In Zurich, Innovation World's What's Next Forum invites you to discuss the "Intelligence Shift". The event at Kuble - House of Intelligence will highlight how technology and people are shaping change together. Experts from industry, research and education will present best practices from everyday life, practical insights and strategic perspectives for decision-makers and visionaries. The focus is on how the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and mixed reality (XR) is influencing not only processes, but also corporate culture, collaboration and leadership concepts.

Ewa Ming, initiator and organizer, emphasizes: "Intelligence Shift means using technology in a meaningful and responsible way for the benefit of people." The program includes contributions from industry giants such as François Rüf (Geberit), panels with key speakers from various companies and live demonstrations where participants can actively experience XR and AI solutions. The transformation of working environments and leadership will also be highlighted - with discussions on how technological complexity can be mastered and transformation implemented step by step.

The target group includes managers, HR managers, innovation managers and education stakeholders who are looking for impetus for their own role in change. The forum sees itself as a platform for inspiration, exchange and concrete implementation. Tickets are available for 195 francs, all further information can be found online at whatsnext-connect.ch.

Responsible at Innovation World Switzerland: Ewa Ming (initiator, management), ming agentur ag. Responsible at Kuble - House of Intelligence: Gustavo Salami (CEO, Transformation Lead), Roger Oberholzer (Partner, Academy Lead), Team Kuble AG.

The Holzbau Plus quality label focuses on people. The label certifies companies that actively cultivate an employee-oriented corporate culture that goes beyond the basic provisions of the Collective Labor Agreement for Timber Construction. The label promotes the sustainable development of companies and makes a significant contribution to competitiveness and job security. Certified companies can be recertified after three years. 

60 timber construction companies carry the Holzbau Plus label 

In 2025, four new companies were awarded the quality label. These include Jampen Holzbau AG from Hittnau (ZH), rebreg AG from Oey, Allenbach Holzbau und Solartechnik AG from Frutigen (both BE) and Holzbau Jäggi Dulliken AG from Dulliken (SO), see below.

16 companies that already carry the label underwent successful recertification and secured the label for a further three years. With the new additions, a total of 60 Swiss timber construction companies are now holders of the Holzbau Plus label.

"We are proud to recognize new companies with our award every year. Each individual certification is a significant success - both for the companies and for their customers as well as the entire timber construction industry," says Stefan Strausak, Managing Director of the Swiss Joint Professional Committee for Timber Construction (SPBH), which is responsible for awarding the label.

The four newly certified companies in 2025 

• Jampen Holzbau AG, Hittnau (ZH), jampen-holzbau.ch
• rebreg AG, Oey (BE), rebreg.ch
• Allenbach Holzbau und Solartechnik AG, Frutigen (BE), solarholzbauer.ch
• Holzbau Jäggi Dulliken AG, Dulliken (SO), holzbaujaeggi.ch

Source: www.holzbau-plus.ch

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/vier-betriebe-neu-mit-qualitaetslabel-holzbau-plus-zertifiziert/

The atmosphere was characterized by amazing speeches, inspiring stories and lively exchanges.

The Genderbox association won the LGBTQIA+ Inclusion category with its "Pride Tour Basel". A queer city tour, which was created in cooperation with students from the University of Basel, leads through the city, supported by foundations such as the Swisslos Fund. In the Gender Equality category, Claire Garwacki Froget won the prize with "In Her Chair" - a humorous film about unconscious prejudices in management.

In the Age Diversity category, the UZH Healthy Longevity Center scored points with "Every age counts", a digital platform against age discrimination. The Neurodiversity Support Network Switzerland (NSNS) was recognized for its commitment in the field of disability. Grace Lokako received the award in the Education & Social Background category on behalf of the global Women Who Master movement, which encourages more girls to enter STEM professions.

