Current energy- and climate policies are challanging the industry of building technology. Technological change and digital transformation also demand change. This years Installers' Summit in Montreux, Switzerland takes a closer look at the opportunities for the industry in a changing world.

General Information

Detailed Information

Program for Wednesday

AIE Welcome Dinner

Thanks to the kind financial support from the electrical contractors’ association of the Vaud canton, in the evening of Wednesday 16th October, AIE members will have the opportunity to spend a relaxing and pleasant evening in the Swiss vineyards.

At 18:15 a bus will pick us up in the parking of our Royal Plaza hotel and will take us to Serge Diserens’ vineyards in Villeneuve, 20 minutes away from Montreux.

Serge is one of the most famous Swiss winegrowers, he has been awarded with several Swiss and international prices and he is oenology teacher. He will take us to his wine cellars called “Domaine Des Moines” and offer us some of his wine, as well as some delicious “raclette”, a famous Swiss dish (alternatives to dairy will be available).

The bus will leave from Serge’s vineyards at 22:00 and head back to the Montreux hotel.

It will probably be quite chilly there, so do not forget to wear warm clothes!

GCP Europe Welcome Dinner

suissetec, the Swiss and Liechtenstein Association of technical Building Contractors, invites the GCP Europe members to an aperitif and dinner at the Hotel Victoria Glion.

At 18:45 a bus will pick up in the parking of the Hotel Royal Plaza all those who have registered for this dinner.

At about 22:00 the bus will leave from Hotel Victoria Glion and head back to the Hotel Royal Plaza.

Dress code: wear whatever you like.

Detailed Program for Thursday

AIE: Visit to the Training Center

On Thursday morning, we will leave the hotel on a bus at 11:30 to go to the training center and be back by 15:10 (latest by 15:30) for the Annual General Meeting.

The Swiss education system is renowned for its excellence and the electro-technical sector is no exception. With their ‘duale’ training system, Swiss training methods have provided a model noteworthy for all professionals from our sector. ACVIE, the local branch of EIT.swiss, has kindly invited AIE members for a tour of their training center in Tolochenaz, a short drive from Montreux.

As we arrive, there will be lunch and we will learn about the training center and methods thanks to short speeches from the director and senior staff.  We will then continue our tour with a visit of the training grounds, and we will have the opportunity to observe a class for third year electricians.

Dinner at Casino

Adress: Rue du Théâtre 9, 1820 Montreux

You can choose between going there by bus or on foot. The bus will leave at 19:00 from Royal Plaza Parking lot. Walking would take about 20 minutes.

Apéro starts at 19:15. Dinner starts at 19:30.

For the way back, the bus leaves at 23:00 for the Hotel Royal Plaza.

Dress code: smart / business casual.

Detailed Program Friday

AIE strategy meeting

Presentation of AIE’s Value Chain Working Group activities and sector report 
Giorgia Concas, AIE Secretary General & Martin Bailey, AIE Vice President

Brainstorming about way forward for the Working Group and about next sector report edition  
All participants

Off-site manufacturing: opportunity or challenge for electrical contractors?
Steve Bratt, ECA Group Chief Executive Officer

Open discussion about off-site manufacturing and similar trends
All participants

Workshop on Skills

Welcome & Introduction
Giorgia Concas, AIE Secretary General and Luca Conti, GCP Europe Secretary General

Call to order, competition law

The Swiss education system: how does it deliver best-in-class technical building contractors?
Jérome Hügli, Project Manager, State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI

Swiss education system for electricians and electrical contractors, from apprenticeship to professional master’s degree
Adrian Sommer, Chief Expert EIT.Swiss and Gérard Constantin, President AIE

Virtual Reality Game “Test your Skills”
Christoph Schaer, CEO, Suissetec

Questions & answers with AIE and GCP Europe members

Closing Remarks
Giorgia Concas, AIE Secretary General and Luca Conti, GCP Europe Secretary Genera

Conference

13:45 – 14:00: Welcome and introduction
Gérard Constantin, AIE President & Karl-Walter Schuster, GCP Europe Outgoing President

14:00 – 14:40: Energy and Climate objectives in Swiss policy: what’s in for contractors?
Patrick Kutschera, Managing Director of SwissEnergy, Swiss Federal Office of Energy SFOE

14:40 – 15:40: A new energy ecosystem: the future belongs to clean, decentralised technologies!    

