“The city of Winterthur is often underestimated”
In an interview with Immo!nvest, the director of the House of Winterthur, Samuel Roth, and his colleague Antonietta Lomoro, project manager for business development at the House of Winterthur, outline how Winterthur is likely to develop over the next ten years, the city's appeal to start-ups and the state of regional tourism.
Mr Roth, you are qualified to practise law, were head of department at the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Principality of Liechtenstein in Vaduz and managed the Musikkollegium Winterthur. What prompted you to accept the position of Director of the House of Winterthur in 2020?
Samuel Roth: I found it very exciting to be working at the interface between business, education, tourism and culture and to be so committed to the Winterthur region.
What have you been able to achieve in the almost three years since you took office?
Roth: It was important to me to focus our activities on our core competences of communication and networking. This enables us to raise the region’s profile as a technology location, education centre and cultural city. To this end, we have put together an attractive programme of around 40 events per year. The “Tech Lunches” are particularly popular: our guests can visit production companies or attend the events on the topic of “House Culture”, where we visit the Winterthur Music Festival with our members, for example.
Ms Lomoro, House of Winterthur was created in 2017 from the two associations Winterthur Tourismus and Standortförderung Region Winterthur. The city is thus operating a special model: topics such as business, tourism, education and culture are united under one roof. What are the advantages?
Antonietta Lomoro: The various stakeholders now only have one point of contact for location promotion issues instead of two, as was previously the case. Marketing for the region now comes from a single source. We also promote mutual networking between the various stakeholder groups.
What synergies have been achieved through the joint presence?
Lomoro: Today’s workforce attaches more importance to a good work-life balance. They appreciate the great leisure and cultural activities on offer in the Winterthur region. Employers make sure that their employees can work in an attractive location where the quality of life is right as well as the economic conditions. It therefore makes sense to promote these locational advantages from a single source.
How many people does House of Winterthur employ? What is the budget?
Lomoro: House of Winterthur currently employs 20 people in full-time equivalents. The budget is CHF 3.5 million.
Winterthur has a diverse economy, a lively old town, a high-calibre cultural offering and a prestigious university of applied sciences. Why is it necessary to market a city that has so much to offer?
Roth: Winterthur may be the sixth largest city in Switzerland, but it is often underestimated. It is therefore important that House of Winterthur showcases the region’s qualities as an outstanding technology location, practice-oriented education centre and great cultural city.
How is House of Winterthur being received by the population and companies?
Lomoro: The population of Winterthur approved the establishment of House of Winterthur by a clear majority in 2017. After the original subsidy agreement with the city expired, the city parliament extended the agreement for a further five years without a dissenting vote. The activities of House of Winterthur have met with a positive response from companies, as evidenced by the lively participation in our events.
How have House of Winterthur’s membership figures developed over the last three years?
Lomoro: Since the beginning of 2020, the number of members has risen by 20 per cent to a total of 420.
“Tourism has recovered almost completely since corona
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How attractive is Winterthur as a business location?
Roth: Every year, we conduct a business survey in which over 300 companies take part. The last survey showed that almost 87 per cent of companies are fairly or very satisfied with the general conditions in Winterthur. This is due to the proximity to universities and the good availability of skilled labour. the city is also attractive for start-ups. For example, the “Start-up Nights”, Switzerland’s largest start-up event, takes place in Winterthur every year.
What measures are you taking to further increase its attractiveness?
Lomoro: With “Winterthur 2040”, the city council has defined how it wants to make Winterthur fit for the future. Our task is to emphasise the advantages and opportunities of the entire region.
Which sites, properties and locations are currently most sought after by companies?
Lomoro: We have received many enquiries – namely for the Sulzer site in the city centre and The Valley in Kemptthal. We are currently seeing a strong increase in interest in space in Neuhegi and in the centre of Effretikon.
Which regulations are in urgent need of adjustment?
Roth: For the economy, any regulation is one too many. Sometimes, however, regulations are needed to promote the interaction between living and working, to enable short distances and to revitalise public spaces and achieve a high level of diversity of use.
How do you expect Winterthur as a business location to develop over the next 10 years?
Roth: The number of jobs has developed in proportion to the population growth of around one per cent per year in recent years. We therefore assume that not only construction activity will contribute to further economic growth, but also that new technology companies will settle in Winterthur. In addition, our company survey has shown that almost half of the companies surveyed are planning to invest in the coming years. The Winterthur region can therefore look forward to rosy times.
How is the city positioned in terms of tourism and where is it today?
Lomoro: Tourism has almost completely recovered since coronavirus and – measured by the number of overnight stays – is only 15 per cent below the record year of 2019. The most important tourist attractions in the region include the Rhine Falls and Technorama, followed surprisingly by the Skills Park in third place. FC Winterthur and Pfadi Winterthur are also crowd-pullers. The city of culture scores with the international appeal of its museums, the wide variety of festivals and the International Short Film Festival, as well as the Casino Theatre and the Musikkollegium Winterthur.
Last year, House of Winterthur reduced the number of board members. What were the reasons for this?
Roth: With the previous 15 to 16 board members, the board was too large. This meant that the individual Board members were not able to contribute enough. According to the Articles of Association, the Board may now only have a maximum of 9 members, which greatly increases the efficiency of the Board’s activities.
Are further internal changes planned in the coming years?
Roth: House of Winterthur is basically on track. The Annual General Meeting will elect a new Board of Directors on 25 May. It will review the strategy and make any necessary adjustments.