With About Us!, the jury awarded the prize to a project that actively involves people from a wide range of backgrounds. Offene Kirche Elisabethen received the prize in the Religion & Spirituality category for its decades of inclusive work, particularly for the LGBTQIA+ community. The Swisscom Entrepreneurship Award went to Autism Switzerland, the largest non-profit organization in the field of autism.

An emotional highlight was the awarding of the Allianz Lifetime Award to Aids-Hilfe Schweiz for four decades of commitment to education, care and equal health opportunities.

The Swiss Diversity Awards 2025 once again demonstrated how diversity in practice builds bridges and has a lasting impact on Switzerland.

In 2013, the software manufacturer Opacc, based in Rothenburg LU, was the first IT company in Switzerland to be awarded the "Friendly Workspace" quality label. The renewed award this year confirms the company's consistent commitment to systematic and practiced occupational health management. The current recertification focused on the framework conditions, continuity and strategic anchoring within the company.

Opacc once again received top marks in this year's recertification. The assessors from Health Promotion Switzerland, which awards the label, particularly emphasized the clear anchoring of BGM in the course of the year and in everyday working life. The active further development by the internal "Friendly Work Space" working group, the transparent internal communication, the large number of benefits and the targeted management training were also praised. 

Sabrina Cabiddu, responsible for OHM at Opacc, emphasizes: "If our employees are motivated and healthy, not only they benefit, but also our customers and our company". Cris Wouters, Managing Partner at Opacc, emphasizes the strategic benefits of the label: "We make targeted investments in a working environment that is not only efficient, but also sustainably healthy - for our employees, our corporate culture and our joint success."

Source: Opacc

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/friendly-workspace-2025-erneut-bestnoten-fuer-softwarehersteller-opacc/

Holistic communication solutions that combine voice, email, chat, video and collaboration are seen as the model of the future in strategy and marketing. In reality, however, most companies work with separate systems. IP telephony, whether in the cloud or locally, usually runs separately from email and collaboration tools, while chat platforms are rarely integrated. For many companies, the aspiration of a standardized platform remains a goal, not a reality.

Market analyses show a high level of interest: The European market for Unified Communication & Collaboration (UCC) is estimated at 49 billion US dollars, with 18% annual growth until 2030. Over 65% of companies in Western Europe use cloud-based tools to some extent, but only just under half are pursuing a mobile-first strategy. In the majority of cases, systems that can only be used on mobile devices remain in place - without any real integration of voice, video, chat and email.

Underestimated stumbling blocks

One reason is the high complexity of implementation. A central platform requires far-reaching interventions in existing structures, consolidation of systems, training, process adjustments and clarification of compliance and data protection issues. In Europe in particular, the GDPR makes it difficult to integrate sensitive voice and video data. The effort involved is enormous, and the efficiency gains often only become apparent in the long term.

The costs are also a deterrent. Licenses, ongoing fees, training programs and adjustments to the IT landscape make UC platforms expensive. Many companies therefore prefer to rely on specialized systems. Studies also show that modern IP telephony platforms enable savings of up to 30-40 percent compared to traditional telephone systems. A strong voice solution can therefore be cost-efficient and future-proof without the complexity of complete UCC environments.

In addition, specialized tools such as Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace, Slack, Teams or Zoom have long been established. Switching to a monolithic platform would often create duplicate structures and additional costs without noticeably improving the quality of communication. Especially in the area of voice, companies value the stability and reliability of specialized IP solutions over complex integration attempts.

IP voice solutions for modern communication

Language remains at the heart of business communication anyway. It enables precision, a personal approach and fast responses. Modern IP telephones offer HD audio, integration into existing IT systems, remote support and compatibility with common platforms - in other words, precisely the functions that are crucial for efficient processes. For many companies, a strong IP telephony infrastructure provides more practical benefits than a fully integrated UCC solution. In practice, this is demonstrated by telephones with integrated Wi-Fi or as robust DECT end devices. The German manufacturer Snom refers here to its Snom D865 model, for example. Such devices not only offer reliable telephony, but can also be integrated into systems for alerting, localization or AI transcription. Especially in environments such as production, logistics or healthcare, their stability and high voice quality ensure clear communication - even for AI-supported applications.