Sharing solar energy: the self-consumption communities of Switzerland
David Stickelberger, CEO, Swissolar

Sector coupling: dream or reality?
Casto Cañavate, Marketing Manager, KNX Association

15:40 – 16:00: Coffee break

16:00 – 17:20: How are construction sector innovations going to impact installers’ businesses?

NEST - Exploring the Future of Buildings
Peter Richner, Deputy CEO, EMPA

Productivity challenges in the building sector
Jan-Egbert Sturm, Director, KOF Swiss Economic Institute

A solution for higher productivity
Peter Scherer, Head of Institute of digital building FHNW

17:20 – 17:30: Closing remarks
Gérard Constantin, AIE President & Johan Lindström, GCP Europe President

Gala dinner

Address: Castel Chillon, Avenue de Chillon 21, 1820 Veytaux

Bus will leave at 19:00 from Royal Plaza Parking lot.

Apéro starts at 19:15. Dinner starts at 19:30.

Bus to Hotel will leave at approximately at 23:15.

Dress code: business attire.  

Speakers

Casto Cañavate, Marketing Manager at KNX Association

Since 2002 Casto Cañavate had a clear passion on the so-called HBES (Home & Building Electronic Systems) at that time. With this in mind, Casto graduated in a Master Degree in Home & Building Control in 2006. During a year Casto was acquiring experience on the projects and on-site. However, since he wanted to contribute more to the future of Home and Building control, he joined the KNX Association in 2007 in order to support the activities of the association supporting in the beginning the marketing department with marketing activities around the world; as well as the training department by training KNX tutors in numerous countries.

Currently, Casto Cañavate is the Team Leader of the Marketing Department at KNX Association which covers a wide range of activities such as the support in the creation of the marketing strategy in coordination with the top management of the company, the implementation plan into the global MarCom activities and the responsibility to communicate and implement the KNX mission in the different nations where it is officially represented.

Jérome Hügli, Project Manager, State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI

Jérôme Hügli (*1981) is a project manager in the division “Cooperation in Education” of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI, the Swiss federal government’s authority for national and international matters concerning education, research and innovation policy.

He is currently responsible for several strategic projects in the field of international education cooperation, namely international exchange and mobility programs as well as international recognition of VET diploma. He is also a member of the Confederation's inter-agency coordination group on international cooperation in VET. His previous work involved promotion of VET projects on national level, notably in the fields of apprenticeships and of integration of young people into the Swiss VET system.

Jérôme Hügli holds a master’s degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of Bern. He is married and has a young daughter.

Patrick Kutschera, Managing director of SwissEnergy

Patrick Kutschera is the managing director of SwissEnergy, a federal program to foster energy efficiency and renewable energies. Prior to this assignment, he was founder and owner of RESiQ AG, a company providing innovative energy solutions in the field of renewables and energy efficiency for Switzerland. He holds a master degree in chemical engineering from the ETH Zurich and an executive MBA from the University of St. Gallen. SwissEnergy is a program of the swiss government run by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) to foster energy efficiency and renewable energies in Switzerland. Its measures are voluntary and a complement to the mandatory energy law.

Dr. Peter Richner, Deputy CEO EMPA and Head of Departement “Engineering Sciences”

Peter Richner is the deputy CEO of EMPA and Head of the Departement “Engineering Sciences”. He has the strategic responsibility for NEST. Jointly with Urs Elber he is Head of Research Focus Area “Energy”. His professional career started with a PhD in Chemistry at ETH Zurich. After the Postdoc at the Indiana University he started to work for EMPA as Head of the Group for Plasma-Source Mass Spectrometry. He is member in different national and international committees, for example in the European Network of Building Research Institutes (ENBRI).

NEST accelerates the process of innovation in the building sector. In this modular research and innovation building of Empa and Eawag, new technologies, materials and systems are tested, researched, honed and validated in realistic conditions. The close cooperation with partners from research, industry and the public sector helps launch innovative building and energy technologies on the market faster. Empa conducts cutting-edge materials and technology research, generating interdisciplinary solutions to major challenges faced by industry, and creates the necessary scientific basis to ensure that our society develops in a sustainable manner. As part of the ETH Domain, Empa is committed to excellence in all its activities.

