Spring Basel, the new public event in and for Basel, celebrated its premiere. The first edition was attended by 100 exhibitors and 12,000 visitors. The event offered a wide range of entertainment in the form of concerts, theatre performances, graffiti, carnival lantern painting workshops and much more. Visitors were also invited to enjoy a wide range of culinary delights.

In 2023, we launched Habitat Jardin in Lausanne as a B2C fair for gardening and interior design with a new concept after a four-year break. At the première, around 100 exhibitors presented their products and services in the fields of energy, building materials, gardening, and security. The first edition attracted more than 16,000 visitors to the Beaulieu exhibition centre in Lausanne.

After a four-year break due to the pandemic, Giardina finally invited visitors to a unique garden experience at Messe Zürich once again. In keeping with the spring-like weather, over 200 of the industry's leading suppliers presented the latest trends and innovations for life in the garden, on the patio, and on the balcony before the start of the season. Around 55,000 visitors were inspired over 5 days.

The first edition of the Sustainability Days in Basel was successfully staged in 2023. The 72 exhibitors and 171 speakers presented products, solutions, strategies, and innovations focussing on a sustainable future in the areas of cities, space, the environment and the economy to around 1,500 participants. The focus of the event was on inspiring food for thought from experts, cross-industry encounters, and on experiencing  concrete solutions first hand.

In September, the 8th edition of the Digital Festival brought together an interdisciplinary community of over 2,000 digital creators from more than 15 nations and all hierarchies, functions, and industries in Zurich to challenge existing structures and rethink them with their ideas. At the Digital Festival, the international tech world discussed the major topics of the digital future in 15 keynotes and over 30 labs – always with reference to the challenges and opportunities for the Swiss economy and society.

Hack Zurich, Europe's largest and most prestigious hackathon, was once again held in parallel to the Digital Festival. Participants were selected from a global pool of over 5,500 applications representing several elite universities from more than 85 countries. Together, over 400 tech talents developed highly innovative web, mobile, and hardware applications in teams of 2 to 5 people during a 40-hour hackathon.

In September 2023, our exhibition halls in Basel once again became the largest meeting place for the chemical and life science industry in Switzerland. The expected number of participants of 10,000 was exceeded by one fifth, so around 12,000 visitors got to encounter over 400 well-known exhibitors from over 20 countries. Ilmac this year presented new formats for start-ups and a new digital offering in addition to the Forum with its numerous lectures. In addition to the exhibition, the core of the event was the transfer of know-how at the Ilmac Conference and sustainability and digitalisation in the laboratory of the future. The Pharma Logistics Days also took place during Ilmac, focussing on efficient transport solutions for the pharmaceutical industry.

The festival atmosphere and the numerous novelties delighted the public and were also very well received by the exhibitors. Over 90 exhibitors and 2,300 wines from 20 countries were on offer to around 12,000 visitors. In addition to the exhibition, a new wine bar, “Les Rarités”, was set up where visitors could savour precious wines such as Château Mouton Rothschild and Tignanello. In addition, the new bar offered 211 cocktails and put visitors in a dancing and party mood.

Over the course of five days, the 18th Zurich Careers Fair welcomed more than 54,000 visitors from 9 cantons, demonstrating once again the great need for a comprehensive career choice platform. The Zurich Careers Fair is organised by the SME and Chamber of Commerce of the Canton of Zurich and Messe Zürich and offers a unique cross-section of the Swiss education landscape. On site, 500 apprenticeships, vocational and further training programmes were presented. In the application campus, young people were able to have their own application documents checked, a professional photo taken, or to practise a job interview with experts.

The Lausanne edition, the Salon des Métiers et de la Formation, took place from 15 to 20 November and set a new record with almost 49,000 visitors. The figures clearly show how important careers fairs are for the career planning of young people in Switzerland.

After a four-year Covid-related break, Igeho, Switzerland's leading trade fair for the catering and hotel industry, took place in Basel again in 2023. Over 400 exhibitors from 12 countries presented their new products and services to an interested audience. Over 48,500 industry professionals visited the trade fair on its 58th anniversary. The exhibition was complemented by an extensive supporting programme on various stages (masterclasses, fireplace chats, panel discussions, and start-up pitches). In addition, renowned chefs cooked in the cookery arena, and the Igeho Rising Star was awarded to promising start-ups.