The Suisse Romande chapter of a nationwide Swiss volunteer organization is calling on retired professionals to help them in a range of benevolent projects throughout Switzerland.
Set up in 2006 with the support of Pour-cent Culturel Migros and the Haute Ecole Spécialisée de Lucerne – Travail Social, Innovage makes use of the considerable expertise of retired professional staff to help them in a wide range of voluntary projects where the costs of employing highly skilled consultants would normally be prohibitively expensive.
Today, Innovage is made of 9 different chapters throughout Switzerland, each with its own team of 10 to 30 retired or semi-retired professionals, typically aged between 55 and 75 years old, each keen to support volunteer organizations in whatever areas they can, depending on their needs and the expertise available.
In the past, typical projects have included replacing the computing and network infrastructure for the Alzheimer’s Association in Switzerland, helping teenagers who are between school and apprenticeship, or simply advising on the restructure of a professional team. You can find out more information on the projects in which Innovage Suisse Romande (ISR) has been involved over the last few years, by clicking here.
Featured on our site last year, the Access MBA Tour, worldwide leader in One-to-One business education events, will return to Geneva on 1 October, 2015 at the Hotel Beau-Rivage.
“Access MBA is designed to bridge the distance between business executives and elite MBA programmes from around the world through personalised One-to-One meetings between candidates and school representatives”, said Christophe Coutat, Managing Director of the organizing media agency for this event, Advent Group.
The One-to-One meetings enable business professionals to find a top MBA programme that corresponds to their background and expectations. Each MBA candidate undergoes a selection and matching process by business education experts. Qualifying attendees are then given a custom event agenda for a series of 25-minute long meetings with admissions directors.
On June 16, 2015, the US-based Kickstarter program announced that it would allow creative entrepreneurs based in Switzerland to officially launch projects on its crowdfunding platform.
Since it was launched in 2009, 8.9 million people have pledged more than $1.8 billion via the Kickstarter platform, funding 87,000 creative projects. Indeed, thousands of creative projects are currently raising funds on the platform, covering everything from films, games and music, through to art, design and technology.
Operating purely as a platform and resource for creative people, Kickstarter does not get involved in the development of any projects itself. Creative entrepreneurs have complete control over and responsibility for their own projects.
So if you’re in the process of setting up your own small company, or would simply like to inject a bit more cash into your new enterprise, then Kickstarter could be just the help you need to grow your business.
One of the biggest concerns for businesses in this region is how best to promote their products and services. Nowadays, there are literally hundreds of ways you can promote yourself - but if your business is new and you only have a limited marketing budget, which tools are most likely to give you a good return on your investment?
Well before you start spending money, you need to consider the free options. And, as many of our readers know, the Know-it-all passport guidebook provides a wonderful opportunity for organizations in Geneva, Vaud and neighboring France to "get their name out there" for free. First published in 1999, it has become THE reference book for anything you want to know from shopping, housing and education to where to hold a birthday party, places to eat, night life, and chocolate!
30% discount for knowitall.ch readers (see conditions below)
Did you know that an estimated 90% of the Swiss population is not properly insured – and that this percentage is even higher among foreigners who are new to Switzerland? Bombarded with information from insurance companies about different policies, with little time to review them properly, it is clear that many people will make poor choices, which only become apparent when they have to make a claim and realize they are not properly insured.
One insurance company, which is gaining popularity with both newcomers and long established residents in the expat community, is APF Conseils. Headed up by Alexandre Schaeren, this small company, based in Geneva, helps demystify the issue of insurance for its clients, so there can be no misunderstandings during the selection of a policy and the subsequent administrative process. Not only does the company’s team of advisers ensure that its clients are correctly insured, it also makes every effort to find the best price for the policies it proposes, so clients can be confident that they are getting the best value for money.