Peter Scherrer, Head of Institute of digital building FHNW

Peter Scherer has an education in design of building services and a master's degree in virtual digital and construction (VDC). Since 2007 he has dealt intensively with digitization in the construction and real estate industry. Since 2017 he is responsible for education and services at the Institute for virtual digital and construction. He was responsible for complex building design and construction projects. As divisional manager and member of the group and executive management, he established a new division for building automation and for process innovations (VDC). From 2015 and 2017, established Bauen digital Schweiz as CEO. Since 2016 he is CEO of netzwerk_digtial, the coordination association of SIA, CRB, KBOB / IPB and Bauen digital Schweiz. He is a member of the SIA Commission 2051, and Vice President of the International Accompanying Commission (BK 442) and the European (TC442) and international (ISO TC59 / SC13) standardization for "BIM". President of the Building Network Initiative (GNI) and Vice President of DIE PLANER.

David Stickelberger, Managing Director Swissolar

David Stickelberger is the Managing Director of Swissolar. He graduated from Zurich University, Switzerland, with a master in Geography in 1986 and a postgraduate course in environmental sciences in 1992. He worked in the field of environmental consultancy for municipalities and was climate and energy campaigner for Greenpeace Switzerland. Since 1998 he is Managing Director of Swissolar.

The Swiss Solar Energy Professionals Association has today approximately 700 members along the whole solar value chain and an agency in Zurich with 9 employees. The fields of activity include communication, training, quality assurance and lobbying.

Jan-Egbert Sturm, Director, KOF Swiss Economic Institute

Jan-Egbert Sturm is Full Professor of Applied Macroeconomics at the Department of Management, Technology and Economics (D-MTEC) as well as Director of the KOF Swiss Economic Institute at the ETH Zurich. Born in 1969 in Hoogezand-Sappemeer, Jan-Egbert Sturm is a Dutch citizen.In 1993, he acquired his Masters Degree in Quantitative General Economics at the University of Groningen, where, four years later, he defended his PhD Thesis on "Public Capital Spending: Development and Impact" and subsequently, held the position of Assistant Professor at the Department of General Economics. Funded by a grant from NWO (Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research), he continued his post-doc studies in Groningen. After spending the year 2000 as Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics at the School of Business, Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia, he returned to his previous position in Groningen. Between 2001 and 2003 Jan-Egbert Sturm was Head of the Department of Economic Forecasting and Financial Markets at the Ifo Institute for Economic Research in Munich and Professor of Economics at its Center for Economic Studies (CES) at the University of Munich, specializing in the field of macroeconomics and monetary policy. In 2003, the University of Konstanz (D) appointed him to the Chair of Monetary Economics in Open Economies, which was coupled with the position of Director of the TWI - Thurgau Institute of Economics in Kreuzlingen (CH). In October 2005, he changed to his current position at the ETH Zurich. In his research, Jan-Egbert Sturm relies heavily on empirical methods and statistics, concentrating on Monetary Economics, Macroeconomics as well as Economic Policy and with a special interest in fields which are closely related to practical and current problems. His applied studies have focused, for example, on Economic Growth and Central Bank Policy. He has published several books, contributed articles to various anthologies and internationally renowned journals.

Pricing

Delegate Tickets:

One day ticket Friday
Early bird until 19th of July: CHF 590 / Regular price: CHF 650 (incl. VAT):

  • Business programme and conference for Friday
  • Buffet Lunch on Friday
  • Gala Dinner at Château Chillon

Two day ticket
Early bird until 19th of July: CHF 715 / Regular price: CHF 775 (incl. VAT):

  • Business programme and conference for Friday
  • Buffet Lunch on Friday
  • Gala Dinner at Château Chillon
  • Business programme for Thursday
  • Buffet Lunch on Thursday
  • Dinner at the casino

Prices for accompanying person

One day ticket Friday 
Early bird until 19th of July: CHF 420 / Regular price: CHF 540 (incl. VAT):

  • Day trip to the vineyards and the Vinorama 
  • Gala Dinner at Château Chillon

Two day ticket
Early bird until 19th of July: CHF 480 / Regular price: CHF 600 (incl. VAT):

  • Lunch and city tour (Thursday, 17th October 2019)
  • Dinner at the Casino 
  • Day trip to the vineyards and the Vinorama (Friday, 18th October 2019)
  • Gala Dinner at Château Chillon

