Event Management & MICE Switzerland: 3.5–5.5× EBITDA, 668 Firms (2026)

1.0Market Snapshot

668: Organisers of trade fairs, exhibitions and congresses in 2024 (BFS STATENT, NOGA 82.30). Event-technology suppliers, caterers and concert promoters are counted in other classes and are not included.
5,030: Employees in these businesses in 2024 (BFS STATENT), 3,596 full-time equivalents; about 7.5 employees per business.
+22.8%: Employment growth from 2020, the first COVID year, to 2024 (BFS STATENT). Employment is still 6.9% below 2019 and 15.3% below 2011.

According to Val Index analysis of Swiss commercial-register and federal data (2026), Switzerland counts 668 event management & mice companies — Organisers of trade fairs, exhibitions and congresses in 2024 (BFS STATENT, NOGA 82.30). Event-technology suppliers, caterers and concert promoters are counted in other classes and are not included..

2.0Industry Overview

Market Scope

BFS counted 668 trade-fair, exhibition and congress organisers with 5,030 employees in 2024 (STATENT, NOGA 82.30). The sector has recovered from COVID but not fully: employment rose 22.8% from 2020 to 2024 yet is still 6.9% below 2019, and there are 14.2% fewer organisers than in 2011. Event-technology suppliers, caterers and concert promoters, which also live from events, are counted in other classes. No official market size for Swiss events is published.

3.0Industry Health Check (SWOT)

Internal factors

Strengths4

World-class formats such as Art Basel

Weaknesses4

Employment still below 2019

External factors

Opportunities4

Owned event formats with recurring income

Threats4

Economic downturns cutting corporate event budgets

Sector Outlook

DefensiveBalancedGrowth

4.0Key Trends

Recovery not yet complete

Employment at fair and congress organisers rose from 4,095 in 2020 to 5,030 in 2024 but remains below the 5,401 of 2019 (BFS STATENT).

MCH back to profit

50%

MCH Group raised EBITDA by about 50% to CHF 51.2 million in 2025 and net profit to CHF 18.6 million, on operating income of CHF 429.6 million (MCH Group, March 2026).

Fewer, larger events

Palexpo hosted 99 events with 705,777 visitors in 2025, against 143 events and 699,311 visitors in 2024, and returned to balance (Palexpo, May 2026).

New halls

CHF 56 million

Bernexpo reached turnover of over CHF 56 million in the first year of its new festival hall, and Palexpo is preparing a new Pavillon (markt-kom, Palexpo).

Owned global formats

Art Basel was held for the first time in Qatar in February 2026, and MCH launched the health.tech | global summit in Basel in March 2026 (MCH Group).

5.0Cost Structure Benchmark

40%

30%

10%

12%

Venue, production and technology40%
Personnel30%
Marketing and sales10%
Administration and other8%
EBITDA margin12%

Indicative split for a Swiss fair and event organiser, not a measured figure. The EBITDA margin is in line with MCH Group in 2025 (11.9%).

6.0Top Event Management & MICE Companies in Switzerland

Name	Location	Key Facts
MCH Group AGCHE-105.825.066	Basel BS	MCH Group AG: owner of Art Basel and organiser of exhibitions, events and live-marketing projects, registered in Basel (formerly Schweizer Mustermesse AG). 2025 operating income CHF 429.6 million, EBITDA CHF 51.2 million and net profit CHF 18.6 million; its exhibitions and events had more than 680,000 participants.
Palexpo SACHE-114.342.370	Le Grand-Saconnex GE	Palexpo SA: owner and operator of the exhibition, congress and show complex in Le Grand-Saconnex on land granted by the State of Geneva. In 2025 it hosted 99 events with 705,777 visitors and CHF 294 million of economic impact, and returned to balance for the first time since COVID.
BERNEXPO AGCHE-107.818.249	Bern BE	BERNEXPO AG: organiser of fairs, congresses and events and operator of the Bern exhibition grounds, registered in Bern (formerly BEA bern expo). 2025 turnover over CHF 56 million and EBITDA about CHF 4.7 million; about 120 employees and eight halls.
Olma Messen St.Gallen AGCHE-107.139.131	St. Gallen SG	Olma Messen St.Gallen AG: organiser of the OLMA agricultural and food fair and other fairs, congresses and events, registered in St. Gallen (formerly a cooperative). It does not publish figures here.
MCI Group Holding SACHE-106.014.478	Satigny GE	MCI Group Holding SA: holding company of the MCI congress and event group, registered in Satigny (formerly MCI Group SA). It does not publish Swiss figures.
Congrex Schweiz AGCHE-108.035.600	Basel BS	Congrex Schweiz AG: organiser of exhibitions, congresses and fairs within the Congrex group, registered in Basel. It does not publish figures.
Aktiengesellschaft Hallenstadion ZürichCHE-101.843.237	Zürich ZH	Aktiengesellschaft Hallenstadion Zürich: operator of the Hallenstadion arena in Zurich. It does not publish figures.

