At the official anniversary celebration on Friday 16 May 2008 in the KKL Lucerne, Ringier expects around 1,500 guests from the areas of politics, economics and the worlds of media and culture – from both Switzerland and abroad. And, in addition, around 3,500 Ringier employees and former employees have announced their attendance at the employees’ party on Saturday 17 May – hence transforming Lucerne’s KKL into a festive 2-day Ringier scene. At various addresses along the created «Boulevard of Time» which extends through the KKL building, Ringier’s Swiss brands are presented: daily and weekly newspapers, magazines and the printing establishments, as well as electronic media. The Ringier enterprises from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia as well as China and Vietnam are also represented at their addresses.
Ringier Academy and mediaLAB
Ringier’s Academy and mediaLAB will be officially launched on the mentioned anniversary events in Lucerne. The Ringier Academy is a group-wide network platform, which supports the hands-on training and further education of journalists, editors and employees of the publishing house, as well as encouraging the exchange of knowledge and experience to strengthen further education. Aims are to secure the quality of Ringier products – in all locations Ringier is active – on a long-term basis. The Academy is not intended solely to support continuing and further education, instead has a further aim: “The Academy offers an essential contribution in promoting the integration of multi-national media and reinforcing awareness of the trend towards group-wide communal company culture”, explains Ringier CEO Martin Werfeli. Starting in September, the Academy will be built by Rolf Probala – journalist and communications expert.
The newly conceived Ringier mediaLAB is concerned with the development of digital media and the question of how this is most effectively and widely distributed. Thomas Trüb, head of new media – and in whose sector the mediaLAB is positioned – comments: “The mediaLAB investigates the possibilities and uses of new technologies for the Ringier media enterprise, analyses new trends, drives ongoing development in the direction of a digital publishing house and sensitizes employees towards today’s new media”. The mediaLAB functions group-wide as competence center for digital media, promotes the construction of new media and supports existing brands in their further digitalization.
Ringier Foundation in Romania
Ringier founded the «Ringier Foundation» in Romania with the clear aim of initiating an active step against the poverty in Romania. The foundation is engaged in aiding the elderly and children from poverty-stricken families. It provides for example contributions for youth education and supports the aged poor. In a first step this spring, the foundation launched the «St. Luca» medical center and supportive program in Bucharest – a center in which the homeless, care-needy and citizens on the margins of society find care and refuge.
Conclusion of the anniversary celebrations
With the two events that take place on 16 and 17 May in the KKL Lucerne, the celebrations in honor of the 175th Ringier anniversary come to a temporary end. Celebrations began already in January with the private viewing of the Ringier book «Ringier always where the people are»- a story narrating the company history. This was followed by various anniversary celebrations for customers, partners and opinion leaders – as well as for Ringier employees in China and Vietnam and the Eastern European counties Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Hungary and Romania. The celebration events carried out from the beginning of March until mid April met with an echo of great approval by all. November 2008 will now see the private viewing of Ringier’s academic story and book in Berne – a book compiled by the media researcher Professor Roger Blum and his team from the University of Berne.
Ringier Group Communications