Detailed Program for accompanying person

Thursday, 17th of October

12:30 – 13:30:    Registration and Buffet lunch at the hotel Royal Plaza

13:30 – 15:30:    Guided city tour on foot (Meeting point in front of the Hotel Royal Plaza)

Friday, 18th of October

10:00: Meeting point in front of the Hotel Royal Plaza

10:15 – 11:00:    Bus and train to Rivaz

11:00 – 12:30:    Panoramic train tour of the terraced vineyards of Lavaux, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

12:30 – 14:45:    Wine tasting, lunch and visit of Vinorama, a center to discover the wines and terraced vineyards of Lavaux

14:45 – 15:45:    Bus and train back to the Hotel Royal Plaza

Montreux

Montreux is situated in a protected bay of Lac Léman, surrounded by vineyards. Montreux is called “capital of the Riviera of the canton Vaud”, because of the mild climate. The promenade stretching between Vevey, Montreux and Castle Chillon is ideal for a beautiful walk. Montreux’ international claim to fame is based on the annual Montreux Jazz Festival.

Your hotel in Montreux includes the Montreux Riviera Card that offers many advantages like free public transport in town, reduction on train tickets and much more.

More information on Montreux and excursions is available on the website of Montreux-Vevey Tourisme. There you will also find other useful tips for your journey.

Discover the lake (Saturday)

Riviera Tour

This escapade between the lake and the mountains will let you discover some of the most beautiful sites and views of the Swiss Riviera, for instance Montreux, Chillon Castle and the Dents du Midi mountains. You will cruise by Peilz island, along the Les Grangettes nature reserve and enjoy views of the region’s charming ports.

Get your tickets at CGN.

Joyaux de Lavaux

An unique perspective on : the Lavaux vineyards - a UNESCO World Heritage and the Chillon Castle. This excursion will take you to the extraordinary Chillon Castle. You will sail as well along the Lavaux vineyards – a UNESCO World Heritage –and charming little villages on the hillside.

Get your tickets at CGN.

About AIE

AIE is the voice of electrical contractors in Europe. We represent 1.2 million jobs, 125.500 companies and 137 billion Euro turnover.
Electrical contractors bring electricity to all of us. They connect power plants, they build transport and distribution grids, they provide residential, commercial and industrial buildings with electricity. Electrical contractors make sure that installations work properly throughout their whole life-time and interact appropriately with other energy system components. AIE makes sure that these electrical contractors have everything they need to fulfil this objective.
Since 1954, when we were founded, our mission has been to promote high-quality and safe electrical installations in Europe. Covering both private and public sector the AIE promotes opportunities for electrical contractors by helping to build a regulatory environment in the EU that embraces the modern electrical contractor. From energy efficiency, energy services and standardisation, ICT, Smart and new digital technologies, renewable energy, and training and education - AIE makes sure that the key strategies and main priorities for the modern electrical contractor as a solution provider in Europe are well represented.
Read more about AIE here

About GCP Europe

GCP Europe is the voice of the efficient building engineering services at EU level. GCP Europe represents the interests of installers of technical building equipment, namely heating & cooling, ventilation, air condition and plumbing systems in buildings, including smart controls, metering and system integration. With 18 member associations in 14 countries, GCP Europe is a powerful network in this sector in Europe. Member associations represent an employment figure of over 1 Million people and an annual turnover of over € 100 Billion. 
Read more about GCP Europe here.

About EIT.swiss

The Swiss Association of Electrician Companies (EIT.swiss) was founded in 1906. As an industry organization, EIT.swiss works toward a prosperous future for the whole sector. It represents the sectors interest and is committed to forward-looking occupational education. 19 independent regional subsections form the foundation of EIT.swiss. Thus the roughly 2’000 member companies with approximately 40’000 employees are connected nationally and rooted regionally. The Secretariat in Zurich is the operational hub for the organisation. Read more about EIT.swiss here.

About suissetec

suissetec is the Swiss and Liechtenstein Association of technical Building Contractors. The association represents all links in the value chain, including manufacturers, vendors, planers, as well as contractors. suissetec is committed to the interests of the sectors of metalroofing, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and pluming, including gas, water and plant management. suisstec has a federal structure and comprises 26 subsections with more than 3500 member companies. The sectors of industry represented by suisstec employ 49’000 people and generate turnover of around CHF 8.1 billion. Read more about suissetec here.