Although many IT managers see UCC as a long-term vision, they are currently relying on proven modular architectures. The combination of IP telephony, collaboration tools and email systems is the more pragmatic solution for most companies. This means that UCC will remain more of a pipe dream in 2025, while modern IP voice solutions are already making a decisive contribution to clear, reliable and efficient communication today.

Source: Snom Technology GmbH

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/unified-communication-collaboration-bleibt-zukunftsmusik/

The Swiss Out of Home Awards 2025 recognize the most creative Out of Home campaigns in Switzerland. Solidar Suisse with the image campaign "Inequality" (category "Public Service"), Denner with "Save the rest." ("Commercial National" category), Hiltl with the "Mother's Day Campaign" ("Commercial Local & Regional" category) and EWZ with the "Energy Campaign 2025" ("Digital Out of Home" category) won gold, while the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich won both gold in the "Culture" category and the main "Campaign of the Year" prize with "Japanese Graphics Today". The award-winning campaigns show the different areas of application of Out of Home Media: From public service to local and national advertising to digital and cultural implementations.

154 works submitted

On September 4, 2025, a top-class jury of 14 experts from the fields of advertising, culture and design selected the winner of the WOOHW! award night At the StageOne Event & Convention Hall in Zurich, the 15 winning campaigns of the "Swiss Out of Home Award", the largest creative competition for analog, digital and innovative outdoor advertising, were announced and awarded in gold, silver and bronze. A total of 154 entries were submitted in advance, 27 of which were nominated by the jury. The award ceremony took place as part of the industry event WOOHW!, which is organized by the Swiss Outdoor Advertising Association (AWS) and supported by APG|SGA, Goldbach Neo and Horizon. 

Supporting program with keynotes, panel and award party

The industry event WOOHW! was preceded by the conference. The specialist part began in the late afternoon with striking keynotes by Prof. Dr. Errichiello (brand sociologist and consultant) and Regula Bührer Fecker (two-time "Advertiser of the Year" and owner of La Stratégiste). The subsequent panel discussion focused on credibility, attitude, trust and attention in successful brand management. In addition to the two keynote speakers, the panel featured Nathalie Forrer (Head of Marketing at Lidl Switzerland) and Christian-Kumar Meier (Head of Transformation and member of the management team at mediatonic). The lively discussion was moderated by Anna Kohler (Editor-in-Chief and Journalistic Director of m&k Das Magazin für Markt und Kommunikation).

The entire WOOHW! event was hosted by Bigna Silberschmidt (presenter and journalist). Sponsors such as Setaprint AG, Richnerstutz AG, Burri Public Elements AG and Media Focus provided highlights with their presentations. The sound for the dinner and party was provided by "sax o' conga" with singer Tanja Dankner. The more than 300 invited guests partied in high spirits until late into the evening.

The winners

Campaign of the Year & Gold Culture: Museum für Gestaltung

Gold Commercial National: Denner

Gold Local & Regional: Hiltl AG

Gold Public Service: Solidar Suisse

Gold DOOH: EWZ

 

 

The agency from Liestal and Zurich is thus further expanding its position in the energy sector and contributing its own expertise to the Europe-wide network of experts.

The EPN has been an established platform for exchange and networking in the energy sector for over two decades. Monthly conferences with top-class speakers ensure practical knowledge transfer among experts. The focus is increasingly on forward-looking topics such as renewable energies, flexibility management through battery storage and digitalization in the Swiss and European electricity market.

Even after the takeover, Klaus E. Schewe, the founder of EPN, will remain in the network as an advisor. The managing partners of the IEU, Fabian Cortesi and Hans Jörg Luchsinger, will manage the platform and emphasize the importance of joint solutions for the energy sector. "We see it as our role to build bridges between research, business and society," says Cortesi. The IEU sees itself as a service provider in strategic communication management and promotes the personal exchange of important future topics with new formats.

