Tailor-made events - from customer acquisition to encore

What is Selina Müller looking forward to most as Head of Event Operations at the Zurich Convention Center? The dynamic event manager doesn't hesitate for a second: "I love it when things get busy and really happen - both in front of and behind the scenes. That's why the preparations leading up to the actual staging of events from summer 2021 sometimes feels like swimming on land to her. "Of course they are essential, these precise preparations, but I can hardly wait until the house actually fills with life," Selina adds.

Seamless customer care

She sees herself as an extension of Stephanie Scheiwiller, who is the first point of contact for clients as Director of Consulting & Marketing. "I try to intercept anything that might get in the way right from the beginning." In concrete terms, this means that Stephanie pulls out all the stops at the Zurich Convention Center - including her elbows if necessary - so that everything can be possible in the interest of the client.

From the number of people to decoration wishes to reduced room temperature for a wine tasting - the possibilities in the newly renovated Zurich Convention Center are almost unlimited. "Most organisers have a clear idea about the feasibility of their event," she says. In this case, she agrees on key dates or advises on the supporting programme.

Private organisers usually have less experience: Stephanie helps them above all in pointing out possibilities and keeping within the budget: "We accompany all our clients as a single point of contact every step of the way, even during the events. You have to be able to listen to what individual clients need and understand what they might need." Once Stephanie and her team have signed the event contract with the client, the event goes to Selina's team for detailed planning.

Doesn't work, doesn't exist

And this is where the more precise formulation continues in the spatial, gastronomic and technical dimensions of the event: Transforming a room into a jungle with hundreds of plants for a film shoot? Of course. Buy Pampers for the client's child? In person. Laying fitted carpet in the client's corporate colours for a single session? I've seen it all before.

Stephanie and Selina smile as they tell these anecdotes; you can sense that they know and appreciate each other. Both originally come from the hotel industry and bring an enormous amount of experience in the event sector to the Kongresshaus Zurich. They agree: it is their job to make the service of the Zurich Convention Center unique and exclusive.

They work hand in hand and discuss the customer dossiers once a week, which move from the consulting team to the operations team. "The flow of information - and therefore all requests and agreements - goes back and forth seamlessly and will definitely intensify when we are live and debriefing events," Selina explains the collaboration between the two women and their respective teams.

Until then, there is still a lot to do. And that's good - because that's how the time passes most quickly until Stephanie and Selina can finally do what all their work is aimed at the Zurich Convention Center: Fulfilling customer wishes and creating unforgettable experiences.

Profiles

Name: Stephanie Scheiwiller
Expertise: Director of Consulting & Marketing with experiance in the luxury hotel industry and international markets with an MBA degree from the École Hôtelière de Lausanne
Personal goal: Recognising and fulfilling customer wishes precisely
Likes about her work: The variety and fast pace, the unpredictable, the personal contact with clients and the international environment

Name: Selina Müller
Expertise: Head of Event Operations – Event management with a passion for the customer's cause, graduated as dipl. Hôtelière-Restauratrice HF at the Hotel Management School in Lucerne
Personal goal: Create unforgettable moments and inspire customers
Likes about her work: Making the impossible possible - can't be done, doesn't exist