Zurich is recognised globally for its commitment to sustainable event planning.
According to a survey by Zürich Tourism in collaboration with C&IT Magazine, 97% of event organisers consider environmental impacts in their planning processes. However, despite their commitment, 35% of these organisers face significant challenges.
Among these challenges is the difficulty of selecting destinations and venues that align with their sustainability goals.
To assist event organisers in overcoming the challenges of planning sustainable events, I share practical and straightforward strategies for sustainable event planning.
My insights are based on firsthand experiences from the ‘Go Sustainable’ study trip, organised by the Zurich Convention Bureau in collaboration with the Lucerne Convention Bureau.
This event showcased sustainability initiatives and demonstrated them through creative and innovative examples of sustainable event planning ideas in Zurich.
These ideas will support your commitment to sustainable event planning, no matter where you are in your journey.
Arrival in Zurich
Zurich has excellent rail accessibility from Germany, Austria, France, and Italy, with regular connections within Switzerland. It also has an international airport. Go Sustainable vent participants came from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Our programme started in Lucerne, and we arrived in Zurich by train using the Swiss Travel Pass.
We reserved a train carriage with our event name, ‘Go Sustainable.’ This is a personal touch to personalise your group travel.
The Swiss Travel Pass is a cost-effective choice for traveling around Switzerland. It offers unlimited public transport for 3, 4, 6, 8, or 15 days, saving you time and money.
Public transport is a quick and easy way to get around Zurich. It’s frequent, reliable, and covers all parts of the city.
If you don’t have a Swiss Travel Pass while staying in Zurich, you can opt for a ZürichCARD. It provides unlimited 2nd class travel on all city public transport for 24 or 72 hours. Additionally, the ZürichCARD offers benefits such as free or discounted entry to museums, and discounts in shops, allowing you to explore the city and enjoy extra perks before or after your event.
If you only need a city travel ticket, event organizers can benefit from special rates offered by the local transport company. For example, we used this option at a previous event, Zurich MICE Days 2023.
Consider this brilliant idea for your next event: integrate the Zurich Transport Network (ZVV) ticket directly into attendees’ name badges.
This brilliant idea serves two purposes:
- It provides easy access to public transportation for all attendees.
- It actively encourages the use of sustainable transport options throughout the event.
Integrating the ticket into attendees’ existing badge it removes barriers like language and unfamiliarity with the travel system. This makes public transport easier to use and encourages sustainable travel choices.
Zurich-West
Our base during the trip was Zurich-West.
Zurich-West, the city’s trendiest neighbourhood, has undergone a big transformation. From having just two hotels in 2011, it now has six international hotel brands, alongside offices of multinational companies, bars and restaurants, shops, and green spaces for recreation.
Once an industrial district, Zurich-West has retained its unique charm. You’ll find a blend of historic architecture and modern developments, giving it a distinctive industrial vibe.
Zurich-West is easily accessible from the main train station. Tram 4 connects Zürich HB (the main train station) to Zurich-West in about 10 minutes, with trams running every 10 minutes. Alternatively, if you take the train from Zürich HB, you can reach Zurich-West even faster, it takes just 2 minutes!
On this trip, we visited two hotels in Zurich-West, Renaissance Zurich Tower Hotel and 25hours Hotel Zürich West. I stayed at the 25hours Hotel Zürich West. Both hotels are located a short walking distance from each other.
Atelier Five at Renaissance Zurich Tower Hotel
Our evening started at the Renaissance Zurich Tower Hotel, where we had our opening dinner at their restaurant, Atelier Five.
Opened at the end of 2023, Atelier Five quickly gained popularity for its fine dining experience featuring vegan and vegetarian options. Our dinner was predominantly vegan. The restaurant opens to the public on Thursdays and Fridays and allows exclusive group bookings on other days.
The restaurant can accommodate around 30 people. Since our group was larger, we had the event as follows: We started with a welcome cocktail at Lucid Bar & Lounge. Then, we moved to Atelier Five for the first course, and we had the main course and dessert at Equinox Restaurant.
