My Event Management Achievements

Following the final edition of the Arthur Gander Memorial held in Montreux in 1997, one conviction emerged: to attract a wider audience, artistic gymnastics needed to rethink the way it was presented in competition.

Together with Laurent Demartini, we developed an innovative concept: Le Duel, a competition based on head-to-head encounters between gymnasts, designed to bring greater pace, suspense and excitement to the sport.

After extensive discussions with national and international sports governing bodies, the project came to life in March 2000 in Montreux, as part of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Artistic Gymnastics World Cup.

As President of the Organising Committee and Head of Marketing, I contributed to the development of the concept, partnership building and coordination of the event. Working with a highly committed team, we successfully delivered this international competition in just six months.

Le Duel remains a defining experience for me: an ambitious idea brought to life, despite the resistance we encountered, demonstrating how a shared vision can mobilise the energy needed to challenge established conventions.

In 2017, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Montreux Gymnastique, whose organising committee I chaired, Baptiste Saudan, Sylvain Gaeng, Maurizio Tempesta and I developed an entirely new event: Montreux Acrobaties.

Our ambition was to move beyond the traditional boundaries of gymnastics and bring together, within a single event, the full diversity of acrobatic expression: gymnastics, circus arts, urban sports, aerial disciplines, martial arts and many others.

The concept grew into an ambitious event featuring 41 disciplines across eight categories, supported by an organising committee of approximately 30 people and more than 300 volunteers.

From initial concept to delivery, the project required bringing together associations, artists, athletes, public institutions and private partners around a shared vision, while coordinating the programme, infrastructure, communication and visitor experience.

In 2021, the initiative entered a new phase with the establishment of the Montreux Acrobaties Association, providing an independent organisational structure for the project.

This achievement illustrates what I find most rewarding about leading projects: bringing together different skills, disciplines and personalities to turn a shared ambition into reality.

In May 2016, Montreux hosted the European Taekwondo Championships, bringing together Europe's leading athletes for a major official international competition.

Working alongside Jean-Marie Ayer, President of the Organising Committee, I served as Vice-President of the Organising Committee, contributing to the preparation and successful delivery of this international sporting event.

Organising a championship of this scale required close collaboration with sports governing bodies, institutional and private partners, and the many individuals involved in delivering the event.

This experience enabled me to draw on my knowledge of international sport and its operational demands, in an environment where coordination, forward planning and the ability to bring stakeholders together were essential.

It marked another important milestone in my involvement in event management, reinforcing a fundamental conviction: the success of a major sporting event depends as much on the quality of its organisation as on the collective commitment of the people who make it possible.

In 2017, I had the privilege of chairing the Organising Committee for the 150th anniversary of Montreux Gymnastique, a gymnastics club that holds a special place in both my personal history and that of my hometown.

Our ambition went far beyond simply celebrating an anniversary: we developed a programme of twelve events throughout the year, bringing together sport, culture, heritage and international encounters.

One of the most memorable highlights was welcoming Li Ning, the Chinese Olympic artistic gymnastics champion, to Montreux. I had first discovered him as a young gymnast at the Arthur Gander Memorial in 1985.

Thirty-two years later, we had the honour of welcoming him to Switzerland and organising several meetings with leading figures from the sporting, institutional and academic worlds, notably at the International Olympic Committee and EPFL.

On 8 June 2017, a highlight of the anniversary celebrations, a statue in his honour was unveiled on the Montreux lakeside promenade in his presence. This lasting tribute became a new addition to the town's cultural heritage.

This experience remains one of the most personally meaningful projects of my career: bringing together the history of a gymnastics club, a passion for sport and Montreux's international reputation through a shared endeavour.