Sitting with an Alumnus

Interview with Oliver Weibel

Tell us a little bit about yourself

OW: I'm originally from St Gallen, Switzerland Before my studies, I have worked in St. Moritz and Lake of Constance in different properties. During EHL I went to star properties in Cape Town and Bangkok. After that worked in St Moritz at the Lake Konstanz

My last position was that of Director of Sales Marketing for the Einstein Hotel in St. Gallen. This was my first real job upon graduation That’s when I joined the Stamm for the eastern part of Switzerland

Over five years later, and after developing two Michelin Star restaurants, I joined Switzerland Tourism within the ‘Accommodation & Gastronomie’ marketing

Oliver Weibel On Linkedin

I especially focused on increasing the visibility within the hotel industry and making use of the strong network we have

This allowed me to gain further insight into gastronomy, while bringing my hotel expertise to Switzerland Tourism (in terms of distribution, revenue management, and consulting).

For the last few years, we’ve been doing major projects within Switzerland, especially when it comes to combining the hotel and gastronomic side Now, after almost 5 years, I’ll be leaving Zurich (our headquarters). But don’t feel bad for me. I’ll be taking over as a Director of Canada, and that’s going to be a whole new chapter of my life, with its challenges and rewards.

Tell us: what made you join the (Zurich) Stamm?

OW: For me, it’s always been important to fill the gaps between those recent graduates and the more experienced alumni This allows for a common point of access within our network

In the end, it’s our network that counts.

I noticed that there was an active Stamm in Zurich, but nothing happening in eastern Switzerland. Realizing this missed opportunity, I asked to be part of the Stamm, with the hope of giving them a

‘’younger perspective ’’ (at that time , I had just graduated and I thought that some ‘’new blood ’’ would do good for the Stamm * laughs*).

We also noticed that not as many people were participating , and we were trying to fill this gap For me , this meant I could give something back to the network It ’s wonderful to have this interaction with students , and as well the rest of the community.

Congrats on being among the top 5 most active Stamms What ’s been the biggest transformation you ’ ve achieved ?

OW: It was listening to what the active members were happy or unhappy with . Also asking those who didn ’ t participate what they wanted . We also have over 1'400 people on our newsletter, 760 active Facebook members , and a WhatsApp group forZurich

We also did high - end gatherings , sport events , network gatherings , etc Overall , we added a bigger variety of events in order to cater more the individual needs of our Alumnis from 18 up 92 years old

We send out surveys asking when participants want to meet, what their purpose and expectations are .

Tell us a little bit more about the change and transformation you ’ ll be going through with your new opportunity and move to Canada

OW: It ’s definitely a great opportunity. This is one of the advantages of working for Switzerland Tourism as it allows transfers to different countries , while still working for Switzerland Tourism to promote the country I can ’ t say I was afraid ; I decided to move there after all , but I saw this as a big opportunity Of course , there will be changes in my personal life , but I see this change in a positive way

A big focus for me will be to work together with our North American partners to create opportunities for Canadians to see Switzerland as a travel destination . Switzerland Tourism remains a non - profit, so we do not focus on sales but rather on promoting awareness of making Switzerland seen as a country for Canadians to spend more time and to travel to more often

This is an exciting new challenge for me . I am used to working on the hospitality side of things but here the focus is on Switzerland as a whole , and getting Canadians culturally involved with Switzerland , showing them what the Swiss culinary, culture and scenery is like .

By now I know about 50 - 60% on what to expect, the rest will be a reality check .

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