Sixty years ago, on December 18, 1964, in Bern, Switzerland, the world’s first national convention
bureau was created as the “Interest Group of Swiss Congress Cities.” Today, the organization
known as the Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau (SCIB) is active in 13 countries.
This pioneering organization, which continues to play a vital role in ensuring Switzerland’s success
as a top destination for business meetings and events, celebrated its 60th anniversary at IBTM
Barcelona yesterday.
60 years ago, several renowned Swiss meeting destinations (Berne, Engelberg, Interlaken,
Lausanne, Montreux, St. Moritz and Zürich) united to establish the world’s first national
convention bureau, the “Interest Group of Swiss Congress Cities,” which later became the
SCIB is a division of the national marketing organization Switzerland Tourism.
Six decades of achievement were celebrated during IBTM in Barcelona, where the SCIB booth
was invited to get a glimpse of new offerings Switzerland has in store for the future in
meetings and events. “On this occasion, I would like to thank our Swiss and international
partners, our dedicated staff, who, every day, contribute to the international success of
Switzerland as a meetings and incentive destination,” said Barbra Albrecht, director of
SCIB and member of the board of Switzerland Tourism. “I am confident that SCIB will
continue to inspire organizers, companies, and participants alike to come to Switzerland
for many more decades,” she added.
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Switzerland Tourism (ST)
ST is a federal corporation under public law tasked with promoting domestic and international
demand for Switzerland as a holiday, travel, and congress destination. Developing and
implementing marketing programs to generate demand and profile Switzerland’s strong,
classic-modern tourism brand, nationally and internationally, comprise its core activities. ST
collaborates closely with the Swiss tourism industry, contributing about half of its budget.
The other half comes from federal funds. The organization works in a customer- and
market-oriented manner and is managed according to business management criteria. Worldwide,
ST is present in 22 markets with around 280 employees (255 FTEs) spread over 36 offices.