Chefs Raphael Kuster, Executive Chef of the Renaissance Zürich Tower, and Mate Schneider, Chef de Cuisine at Atelier Five, prepared the food in front of the audience, ensuring no food waste by making the exact number of dishes needed.
This was my second time there and it was a different season, and I noticed that they used seasonal ingredients for the dishes. I spoke to Raphael Kuster to learn more about their cooking techniques.
Vegan and vegetarian fine dining at Atelier Five
They use innovative culinary techniques, such as making spices from coffee grounds and creating umami flavours through fermentation. Additionally, they apply a zero-waste approach by utilising every part of the vegetable to minimise waste.
Highlights included celery prepared to look like fish, and pompom mushrooms with a texture and taste similar to meat. Seasonal dishes like asparagus and wild garlic also stood out, along with the blossom pollen panna cotta dessert. Apples, often underestimated in fine dining, were given a sophisticated twist.
This experience showcased the creativity you can bring to vegan and vegetarian cuisine. It will make these dishes something your attendees will prioritise over meat options. Not only will it taste delicious, but it will also spark conversations about sustainability. Additionally, it will highlight innovative cooking techniques and the possibilities of plant-based fine dining.
Renaissance Zurich Tower Hotel
The Renaissance Zurich Tower Hotel is a premier venue for business events, with 300 rooms. Its largest event space can accommodate up to 350 guests.
A key advantage of this hotel is its meeting facilities’ layout. The design places all meeting rooms on one floor, where floor-to-ceiling windows flood the spaces with natural light. Some rooms even offer direct access to a small terrace. Similarly, the guest rooms also offer large windows, providing spectacular views of the city. They also have the Club Lounge on the top floor.
Exploring Zurich West
The second day started with a walking tour of Zurich West. Our guides were Sara Gomez Ferrer, Cluster Director of Sales at Renaissance Zurich Tower Hotel & Courtyard by Marriott Zurich North, and Michael Baur, Cluster Sales Manager at 25hours Hotels. As locals, they showed us the neighbourhood around the hotels and pointed out other event locations in Zurich West and their personal restaurant recommendations for after work.
The tour concluded at a local bakery called St. Jakob. A social enterprise runs the bakery, focusing on integrating people with disabilities into the workforce.
If you want a local souvenir from Zurich, you can get the Zuri Tirggel pastry from the bakery. The key ingredients are honey, ginger, aniseed, coriander, rosewater, and flour and it has local motifs on it. It has a rich tradition and history that dates back to the 15th century and it’s made according to a secret recipe.
25hours Hotels Zürich
There are two 25hours Hotels in Zürich, each with its unique charm: 25hours Hotel Zürich West and 25hours Hotel Zürich Langstrasse. Both properties have special characteristics that make them stand out.
25hours Hotel Zürich West
Located close to the business locations Prime Tower, Technopark, and other trendy bars and restaurants, 25hours Hotel Zürich West appeals to business travellers. Its contemporary design has colourful and playful elements reflecting the district’s artistic and industrial vibe.
25hours Hotel Zürich Langstrasse
Situated near Zürich’s main train station (Zürich Hauptbahnhof), 25hours Hotel Zürich Langstrasse is set in an area known for its nightlife and vibrant city life. The hotel’s design has more quirky and artistic decor with elements inspired by local street culture, creating an eclectic and urban aesthetic.
Staying at 25hours Hotel Zürich West
I stayed at 25hours Hotel Zürich West for two nights during the Go Sustainable trip.
The hotel offers unique features that align with the 25hours Hotel brand, but with local flair. Located in a business district, the hotel has a casual atmosphere that gives you a homey feeling. Each room has a complimentary minibar, and the breakfast area has a juice maker machine that adds to the homey ambiance.
The hotel values local partnerships, including one with FREITAG bags. This Swiss brand is sustainable, making its bags from upcycled truck tarps, seat belts, and bicycle inner tubes. Guests can borrow a FREITAG bag in each room when exploring the city.
For meeting spaces, 25hours Hotel Zürich West offers larger options than 25hours Hotel Zürich Langstrasse. The hotel’s meeting rooms can accommodate events from 20 to 100 people. Its Atrium, at 197 sqm with a separate entrance, is ideal for product launches and special events, like food festivals, with the added benefit of natural daylight.
