“It was nice to have to think of others, of those who don’t have the same opportunities we do.”

On May 1st 2015, the Swiss Pavilion opened its doors for the inauguration of Expo 2015, the universal exhibition on the theme of Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life. The Swiss Pavilion’sfirst week was positive indeed, with a great public, official delegations and many journalists coming from a host of countries, who have much enjoyed the tours of the towers and the encouragement towards ethical consumption they’ve experienced first-hand. Also very popular was the exhibition held by the Gotthard cantons on Water for Europe, the exhibition hosted by one of the city partners, Basel, on innovations that have changed the world, and the interactive exhibition on research and nutrition.
”The Swiss Pavilion got off to a flying start in the first week of Expo. No fewer than 38,000 visitors visited the Swiss Pavilion, an open platform whose architecture focuses on content and the visitor experience. Tours of the towers are a big hit, since they give visitors a chance to personally experience ethical consumption. Just listen to what 10-year-old schoolgirl Sonia said after she visited the towers (as quoted in Corriere della Sera): ‘It was nice to have to think of others, of those who don’t have the same opportunities we do.’ It is future generations who will drive change in the fight against food waste. At Expo Milano, Switzerland is focusing on content. We decided to invest in visitors’ intelligence, in personal responsibility.

The initial feedback in terms of quantity and public reaction is very encouraging”, stresses Ambassador Nicolas Bideau, head of Presence Switzerland at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
The apple rings and the cups from the Water tower have so far been the most popular among the towers. At the restaurant, visitors are digging into pizzoccheri pasta from Val Poschiavo, Zurich-style veal sminuzzato with rösti and Ticino red polenta with Luganighe sausage.

HB