Despite extremely difficult general conditions, MCH Group has laid the foundations for its move towards a successful future in recent years. With the capital increases, the entry of Lupa and the renewal of the Board of Directors, the capital structure, the shareholder base and the corporate governance have been strengthened. Subsequently, the management and the Board of Directors have reviewed, confirmed and further developed the strategy. Several strategic initiatives have already been implemented and others are about to be realized.

With Lupa, it proved possible to find a new anchor shareholder who has agreed to a long-term involvement and supports the strategy – including the commitment to the Basel and Zurich locations. Lupa’s commitment underscores the conviction that MCH Group’s business model and strategy hold great potential. The international industry experience, innovative strength and management competence that Lupa is bringing into the company will serve to speed up the transformation process.

In spring 2021, the management and Board of Directors reviewed and further developed the corporate strategy. It was confirmed that the network comprising the three business units of Community Platforms (physical and digital formats), Experience Marketing (strategy, creation and implementation of marketing solutions) and Venues (own infrastructure in Basel and Zurich) constitutes a unique asset with a high synergy and development potential. The strategic alignment has been confirmed and further sharpened with prioritized strategic initiatives in all the group’s business segments.

Community platforms, experience marketing and the host cities of Basel and Zurich

Our strategy is focused on innovation, digitalization and internationalization and is based on the following three pillars:

• We create future-oriented platforms in different formats for the communities of selected ecosystems. The formats can be physical or digital in nature, with a commercial or communicative character; they can be aimed at professional target groups or end consumers, and have either an international or a regional reach.

• We support the stakeholders in the ecosystems with holistic experience marketing solutions – from strategy and creation through to implementation. The stakeholders are institutions, organizers and companies active in the fields of business, culture and sport. The services provided support them in positioning and activating their brands, as well as in building and maintaining lasting customer relationships, and can be either material or digital in nature and offered worldwide.

• In partnership with the two cities, we strengthen the positioning of Basel and Zurich as host cities for major events for the benefit of the company and the environment.

A number of strategic initiatives have already been implemented and numerous others are in progress and will be realized in the current 2022 financial year.

The three successful Art Basel shows that were staged in 2021 were supplemented with the extended “Art Basel Live” digital program. Commitments in Tokyo and Singapore are strengthening the presence of Art Basel in Asia and this support for the Asian art market will also have a positive impact on Art Basel in Hong Kong. In addition, at the start of the current financial year, MCH Group and Art Basel were awarded the contract to organize a new art show in Paris, which is to be staged for the first time in October 2022 already.

Implementation of strategic initiatives in all business segments

In the Swiss Events segment, intensive work is underway on the development of the “Built Environment” and of other themes, on the basis of the existing robust trade fairs. With the acquisition of Digital Festival AG, new and attractive events have been added to the portfolio, further boosting the group’s competence in developing innovative event formats and future-oriented topics.

In the Live Marketing Solutions division, transformation into an Experience Marketing Full Service Agency had already been stepped up prior to the pandemic. While MCH Group has also suffered the consequences of Covid in this area too, the Live Marketing Solutions division is now particularly well placed and equipped for the expected upturn.