The Swiss Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015: more than 2 million visitors attracted by a simple message on sustainable development

Bern, 30.10.2015 - The day before the closure of Expo Milano 2015, Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, visited the Swiss Pavilion and the pavilions of neighbouring countries. An average of 11,400 people a day have visited the Swiss Pavilion, whose towers stocked with food products have made the public reflect on their behaviour as consumers. The distinctive feature of the Swiss Pavilion has been the strength of its content. Participating in Expo 2015 has enabled Switzerland to present itself to Italy and to the world as a country which is open, responsible and supportive of others where food is concerned. Expo Milano, exploring the theme of "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life", has welcomed 21 million visitors in all.

The Milan Universal Exhibition, devoted to the theme of "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life", which opened on 1 May 2015, is now drawing to an end after six months of intense activity. The Swiss Pavilion has welcomed a total of 2.1 million visitors, an average of 11,400 per day. 70% of the visitors to the Swiss Pavilion have been from Italy, 20% from Switzerland and 10% from other countries. 20% of those interviewed as part of a survey stated that their perception of Switzerland had changed for the better as a result of their visit. Among the reasons for changing their views, they mentioned the content and, in particular, the concept, idea and message of the towers.

The Swiss Pavilion was awarded the prize for the best interpretation of the Expo theme by the international EXIBITOR Magazine, which also gave a special mention to the "Water for Europe" exhibition staged by the partner cantons in the Saint Gotthard project. According to a survey run by the Corriere della Sera, the Swiss Pavilion was judged to be the best in terms of content.

A visit to the towers of the Swiss Pavilion was indeed a special experience for Expo 2015 visitors. Four storeys high, the towers were stocked with four products (coffee, apples, salt and water) just once at the beginning of Expo 2015. The transformation of the Swiss Pavilion's towers was much discussed, since visitors were engaged both materially and emotionally in considering the concepts of scarcity and abundance, and thus examining their relationship with the world's resources. The remaining products will be donated to the Fondazione del Banco Alimentare (Food Bank Foundation), which promotes the collection of food that is going to waste and its redistribution to charitable organisations.

"The Swiss Pavilion has served as a platform for raising the awareness of the general public and the international media as to our national strengths: innovation, linguistic and cultural diversity, international cooperation and solidarity", emphasised Ambassador Nicolas Bideau, Director of the FDFA's Presence Switzerland unit, set up amongst others to manage Switzerland's involvement in universal exhibitions. "Thanks to its simplicity, the message of the Pavilion's towers went straight to the heart of Expo's theme of ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life’: the future of sustainable development is a question of balance. Our future depends on our capacity to strike a balance between individual and collective responsibility, private initiative and the common good, the war on want and biodiversity, access to resources and respect for the environment."

The Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development (SDC) was able to demonstrate the important role of modern technologies, which enable small farmers to access knowledge essential for increasing productivity and boosting their incomes. A mobile phone app and the interactive Plant Doctor Game were designed so that Expo visitors could put themselves in the shoes of a small farmer who needs to treat his plants against diseases so he can protect his crop and feed his family. A concrete example of the daily challenges faced by 500 million small farmers as they strive to feed two thirds of the world's population. The interactive game is based on the Plantwise project supported by the SDC.

Many representatives of the federal, cantonal and municipal authorities have visited the Swiss Pavilion: all the members of the Federal Council on official days devoted to bilateral relations, food safety, sustainability and humanitarian aid, or in a private capacity; the Federal Chancellery, the presidents of the two chambers of the Federal Assembly, and more than 60 parliamentarians. Where the cantons are concerned, the Swiss Pavilion has welcomed over 50 government members and more than 160 members of the cantonal parliaments.

The exhibition on the theme of water resources organised by the four Saint Gotthard cantons (Graubünden, Ticino, Uri, Valais), the exhibitions of the partner cities of Basel, Geneva and Zurich, the interactive exhibition staged by Nestlé, the installation devoted to the new Alpine rail crossing (AlpTransit/NRLA), and the fun installation devised by Switzerland Tourism were all very popular with visitors. The Swiss agricultural sector made good use of its involvement in the Swiss Pavilion to promote Swiss food specialities and make the public aware of the services provided by the industry.

Partnership between the public and private sectors enabled many Swiss companies to raise their profile in Italy. By hosting no fewer than 81 promotional events, involving more than 5,000 participants from the business and tourism sectors, the Swiss Pavilion also provided companies with opportunities to establish relationships and strengthen their presence in the country. The public and private partners in the Swiss Pavilion similarly benefited from the opportunity to arrange meetings and network with customers and tourism operators.

Sponsors contributed a total of CHF 9.3 million to the Swiss Pavilion: CHF 6.5 million in cash and CHF 2.8 million in kind. In 2012, the Federal Assembly had approved funding of CHF 23.1 million for Swiss participation in Expo 2015, eight million of which was to be found through sponsorship.

"The Swiss Pavilion would like to thank the many partners in the public and private sectors, and the specialised federal offices, for their outstanding support. The varied cultural programme run by the public-sector sponsors was an excellent way of making visitors more aware of the richness of Switzerland's cultural heritage and multi-lingualism", according to Manuel Salchli, the Pavilion's director.

The Swiss Pavilion in figures (1 May - 30 October 2015):

• Total number of visitors to the Swiss Pavilion: 2.1 million

• Daily average number of visitors: 11,400

• Number of articles published in Italy, Switzerland and other countries: 1,650; equivalent commercial value: CHF 5.5 million

• Number of journalists welcomed to the Swiss Pavilion: 1,800 (Italy 67%, Switzerland 17%, rest of the world 16%)

• Number of digital interactions: 165 million; more than 39,000 fans

• The Swiss Pavilion community on social media was one of the largest associated with Expo 2015

• The three most popular dishes in the restaurant: (1) Pizzoccheri (buckwheat pasta) from the Val Poschiavo 7.090; (2) fondue moitié-moitié (Swiss cheese fondue) 6,850; (3) Zurich veal hash with roesti potatoes 4,600

• The most popular takeaway dish: Valais cheese raclette, 50,000 portions or 5 tonnes served

• Chocolate workshop: 365 sessions; 9,125 participants; 225,000 cocoa pods

• Number of events organised at the Swiss Pavilion: 921, with 103,000 participants

• Number of guided tours: over 1,000, with more than 20,000 participants

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