When Ypsomed has an event coming up, hardly anything happens without Frank Budweg. For a good three years now, the Berlin native has been ensuring that everything runs smoothly, from company parties to international trade fair appearances. In this interview, Frank talks about what he loves about his work and why event management is much more than just organization and planning for him.
How many events do we have at Ypsomed each year?
In 2025, there were around 30 events in which I was involved in some way, albeit to varying degrees.
What types of events do we have?
I distinguish between internal and external events. Internal events include, for example, the Ypsomed Management Conference and our company parties. External events include our presence as exhibitors at national and international trade fairs in the B2B sector (e.g., Pharmapack, PDA, CPHI), HR fairs for recruiting (e.g., the Bern Education Fair BAM or the Poly Fair at ETH Zurich), and our annual hosted events such as the media and analyst conference and the general meeting.
What is important when planning events?
When planning events, it is particularly important to take a structured approach and always maintain an overview of the whole picture. Especially in complex projects, it is crucial to keep track of different tasks and participants without losing sight of the big picture. At the same time, successful event organization requires a high degree of flexibility: unforeseen situations are part of everyday life, and the ability to react quickly and solution-oriented makes all the difference here.
Experience plays a major role in this, as it helps to plan realistically, identify stumbling blocks early on, and set priorities correctly. Good time management is also essential—from the initial concept to dismantling after the event. Reliable partners are just as important, because trust forms the basis for smooth cooperation.
In addition, event planning thrives on creativity and the courage to take different perspectives in order to create a unique experience for participants. At the same time, it is important to keep an eye on resources such as budget, personnel, and materials and to use them responsibly. Last but not least, assertiveness and competent advice from internal stakeholders are needed to communicate decisions clearly and achieve the best possible result together.
What makes a good event?
For me personally, events are always strongly linked to emotions, so for me, a successful event is one that leaves a lasting impression and brings a smile to my face whenever I think about it. This certainly applies to our company parties in particular. Trade fairs have different criteria, which depend primarily on the qualitative and quantitative goals that were defined in advance.
Please complete: The event manager is the interface between...
... internal and external stakeholders. These include internal clients, the communications department, which prepares texts, print materials, digital media, and reporting, logistics, and various service providers such as agencies (e.g., Messerli as our trade fair construction partner), venue rental companies, artists, technology companies, and trade fair organizers. At every event, many wheels have to mesh together for it to work and be a success.
What role does the budget play?
The budget sets the framework and, depending on its size, also certain limits. In principle, it's like everything else in life—the bigger the budget, the more extensive and creative an event can be.
How did you get into event management?
A friend from elementary school once said to me that she wasn't surprised that I had become an event manager, as my parents had always been very involved and helped organize all kinds of events. That probably had an influence on me. But there was another key moment that I remember, when I helped out at the Bambi Awards1 in my old hometown of Berlin in the early 2000s. At the event, I met another former classmate who was working there for an event company and told me about the profession of event technician, for which she was currently training. That's when it clicked for me, and shortly afterwards I applied for an apprenticeship in this profession, which was still quite new at the time.
How do you become an event manager?
From 2001 to 2004, I trained as an event technician at the Siemens Media Academy in Berlin. A small part of this training covered event management, which is what I ultimately specialized in. Today, you can also study this, but with over 20 years of professional experience, including a technical background, I have a wealth of knowledge that is probably more valuable than a CAS (Certificate of Advanced Studies). However, I did receive a certificate after completing further training as an event manager at the Swiss Marketing Institute in Bern. To be honest, I did it more for my resume, as it's always good to have the relevant training certificate.
What was your personal event highlight at Ypsomed?
Definitely organizing the company party to celebrate Ypsomed's 40th anniversary. You only get to do something like that once in a lifetime! I'm very grateful for that opportunity, because I'd always wanted to organize an event at the Attisholz site. For me, it's a place that reminds me of Berlin in the 90s, where I used to go out a lot myself. It was also just great to organize an event for over 3 500 participants. When I was at one of DJ Bobo's first performances in Berlin in the 90s, I never would have believed that many years later I would hire him for an event. I will remember that forever.