With nine employees, the owner-managed agency specializes in the areas of energy, construction, real estate, sustainability and innovation. The acquisition of the energy platform EPN is intended to drive the agency's growth and provide further impetus for the transformation of the energy industry.

Around 110 representatives from media, marketing and advertising gathered at Arena Cinemas Sihlcity on September 3, 2025 to gain new impetus, exclusive data and exciting perspectives on the topic of attention in moving image communication. Thanks to the support of the Interessengemeinschaft elektronische Medien (IGEM), the event gained additional visibility in the Swiss media community.

Seven Schögel theses

In his keynote speech, Prof. Dr. Marcus Schögel from the Institute for Marketing and Customer Insight at the University of St. Gallen focused on the importance of attention as a scarce commodity. Under the title "Attention between algorithm and distraction - seven theses for effective communication", he showed how brands can free themselves from short-term performance optimization and achieve sustainable impact through the right mix of brand and activation. Using scientific principles, he explained that communication is ineffective without attention. He introduced the "attention economy", in which information overload and distraction dominate, and emphasized that cinema has a unique attention monopoly here: shielded from second screens, highly emotional, socially amplified and with creative freedom for longer formats. His conclusion: Cinema is a premium touchpoint in the customer journey that anchors brand messages for the long term.

LUMEN Attention Study

The second part of the morning was followed by a presentation by Christian Tingler, Director Research Weischer.GeoConsult, together with Frank Senger, Head of Marketing & Communications / Managing Director Weischer.Cinema Germany. They presented the key findings of the new LUMEN Attention study. The study commissioned by Weischer enables an objective performance comparison of all moving image channels - including cinema - for the first time. The results provide groundbreaking insights into the effectiveness of media investments in the context of real attention.

Together with research partner Lumen Research (UK), eye tracking studies were carried out in real movie theaters. 215 test subjects watched 20 advertising motifs over eight screenings - the eye movements were recorded and analyzed using the latest technology. The results:

• Cinema achieves up to 4 x higher attention scores than other moving image channels.
• The attention CPM is up to 3 x lower.
• In combination with TV, Kino increases the number of "Attentive Contacts" by up to 26 % - without any additional budget.

Conclusion of the study

The research thus impressively proves that cinema is the most attention-grabbing and at the same time most efficient medium in the media mix. In an inspiring overview, they also outlined the relevance of attention in the modern media world according to the concept of the attention economy. Their message: Attention is not a buzzword, but the indispensable basis of effective brand communication.

Christof Kaufmann, CEO of Weischer.Cinema Switzerland, emphasized the relevance of the results: "Attention is the new currency in the advertising market. The LUMEN study impressively shows that cinema is the place where brands can have a real impact - far beyond the moment. Cinema is your best seat in media."

Significance for the advertising market

Whether as a stage for strong brand presentations or as an efficiency booster in the moving image mix - cinema remains the medium with the greatest impact. Attention has come to stay. And cinema delivers it in its purest form.

Data volumes in companies are growing, and with them the challenges of data protection. This is because it is no longer primarily stored on well-secured internal servers, but is constantly flowing back and forth between end devices inside and outside the company network, local infrastructures and clouds, as well as new AI tools. Traditional security concepts cannot keep up with this diversity and dynamism - companies need to focus on the data itself and regulate in detail what can and cannot be done with it. Solutions for data loss prevention (DLP) help with this. In the experience of the IT security service provider Forcepoint, the following approach has proven to be successful when introducing them:

