Press release digitalswitzerland Digitalday 2018
Second Swiss Digital Day: making digitalisation accessible
Following last year’s successful première, the second Swiss Digital Day will take place on 25 October 2018 under the leadership of digitalswitzerland. This nationwide day of action is intended to make digitalisation tangible for the Swiss population in their local area, inspire people to engage more deeply with the topic, and illustrate the opportunities and challenges that digitalisation brings. The Digital Day has grown significantly since last year: thanks to around 70 partners, its activities will reach people in more than 12 cities under the motto ‘experiencing digital together’. The presence and patronage of Alain Berset, President of the Confederation, together with Federal Councillor Johann Schneider-Ammann and the support of Ignazio Cassis all emphasise the importance and the pioneering role of the Digital Day within Europe.
Zurich, 22 August 2018 – People are at the heart of digitalisation. That’s why establishing a dialogue with the Swiss population is so important, which is precisely what the Digital Day seeks to achieve. During the nationwide day of action, experts will personally guide people through the digital world, answer questions and make the many facets of digitalisation tangible. Marc Walder, founder of digitalswitzerland, aims to show the positive side of digitalisation: ‘The Digital Day demonstrates the opportunities offered by digitalisation. Of course, we don’t want to deny that there are also challenges. That’s why a dialogue with the population is so important. Switzerland needs an open, mature culture of digitalisation that creates a positive environment. And that’s what the Digital Day aims to contribute to.’
The Digital Day has grown significantly since its first edition last year. Around 70 companies and institutions have already joined as partners alongside the key partners Google, Ringier, SBB, SRG and Swisscom – an increase of 60% compared to last year. The Digital Day can offer activities in over 12 cities – more than double the geographic coverage of last year. The day of action, which is unique within Europe, is therefore able to address the population even more directly than before. This is also a concern of Andreas Meyer, CEO of SBB, one of the five main partners. For him, the focus is on the population and therefore on people: ‘This year's SBB appearance is clearly aimed at people, because in addition to digital, it will always need people personally. Digital solutions can even help us to make interactions more personal.’
Birgit Pestalozzi, Digital Day Head Project Manager, is delighted by the momentum: ‘New companies and organisations are constantly joining us as partners, and more and more cities and regions are expressing their interest in participating. The Digital Day is clearly in tune with the times – digitalisation is a topic that captures people’s attention. This only makes us more committed to the Digital Day motto, “experiencing digital together”. The Digital Day aims to be a day of action for the Swiss population, bringing digitalisation out of the online world and into reality.’
Throughout the whole day, Zurich main station will feature a curated programme covering seven different topic areas, broadcast live on YouTube. Activities will happen in Zurich, Geneva, Lugano, Basel, Bern, Chur, Fribourg, Lausanne, Lucerne, Yverdon-les-Bains, Sion, St. Gallen and Vaduz. Particularly positive is the strongly expanded presence of Western Switzerland. Sébastien Kulling, Head of digitalswitzerland Suisse romande, is well aware of the reasons: ‘By being so actively involved during the Digital Day, French-speaking Switzerland is showing its ability to seize the huge opportunities offered by digitalization in order to remain a key player in Switzerland and in the world.’
What’s more, Poland will be holding its first Digital Day, inspired by the Swiss original, at the same time.
The Swiss Digital Day programme is being continuously updated. You can find the latest version, along with a list of partners, at the following link: digitaltag.swiss
About digitalswitzerland
digitalswitzerland is a combined initiative by business, public, educational and academic institutions which aims to establish Switzerland as a leading international centre of digital innovation. digitalswitzerland is active in a wide range of fields, including knowledge transfer, education, start-up ecosystems and political frameworks. The association’s members include more than 125 of the most prominent companies, organisations and innovative locations in Switzerland. The initiative was founded in 2015.