MCH Group AG

CHE-105.825.066

Basel BS

MCH Group AG: owner of Art Basel and organiser of exhibitions, events and live-marketing projects, registered in Basel (formerly Schweizer Mustermesse AG). 2025 operating income CHF 429.6 million, EBITDA CHF 51.2 million and net profit CHF 18.6 million; its exhibitions and events had more than 680,000 participants.

Palexpo SA

CHE-114.342.370

Le Grand-Saconnex GE

Palexpo SA: owner and operator of the exhibition, congress and show complex in Le Grand-Saconnex on land granted by the State of Geneva. In 2025 it hosted 99 events with 705,777 visitors and CHF 294 million of economic impact, and returned to balance for the first time since COVID.

BERNEXPO AG

CHE-107.818.249

Bern BE

BERNEXPO AG: organiser of fairs, congresses and events and operator of the Bern exhibition grounds, registered in Bern (formerly BEA bern expo). 2025 turnover over CHF 56 million and EBITDA about CHF 4.7 million; about 120 employees and eight halls.

Olma Messen St.Gallen AG

CHE-107.139.131

St. Gallen SG

Olma Messen St.Gallen AG: organiser of the OLMA agricultural and food fair and other fairs, congresses and events, registered in St. Gallen (formerly a cooperative). It does not publish figures here.

MCI Group Holding SA

CHE-106.014.478

Satigny GE

MCI Group Holding SA: holding company of the MCI congress and event group, registered in Satigny (formerly MCI Group SA). It does not publish Swiss figures.

Congrex Schweiz AG

CHE-108.035.600

Basel BS

Congrex Schweiz AG: organiser of exhibitions, congresses and fairs within the Congrex group, registered in Basel. It does not publish figures.

Aktiengesellschaft Hallenstadion Zürich

CHE-101.843.237

Zürich ZH

Aktiengesellschaft Hallenstadion Zürich: operator of the Hallenstadion arena in Zurich. It does not publish figures.

Companies are listed when they are confirmed in the commercial register, have a significant Swiss presence in this niche and at least one sourced fact.

7.0Succession & M&A Context

Formats and contracts, not halls, carry value

668: fair, exhibition and congress organisers in 2024 (BFS STATENT)
CHF 51.2m: MCH Group EBITDA in 2025, up from CHF 34.5m (MCH Group)
705,777: Palexpo visitors in 2025 (Palexpo)
3.5–5.5×: EBITDA deal multiples (ValIndex multiples table)

The large venues belong to public or listed owners and rarely change hands; the market for transactions is the hundreds of small congress, event and incentive agencies. Their value depends on recurring clients, owned event formats and long-term venue contracts, and on whether the business works without its founder. Buyers pay for recurring mandates, owned brands and formats, a strong team and diversified clients, and discount for one-off projects, dependence on a few corporate budgets and key-person risk. ValIndex's multiples table puts event management at 3.5–5.5× EBITDA in transactions and 2.5–4.0× on statutory valuations.

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Valuation Snapshot

Event Management & MICE business valuation in Switzerland

Statutory Multiple (EBITDA): 2.5 - 4.0×
Deal Multiple (EBITDA): 3.5 - 5.5×
Market Trend: Stable

Indicative ranges based on market research. Actual multiples vary by company size, growth, and market conditions.

8.0Regional Clusters

Zurich

188 organisers with 1,414 employees in 2024 (BFS STATENT), the most of any region; the Hallenstadion is here.

