket. A slightly outlandish challenge that is actually becoming reality. I am moved by the Swiss pavilion’s impact on visitors: the countless conversations about responsible, fair and sustainable consumption held in the towers show not only how successful our presence at Expo Milano is, but also point out essential paths we need to take to ensure balance on our planet,” says Ambassador Nicolas Bideau, head of Presence Switzerland at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, which is responsible for managing Switzerland’s involvement in universal expositions.
“Celebrating 1 August with the Federal Councillor for economic affairs and agriculture, accompanied by the best producers of local products and the skilful leadership of one of our country’s best chefs, is the perfect federal cocktail for the Swiss National Day celebrations at the Swiss pavilion at Expo Milano. And we won’t forget our lanterns!” Mr Bideau added.
The Swiss pavilion in figures (1 May-30 July 2015):
1. Total number of visitors to the Swiss pavilion 766 000
2. Daily average number of visitors 8400
3. Number of articles published in Italy, Switzerland and other countries 950
4. Number of digital interactions: 62 Millions
5. The Swiss pavilion community on social media is among the largest at Expo 2015.
6. The restaurant’s three most popular dishes: Zurich-style veal geschnetzeltes with rösti, pizzoccheri pasta from Val Poschiavo and fondue.
How to reach the Expo 2015 site
The Expo Milano 2015 site is located in Rho-Pero, about 15 kilometres north-west of central Milan. Thanks to the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), visitors to Expo 2015 can travel directly to the Rho Fiera train station, close to Milan, every day from 1 May to 31 October 2015. The SBB has been running four special trains daily since May and will increase that to five starting on 1st August, with some 2,000 additional seats.
Direct morning and evening rail services will be available from Geneva, Basel, Zurich, and Lugano to Rho Fiera Milano and back. The timetable has been planned to allow for day trips to the Expo. “We are very pleased with the sales of admission tickets to Expo 2015: more than 70,000 in the first three months. Two- and three-day packages – including travel, admission and overnight accommodation – are very popular. We urge passengers to opt for the additional trains because the regularly scheduled trains are already quite crowded,” says Claudio Guidotti, the SBB’s Expo 2015 project manager.
Book online to visit the towers at the Swiss pavilion
Visitors to the Swiss pavilion can quickly and easily book their free visit to the towers online at http://www.padiglionesvizzero.ch/en/ticketing-4/, where they can choose their preferred day and time of admission. Visitors who book ahead will spend less time queuing to get into the towers and will be able to efficiently organise their Expo visit.
Hashtag #SwissPavilion
For further information
Nicolas Bideau, Ambassador
Head of Presence Switzerland, FDFA
nicolas.bideau@eda.admin.ch
tel. +41 58 463 45 91
mobile +41 79 667 69 15
Andrea Arcidiacono
Head of Communication for the Swiss pavilion
Presence Switzerland, FDFA
andrea.arcidiacono@eda.admin.ch
mobile +41 79 291 13 47
mobile Italy + 39 366 118 3793
Address for enquiries
FDFA Communication
Federal Palace West Wing
CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland
Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55
E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch
Twitter: @SwissMFA
Publisher
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html