Taste the Waste Workshop
In the afternoon, we participated in a cooking workshop called ‘Taste the Waste‘ by Kitchen Rebels. This workshop focused on using vegetables and fruits that supermarkets consider unsellable due to their appearance. Kitchen Rebels, the company organising the workshop, repurposes these items for corporate cooking events instead of discarding them.
The experience was eye-opening; we created delicious, colourful, and nutritious meals using all the provided ingredients.
We held the workshop in the kitchen of the 25hours Hotel Zurich West, which you can also book exclusively for similar culinary events.
Due to the large size of our group, we were divided into three teams. Each team was tasked with preparing a different course: an appetiser, a main course, and a dessert. While one group cooked, the others participated in a sustainability workshop and toured the hotel.
The Taste the Waste workshop was impactful, resonating with participants on a personal level. The workshop raised awareness about the extensive food waste happening at home and during events and helped us understand how to reduce food waste. Thomas Andermatt, founder of Kitchen Rebels, emphasised the importance of ‘doing simple things well’ (e.g., making tomato sauce). He pointed out that food waste often happens because people either don’t know how to cook or are badly organised with their food. Addressing these issues can immensely reduce food waste!
And impressively, there was no food waste at this event; all remaining food was packed in boxes for local people to take home or to their offices. Here’s one more idea for you to apply to your events to reduce food waste: give your attendees boxes to take home leftover food.
Sustainability workshop
The sustainability workshop was led by Vanessa Reis, Head of the Zurich Convention Bureau, and Barbara Walther, Manager of Sustainability and Quality at Zurich Tourism. We learned about the circular economy in events, highlighted by the ‘5 R model’: reuse, repair, refuse, reduce, and recycle. The Zurich Convention Bureau can support you with sustainable event planning concepts and ideas in Zurich.
Exploring Zurich Sustainably
What could be better than using public transport in Zurich? How about booking a train EXCLUSIVELY for your group!
With VBZ Extrafahrten, you can reserve a tram that picks up your group at the nearest station and transports you to your event location in style. You can have drinks and refreshments on board while relaxing on a scenic ride through the city. For an extra personal touch, you can customise the tram by displaying your event’s name where the route number usually appears.
Haus zum Rüden
Our tram brought us to our evening destination, Haus zum Rüden. This restaurant, the oldest and longest-running in Zurich, is situated in a prime central location near the historic old town and alongside the Limmat River.
The history of Haus zum Rüden dates back to 1348. Originally, it served as a meeting point for guilds.
While rooted in history and tradition, the restaurant strives to remain relevant and match the cosmopolitan vibe of today’s international Zurich.
Haus zum Rüden is famous for its authentic Zurich cuisine and other traditional Swiss dishes. What’s unique about it is that these traditional dishes are given a modern twist. On our menu was the Zürich Geschnetzeltes, which was entirely plant based with seasonal ingredients for starters and dessert.
This is the perfect place to experience a central, historic location and local cuisine in Zurich.
Mandarin Oriental Savoy, Zurich
On our last day in the city, we visited the latest hotel opening in Zurich, the Mandarin Oriental Savoy.
This luxurious hotel, which opened in December 2023, is ideally situated on Paradeplatz, close to the train station, Old Town, shopping areas, and the lake.
The building dates back to 1838 and originally served as Zurich’s oldest grand hotel. After an extensive renovation, it has been transformed into the Mandarin Oriental Savoy, featuring 80 guest rooms, two restaurants, a bar and lounge, and event space for up to 180 people, including 10 meeting rooms.
Mandarin Oriental Savoy has one of Zurich’s most spectacular rooftop bars, called 1838. Open from April to September, it offers a prime Paradeplatz panoramic view of the city and mountains and creating a true vacation feeling right in the heart of urban Zurich.
Our event took place in the Salon 3 & 4 rooms, where we had prime views of the Zurich Marathon that took place over the weekend.