Western Switzerland

VDGEFRVSNEJU

137 organisers with 1,171 employees; Geneva alone has 651 employees, and Palexpo and MCI are registered in the canton.

Bern and Solothurn

BESO

89 organisers with 642 employees; Bernexpo is in Bern.

Central Switzerland

LUSZZGOWURNW

67 organisers with 393 employees.

Eastern Switzerland

SGTGGRSHARAIGL

65 organisers with 481 employees; Olma Messen is in St. Gallen.

Northwestern Switzerland

AGBLBS

64 organisers with 667 employees, the largest on average (10.4 per business), because MCH Group and Congrex are registered in Basel.

Ticino

48 organisers with 256 employees.

Sources

BFS STATENT — institutional units, employees and FTE by NOGA type and canton, 2011–2024 (NOGA 82.30 organisation of conventions and trade shows)MCH Group — Ad-hoc-Mitteilung: MCH Group steigert ihre Profitabilität im Jahr 2025 (24 March 2026)MCH Group — Medienmitteilung Halbjahresergebnis 2025 (10 September 2025)Palexpo SA — Le rapport d'activité 2025 de Palexpo SA est en ligne (6 May 2026)Palexpo SA — Rapport annuel 2025 Palexpo SA — Le rapport d'activité 2024 de Palexpo est en ligne (May 2025)markt & kommunikation — Bernexpo with a solid financial year, CEO Tom Winter leaves the company (2 April 2026)Zefix — Swiss Central Business Name Index (seats and former names of MCH Group AG, Palexpo SA, BERNEXPO AG, Olma Messen St.Gallen AG, MCI Group Holding SA, Congrex Schweiz AG and AG Hallenstadion Zürich)

Alain Walder, M.A. HSG · ValIndex|Data as of 2026-10|8 sources cited

9.0Frequently Asked Questions

▶How much is an event management business worth in Switzerland?

ValIndex's multiples table puts Swiss event management at 3.5–5.5× EBITDA in transactions and 2.5–4.0× EBITDA on statutory valuations. Businesses with owned formats and recurring mandates sit at the upper end; project agencies dependent on their founder at the lower end.

▶What drives the value of a Swiss event or congress agency?

Buyers price: (1) recurring clients and mandates; (2) owned event formats and brands; (3) long-term venue contracts; (4) client diversification; (5) the team; (6) independence from the founder.

▶How big is the Swiss event and trade-fair sector?

BFS counted 668 trade-fair, exhibition and congress organisers with 5,030 employees in 2024 (STATENT, NOGA 82.30). No official market size is published; MCH Group alone had operating income of CHF 429.6 million in 2025.

▶Who are the main Swiss fair and congress organisers?

Leading players include MCH Group in Basel (Art Basel, exhibitions and events), Palexpo in Le Grand-Saconnex, Bernexpo in Bern, Olma Messen in St. Gallen, MCI Group in Satigny, Congrex in Basel and the Hallenstadion in Zurich.

▶What are the key trends in Swiss event management?

Five trends: (1) a recovery that is not yet complete; (2) MCH back to profit; (3) fewer, larger events; (4) new halls; (5) owned global formats such as Art Basel Qatar.

▶What are the main risks when buying a Swiss event business?

The main risks are: (1) cuts in corporate event budgets; (2) dependence on a few clients or one format; (3) high fixed costs; (4) key-person risk; (5) shocks such as pandemics. Due diligence should check recurring revenue, client concentration, venue contracts, cancellation terms and the pipeline.

▶Has the Swiss event sector recovered from COVID?

Mostly. Employment at fair and congress organisers rose 22.8% from 2020 to 2024 but was still 6.9% below 2019. Palexpo returned to balance in 2025 for the first time since COVID, and MCH Group raised its net profit to CHF 18.6 million.

▶Where are Swiss event organisers located?

Using BFS figures for 2024: Zurich has the most organisers (188, with 1,414 employees), followed by Western Switzerland (137; 1,171), Bern and Solothurn (89; 642), Central Switzerland (67; 393), Eastern Switzerland (65; 481), Northwestern Switzerland (64; 667) and Ticino (48; 256).

Event Management & MICE