House of Switzerland: Quarter of a million people enjoy Switzerland’s “Red Zone” at London 2012 Olympic Games

The House of Switzerland UK 2012 shut its doors after the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games, after welcoming more than quarter of a million people since July 20. 255,000 visitors enjoyed a multi-faceted, creative and entertaining Swiss presence in the three weeks that the House was open, with daily live music, star gastronomy and a welcoming environment for fans and athletes alike.

From 20 July to 12 August the House of Switzerland was the official Swiss hospitality centre of the Olympic Games. Highlights included medal celebrations for successful Swiss athletes. Daily open-air concerts by Swiss groups, special events including the Swiss Creative Day of 23 July, the Swiss National Day on 1 August, the Bernese Games of 4-5 August, and the visits of three Federal Councillors found a big response from both Swiss fans and tourists, Londoners and other visitors from all over the world.

The permanent attractions also stimulated much interest. 3,000 visitors climbed the "Eiger North Face" in the "Qualification Park" organised by Switzerland Tourism with a chance to win a trip to Switzerland. About 15,000 visitors dived into the world of Swiss video game design in the Swiss Game Lounge. Gastronomy was also a key feature of the House, with 35,000 guests enjoying a range of Swiss dishes and drinks created by catering partner Mosimann. Open to the general public, the House of Switzerland also served as a meeting place for Swiss athletes and a networking platform for representatives of various fields from politics to culture, science and skills.

"The House was an extraordinary operation, I believe the Swiss Red Zone will remain in the memory of many. The aim of the official Swiss presence at London 2012 was to offer a home away from home to the athletes but also to show the many faces of Switzerland", said Nicolas Bideau, head of Presence Switzerland, an agency of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. "As far as the objectives for the target audience abroad are concerned, we have managed to entertain hundreds of thousands of British and international visitors and we could communicate lesser known strong points of Switzerland." The House of Switzerland was equally a success in the field of social media, reaching more than 160’000 users on Facebook and Twitter. "For the first time in the history of the Houses we have also been active in the virtual world," says Bideau.

Switzerland will maintain a presence during the Paralympics in London. Just a short distance from the present site of the House of Switzerland, the restaurant La Cave will serve from 30 August to 10 September as a "Swiss Fan Zone", a meeting place for athletes and their fans which will also offer live music from Swiss artists.

Facts & Figures

Operation period: 20 July – 12 August 2012, 24 days
Budget: 4.5 million CHF, thereof 1/3 sponsored by third parties

Number of visitors House of Switzerland: 255,000
Number of visitors Qualification Park: 3,000
Number of visitors Swiss Game Lounge: 15,000

Number of guests at Mosimann’s: 35,500
Number of athletes served at Mosimann’s: 450 (including repeated visits)
Swiss cheese sold at the House: 820 kg
Number of sausages sold at the House: 8000
Rösti sold at the House: 1,200 kg
Swiss beer sold at the House: 12,500 liters
Swiss wine sold at the House: 3,000 bottles

Number of reached social media users: 160,000
Number of Facebook fans: 4,100
Number of Twitter followers: 1,500

High resolution pictures of the House of Switzerland UK 2012 are available on:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/houseofswitzerland/collections/72157626926123951/

House of Switzerland videos are available at:
www.youtube.com/user/houseofswitzerland

Media contact

Marcus SMITH
Weber Shandwick - London
Senior Director and Head of International Affairs
P  +44 (0) 20 7067 0450
M +44 (0) 7770 842 225
msmith(at)webershandwick.com

Angelica SCHEMPP
Presence Switzerland
PR Manager
House of Switzerland UK 2012
angelica.schempp(at)eda.admin.ch

Kieu Duy TRAN
Presence Switzerland
Head of Marketing & Sponsoring
kieuduy.tran(at)eda.admin.ch