The “Best of Switzerland Tour” stops at swissnex Boston
The “Best of Switzerland Tour” stops at swissnex Boston
As my feet in shiny polished shoes touched Boston ground for the first time one year ago, I tried to recall what little I knew about this place. It was the city that brought forth five good-looking young men who would change the world of pop music under the name “New Kids on the Blok“.
Now, one year later, I am back and I; myself am still a new kid in this town. A kid with a mission to bring a little bit of my lovely home county Switzerland into the hearts of this city’s top writing talents.
The “Best of Switzerland Tour” 2011 that we from Switzerland Tourism were going to present to our writers from Boston is the backbone of our media plan. We love to get in touch with local journalists and travel writers who we feel are our strong partner and allies in spreading the good word about Switzerland.
After a very warm welcome from our colleagues at swissnex in Boston, who graciously had agreed to host our event, we flew straight into action. Poster had to be hung up, tables had to be moved around, socks had to be pulled up and ties had to be straightened.
Our guest, it seemed, were true fans of Switzerland because they arrived on time like Swiss clockwork. Introductions were exchanged and with our little card game “Quartet” (a Swiss version of “Go Fish”) whose cards bore the latest tidbits from Switzerland we quickly broke the ice. Our partners from the Swiss regions Interlaken/Jungfrau, Lucerne, St. Moritz/Engadin and Zurich did an excellent job in presenting the latest news and fun things to do in Switzerland. Big cheers and laughter after presenting our new Switzerland Tourism TV Spot (link to youtube) are always a good way to end a presentation but my personal highlight is when someone from the audience calls out with sparkling eyes: “Why, I didn’t know THAT about Switzerland!”
Courtesy of Swiss Bakers we were able to not only talk about Switzerland but to have a fine taste of it as well. Our Swiss partners joined our writers for a hearty Swiss Lunch and soon you could hear lively discussion about all things Swiss in every corner. All too soon, time was up and we had to part ways with our guests. We also had to say goodbye to our friends at swissnex who not only have helped us greatly in our efforts but with whom we had shared many laughter during this joyous and successful event.
As I got onto the train again, I looked down at my feet in shiny polished shoes that had almost two decades ago tried to imitate the dancing steps of those five great sons of Boston. I wasn’t the new kid anymore and I felt joy at the thought of returning to Boston again very soon.
Carlos Corti
Media Coordinator
Switzerland Tourism