• Step 1: Define goals and use cases
  First of all, companies need to clarify what goals they want to achieve with the introduction of a DLP solution: Is it about protecting valuable intellectual property or regulatory requirements, for example in relation to data protection? Should a secure basis for hybrid working models be created or is the focus on the introduction of new cloud services and AI tools that should not lead to data leaks? Based on this, companies can create a risk profile that includes the different types of data to be protected, the channels through which it can flow and the consequences of data outflows.
• Step 2: Set up implementation plan
  Once it has been determined which data and channels are to be protected, a roadmap for the DLP introduction can be defined. To do this, companies need to get all stakeholders on board and clarify responsibilities, such as who will take care of installation and integration into the existing infrastructure, who will optimize policies and who will handle incidents. A timetable can then be worked out together, taking into account the available personnel resources and also allowing time for testing.
• Step 3: Define guidelines and workflows
  Once the project management preparations have been completed, the guidelines that the DLP solution will later enforce can be drawn up. To do this, experts from the specialist departments should be consulted to help assess what impact the loss or theft of data would have. Based on this, actions can be defined for activities such as sending data by email or uploading it to the cloud. For non-critical data, logging is usually sufficient; for other data, a warning, an approval process or blocking of the action is possible, depending on the channel and criticality. Encryption can also be enforced, for example when saving documents on USB sticks. It is important that actions are initiated as automatically as possible in order to reduce the workload of the security team and avoid delays for users. Only events with unknown effects should require manual intervention: The relevant workflows - Who looks at the incident? Who decides on the measures? - are also defined in this project phase.
• Step 4: Introduce DLP and use it for monitoring
  Now comes the actual installation and configuration of the DLP solution. Before it is fully activated and the policies are enforced, it should initially be used largely passively - only for monitoring. This gives companies an insight into all data movements and the potential impact of their policies. If they turn out to be too restrictive, they can still make adjustments. Only policies that concern highly critical activities such as the mass upload of data to suspicious destinations on the Internet should actually be enforced at this stage. Furthermore, it often makes sense not to start the DLP deployment company-wide, but with one channel such as email or cloud, with one department or with one region.
• Step 5: Start enforcing policies
  Once the fine-tuning of the policies has been completed, they can finally be enforced - here too, it is advisable to take a step-by-step approach and start with the most critical data and channels, for example. However, a close look at monitoring is still recommended to ensure that employees are not hindered in legitimate activities and that policies are adjusted quickly if necessary. It is also ideal if the DLP solution does not rely on rigid guidelines, but takes into account the context of activities and changes guidelines according to the risk. After all, it is often only the context that shows whether an action is harmless or security-critical, for example because the user accesses data at unusual times or from unusual locations or suddenly downloads significantly larger amounts of data than in their previous working day.
• Step 6: Make optimizations
  Once the actual DLP implementation has been completed, it is time for analysis and optimization. If, for example, certain risky behavioral patterns emerge in the workforce, companies can provide targeted training. The effectiveness of the guidelines should also be continuously monitored. Ultimately, just like the introduction of DLP, data security is not a one-off action that is completed at some point, but should be continually optimized to take account of new technologies, tools, data types and threats.
• Step 7: Deploy DLP company-wide
  The DLP implementation is completed with the extension of protection to the remaining data types and channels that were not yet considered in steps 4 and 5. If a modern DLP solution is used, the existing policies can easily be applied to other channels, which is why the effort involved is manageable. If necessary, existing policies can also be replicated and adapted if a channel has special requirements. 
• Step 8: Extend DLP to DPSM
  Expanding a DLP solution to a complete Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) can significantly improve the effectiveness of policies. DSPM offers functions for automatic data discovery and data classification so that companies do not overlook any data assets and have less manual effort. DSPM also helps to detect and eliminate excessive permissions for files, thus further reducing the risk of security breaches. This makes it easier to implement least privilege principles. Last but not least, DSPM also identifies data that is redundant, outdated or superfluous and can be deleted to reduce storage costs. 

"A DLP implementation is not a mammoth project, as many companies fear," emphasizes Fabian Glöser, Team Lead Sales Engineering Nordics, Central & Eastern Europe at Forcepoint. "A structured approach ensures that human resources are used optimally and that the project goals are not lost sight of. Modern DLP and DSPM solutions also use AI for data classification and come with a ready-made policy set, which significantly reduces manual effort. In many projects, we have completed data discovery and data classification after just two to four weeks, know what is happening with sensitive data and can enforce the first company-specific guidelines."

