From Friday and for a month, fan zones scattered throughout Switzerland will vibrate with the exploits of Euro 2024 footballers. Around these party spaces, there is a well-established business, but whose profitability is not always easy to predict.
For those who do not go to the ten German cities which are hosting Euro football from June 14 to July 14, there will be many opportunities in Switzerland to share the football fever
Geneva will therefore host a fan zone on the Plaine de Plainpalais with a capacity of 16,000 people and equipped with four giant screens. Managed by a private company, it will have its own order and medical-sanitary service.
Many objects will be prohibited within the perimeter, such as pyrotechnic devices and flags. The Council of State has also set times for stopping music and closing these spaces.
>> Participate in the discussion with “dialogue”, an offer from the SSR:
External content
This external content cannot be displayed because it may collect personal data. To view this content you must authorize the category Third Party Services.
Accept More information
Horns tolerated for one hour
Fan zones will also be organized throughout the canton of Vaud. They will be subject to special police surveillance. The police will thus be present around the main sites “to deal with any excesses and guarantee the tranquility of the population.”
Cantonal and municipal police have warned that processions of vehicles and horns will be “tolerated” for 60 minutes after the end of the matches, as long as “they do not excessively disrupt traffic and public order”. Once this hour has passed, the police will report the violations observed.
In Valais, the regional police in the towns in the center of the canton (Sion and Sierre) will be stricter and will apply “a tolerance of 30 minutes”.
The Jura will be doubly celebrating on Sunday June 23. In addition to the Germany-Switzerland match, which will be broadcast in public notably in Delémont, the canton will celebrate its Jura People’s Day marking this year the 50th anniversary of the plebiscite which led to the creation of the canton.
Screenings are also announced in the canton of Neuchâtel, notably near the Maladière stadium, as well as in Fribourg.
Profitability not always assured
Although fan zones are increasingly numerous in Switzerland, their profitability is not assured. Indeed, the costs for such installations are numerous, particularly in terms of infrastructure, which includes the tent, the screen or even electricity.
We must also take into account the salary of the staff, as well as the security service which is present 24 hours a day during the 30 days, to which is added Samaritans during big matches. “With all this, we arrive at a budget which, for the 30 days of operation, slightly exceeds a million francs,” explains Thursday in La Matinale de la RTS David Guignet, head of Plasma Communication, which manages the fan Lausanne area.
“Big risk taken”
As entry to fan zones is free, organizers must find other sources of income, such as “sponsorship, partnership and the sale of drinks”, indicates David Guignet. Despite everything, the organizer ensures that it does not take advantage of this to offer excessive prices.
“The 4 dl beer will be sold for 6 francs. It’s not expensive, but it’s not cheap either,” he says. “There is clearly part of the profit from these 4 dl of beer which will go to the depreciation of this infrastructure.”
There remain points that the organizer cannot control: the route of Switzerland and the other popular teams on the one hand and the weather on the other. “It’s a budget that is very tight and depends on a lot of imponderables,” says David Guignet. “So it’s a big risk.” Perhaps inspired by this gloomy spring, the Lausanne-Ouchy fan zone has planned a covered area this year.
Radio subject: Loïc Delacour
Web adaptation: edel/boi with ats
