Location Promotion Winterthur Region
Im Hauptbahnhof
PostfachCH-8401 Winterthur
Phone +41 52 267 67 97
Fax +41 52 267 67 98
office@who-needs-spam.standort-winterthur.ch

map

Award for creating jobs
The Winterthur region has job creating potential. This is the conviction behind the job creation award launched in 2003 by City Marketing Winterthur in conjunction with the Zurich Cantonal Bank and the local daily paper Der Landbote. The annual award goes to enterprises from the Winterthur region that stand out for their creation of jobs or trainee places. It is also meant to advertise the region as a prospering business location. The award comes in three categories: job creation in absolute figures, in percentage of staff numbers, and creation of trainee/apprenticeship places.
 
Real estate bulletin
Launched by City Marketing Winterthur, the Immobilien-Bulletin (real estate bulletin) is a print product advertising single family homes as well as commercial property and land for development.  The bulletin is published quarterly with a print run of 2,900. It can be obtained free of charge from Location Promotion Winterthur Region.
 
International School Winterthur
City Marketing Winterthur played a key role in the foundation of this private school in 2001. The International School Winterthur (ISW) was set up to offer the best-possible schooling to a growing number of children from international families in the region. The curriculum comprises an early-years program for 3 to 5-year-olds and primary school from kindergarten up to grade 5. The middle years’ program begins with grade 6. Classes are taught in English. The ISW currently counts over 60 pupils from 20 nations.
www.iswinterthur.ch

Technopark Winterthur
The creation of Technopark Winterthur in 2001 on the Sulzerareal, a former industrial site, represented a milestone in the linking up of business and academia. The premises offer startup companies favorable rents, an international network, and a direct link to the Zurich University of Applied Sciences Winterthur (ZHAW) – in brief, a stimulating environment for future-oriented young companies. This joint project borne by the Winterthur chamber of commerce and employers association (HAW) and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences Winterthur (ZHAW) with the financial support of the city of Winterthur, the canton of Zurich and several renowned companies, and set up in cooperation with Technopark Zurich, has proved an out-and-out success. The Technopark premises are, at the time of writing, all let.
www.tpw.ch

Genilem
Genilem is a promotional network that spans the entire Zurich / Eastern Switzerland region and is domiciled in Winterthur. Its aim is to provide practical assistance to startup companies. It offers innovative companies an intensive three-year coaching program from the time of foundation through the first business years. Location Promotion Winterthur Region participated in the creation of the network and is represented on the organization’s board. Genilem is also supported by the Winterthur chamber of commerce and employers association.
www.genilem.ch

Mission statement for Winterthur region
In 2006 a working group consisting of the council leaders of the municipalities in the vicinity of Winterthur, the mayors of Winterthur and Illnau-Effretikon, and City Marketing Winterthur set out to formulate a vision for the Winterthur region. In view of the competition from the surrounding economic hubs, the region – with the exception of the city of Winterthur itself – found itself in a sort of economic vacuum. This induced the working group to develop a mission statement for the region in cooperation with the ZHAW’s institute for sustainable development. One of the consequences was that, in 2007, City Marketing Winterthur changed its name and redefined its purpose to include the entire Winterthur region in its promotional activities.  

ICT cluster WinLink
The information and communication technology (ICT) cluster dubbed WinLink, co-founded by Location Promotion Winterthur Region (named City Marketing Winterthur at the time), is consistently growing and has developed into an ICT knowledge driver for companies throughout Eastern Switzerland – from Zurich via Winterthur to the Lake of Constance – with a joint turnover of over CHF 1 billion and more than 20,000 employees. Location Promotion Winterthur Region continues to support the organization, participated in the revision of its strategy and is represented on its board. On a recent visit to Stuttgart, the directors of WinLink and Location Promotion Winterthur Region laid the foundations for a strategic partnership with MFG Baden-Würthenberg, WinLink’s Southern German sister organization.
www.winlink.ch

Winterthur region
In 2003, the municipalities in the region surrounding Winterthur became members of the City Marketing Winterthur association and began to contribute their share to the organization’s costs.  This enhances the region’s standing as an economic hub and creates new internal synergies.

SWOWI – Students’ accommodation in Winterthur
Winterthur is growing in significance as a center of education. In view of the lack of suitable accommodation and the rising number of students, City Marketing Winterthur and the ZHAW association for student dwellings jointly initiated a project called Studentisches Wohnen in Winterthur (students’ accommodation in Winterthur), or SWOWI in brief, in 2003. SWOWI is a point of contact for students searching for a room or an apartment and also a market place for those seeking and those offering accommodation. Furthermore, the organization maintains contacts with property owners and has set itself the target of securing the creation of around 300 additional dwellings for students over the next few years.
www.swowi.ch

WHO conference 2000 in Winterthur
The World Health Organization WHO and the Winterthur Health Forum association (founded for this purpose by City Marketing Winterthur) jointly staged the first Massive Effort Advocacy Forum in October 2000. Around 200 participants from over 60 nations and 117 organizations gathered in Winterthur for four days to seek for ways of intensifying the global combat against infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and AIDS. The conference represents a milestone for City Marketing Winterthur’s cluster strategy and a major step in the enhancement of Winterthur’s global profile. With this conference, Winterthur has also underlined its competence as a host of large-scale international events.

Business weeks for schools
In conjunction with the Winterthur chamber of commerce and employers association (HAW), City Marketing Winterthur regularly organizes Wirtschaftswochen (business weeks) at Winterthur’s schools. The idea is give young people a practical understanding of business mechanisms by turning them into entrepreneurs who run a fictitious firm for one week in a computer-based game. Specialists from the world of business accompany the process and provide the basic knowledge required.

Promotion of biotechnology and medical technology
"Minnesota" is a cooperation project of the University of Minnesota and Sulzer Orthopedics (subsequently also with involvement of Zurich University of Applied Sciences Winterthur) with the aim of developing and marketing a medical device for the implantation of artificial hip joints in Europe and the USA. City Marketing Winterthur played a major role in the foundation of the Winterthur Institute of Health Economics at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences Winterthur, and also developed and headed Zurich MedNet (1999-2002), a promotional program in the sectors of biotechnology and medical technology, for the Greater Zurich Area economic development organization.

A city slogan
The slogan Winterthur – en guete Bode (roughly meaning “Winterthur – solid and fertile ground” in Swiss-German) was devised and implemented to enhance the city’s corporate identity. It was publicized by means of an ad campaign, mailings and a bus from the local transport network bearing the slogan. 

International conference on corporate management
City Marketing Winterthur was quick receive feedback from neighboring countries. Together with the Zentrum für Unternehmensführung (center for corporate management) and a PR agency, it organized an international conference with over 100 participants from throughout Switzerland as well from Germany and Austria.

Promotional video
Besides various print documents available to newcomers and interested parties, City Marketing Winterthur and Condor Films have produced video film promoting the city of Winterthur. The film sells well with both individuals and companies, and is regularly shown by representatives of the town council when they welcome new residents.