Source and further information: Forcepoint

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/wie-sich-datenabfluesse-verhindern-lassen/

A study by Omnicom Media Group Switzerland shows that sponsorship in the Eurowurd environment was well received by fans. Acceptance increased during the tournament - as did the willingness to buy the sponsors' products. Young target groups were particularly enthusiastic: 75% shared content or talked to others about the European Championships.

"Sponsorship is not a sure-fire success," says Michael Selz, Omnicom Media Group. "The effect only really unfolds when accompanying campaigns reinforce the commitment." It is striking that popular sport associations work better than pure performance narratives in certain target groups.

Conclusion according to Omnicom Media Group: Women's Euro 2025 has confirmed sponsorship as a powerful instrument - provided that brands combine reach with clever activation.

SMG Swiss Marketplace Group is preparing its IPO. The so-called "Intention to Float" (ITF) has now been published. TX Group, which holds a 30.7 percent stake in SMG, believes in the Group's sustainable prospects. "There are long-term convictions in terms of both cash flow and value development," the ad hoc announcement states. There is no question of an exit from the shareholder base: TX Group will not sell any shares as part of the planned IPO.

The exact timing of the IPO depends on current market conditions. Further information will follow as soon as there is more clarity.

The TX Group founded the SMG Swiss Marketplace Group in 2021 together with Mobiliar, Ringier and General Atlantic. The platforms Homegate and Ricardo as well as Tutti and car4you were brought into the group at the time. Today, SMG bundles central marketplace offerings. The TX Group sees itself as a long-term anchor shareholder.

The TX Group can look back on a long tradition in the Swiss media landscape. The Group operates a network of platforms and holdings. Its portfolio includes Tamedia newspapers and "20 Minuten" media. With Goldbach, the TX Group is also active in advertising marketing, while investments in companies such as JobCloud, Doodle and Zattoo as well as investments in the fintech sector round off its activities. TX Group itself has been listed on the stock exchange since 2000.

Switzerland is cautious about the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI). According to the latest "AI Monitor" from Ipsos, a small majority of the population is more nervous than enthusiastic about new AI products and services. This puts Switzerland in line with English-speaking countries such as the USA and the UK, while euphoria prevails in Southeast Asia.

Demand for transparency

The issue of trust is particularly sensitive for many. Only 41% of Swiss people believe that companies protect their data effectively when using AI. Half of those surveyed are skeptical. By contrast, trust in government regulation is significantly higher: 55% trust the authorities to handle the technology responsibly.

One point that unites the population is the demand for transparency. A whopping 77 percent expect companies to clearly declare the use of AI. Switzerland is thus joining the global call for openness - from France to Canada, there is a remarkable consensus in this regard.

AI is changing everyday life

The effects of AI are already being felt by many. 43% say that their everyday lives are already being changed by AI, and the trend is rising. In the next three to five years, 61% expect more far-reaching changes - a figure below the global average, but significantly above that of the previous year.

The population also has different views on specific fields of application. While 76% assume that AI will shape online search results in the future, many see advantages in increasing efficiency or in entertainment. However, when it comes to the labor market, concerns prevail: 41% fear negative consequences for jobs in the country, even though a third personally expect better working conditions.

Pragmatism required

"The results reflect Switzerland's pragmatic attitude," says Jean-Pierre Berst, Chief Client Officer at Ipsos. Trust and transparency will be crucial if companies want to successfully introduce AI, continues Berst.

The message is clear: in a country where quality and trust are core values, artificial intelligence is not celebrated as a promise of salvation - but as a challenge that must be met with caution and openness.

Source: Ipsos

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/zwischen-faszination-und-skepsis-wie-die-schweiz-auf-ki-blickt/