To give this international brand a local flair, one of its meeting rooms is the guild room (Zunftzimmers), an authentic Swiss setting reminding of a protected Guild Hall. The guild room at the Mandarin Oriental Savoy is beautifully designed with mahogany wood, offering a unique and historical atmosphere.
Historically, guilds were associations of artisans or merchants who controlled the practice of their craft or trade in a particular town and guild meetings were typically held in guild halls or guild rooms (Zunftzimmers)
While the concept of guilds has evolved, their legacy lives on in modern professional associations and trade unions. Many of these organisations continue to protect their members’ interests and maintain high professional standards, much like their guild predecessors.
Incorporate storytelling
During this trip, I had the opportunity to visit two preserved guild rooms that provide a special backdrop for storytelling and discussions. If you’re hosting an event for a professional association or trade group, these guild rooms can add a storytelling element to your programme.
You can draw parallels between the historical role of guilds and the function of modern associations. This can spark engaging discussions about the evolution of professional organisations over time and their professional standards and how your association contributes to its specific industry today.
The elegant decor, combined with modern amenities and attentive service, provided a perfect setting to conclude this highly educational trip.
Top Sustainable Event Planning Tips and Ideas for Zurich
- Get attendees Zurich Transport Network (ZVV) ticket and print it on their badge
- Utilise public transportation creatively and make it an experience, like booking a private tram with VBZ Extrafahrten
- Select hotels with sustainability initiatives, like 25hours Hotel’s FREITAG bag borrowing initiative
- Integrate social programme with focus on sustainability such as Taste the Waste Workshop
- Choose plant-based catering options, such as at Atelier Five or Haus zum Rüden
- Incorporate seasonal and local ingredients in event menus
- Consider unique venues that showcase Zurich’s history, like guild rooms
- Integrate a social programme such as visiting St. Jakob bakery
- Implement food waste reduction initiatives, such as packing leftovers for attendees or local to take home
- Take advantage of Zurich Convention Bureau’s resources for sustainable event planning
Additional Resources for Sustainable Event Planning and Ideas in Zurich
- Zurich Convention Bureau services: Support in planning sustainable events in Zurich
- Where to meet Zurich Convention Bureau: In-person events where you can connect with local representatives from the Zurich Convention Bureau.
- Sustainable Events in Zurich: Comprehensive guide to sustainable event options in the city
- Case study: Fam Trip on the Theme of Sustainability: Another example of a sustainable event in Zurich
Conclusions
For someone like me who’s been to Zurich countless times, this trip introduced me to a new side of Zurich I haven’t experienced before. This was specifically:
- Zurich West
- Historic venues
- New locations
In Zurich, the city’s infrastructure and the work of the Convention Bureau are increasingly supportive of green initiatives, making sustainable event planning easier and providing you with innovative ideas.
What also stood out is how easy it is to incorporate sustainable practices in Zurich as all partners are on board and venues have everything in place to help you execute the sustainable event.
I highly value that you can take public transport in Zurich and oftentimes you can also walk between the venues.
Sustainable event planning in Zurich starts at the very beginning of the planning and not as an afterthought.
You can do this by:
- Doing your research on Zurich Convention Bureau website, where you have a big selection of sustainable group activities and venues that you can incorporate into your event
- Contacting the Zurich Convention Bureau
Key trends that stood out for me on this trip include: sustainable catering with a focus on vegan food including fine dining, locally sourced and seasonal ingredients and reducing food waste.
Transport with focus on using public transport and making it an experience. In Switzerland, where public transport is efficient and reliable, you can transport a big group by public transport. I know that sounds doubtful but it is possible with ease.
Social sustainability with focus on local businesses and how to involve local businesses in your event and give back to support them. There are many opportunities to work with local businesses and either invite them to speak at your event, book their services for your event or buy local gifts for your attendees. These are easy to implement sustainable event planning ideas in Zurich.
There’s only so much you can do in two days in Zurich, and there’s much more to see and learn about what the Zurich Convention Bureau does to support event planners with sustainable events.
This blog post gives you a starting point for exploring sustainable event planning ideas in Zurich.
Header photo: Photographer Gaetan Bally, copyright: Zürich Tourismus
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