Our students had a great time volunteering at the Swiss City Marathon in Luzern, one of the biggest events to take place in our home city...
As a school that has a strong connection to our Swiss location, we like to engage as much as possible with local events.
One of the biggest sporting occasions to take place right on our doorstep is the Swiss City Marathon, held every October in Luzern.
The event brings together over 10,000 runners across the three distances - marathon, half-marathon and 10km - and sees the city's streets fill with supporters, banners and bands, all in support of the sporty participants.
Highlights of the 2024 Swiss City Marathon event.
For over 10 years now, IMI's students have volunteered at the event, providing fruit and snacks to the finishers as they reach Luzern's famous Verkehrshaus (Transport Museum).
Whether they have completed their 10km, 21km or 42km route, our students' smiling faces are always a very welcome sight to greet the runners at the finish line (as well as the much welcome nourishments they provide).
From an academic perpsective, this is a great opportunity for our future industry leaders to be involved in a mass event that brings together participants from across the globe.
As well as witnessing first-hand the preparation and organisation involved in such a big operation, the volunteers also get to experience the energy and excitement that such events instil in all those present.
Our student volunteers enjoy themselves while waiting for the runners to arrive at the finish line.
By involving our students in events like the Swiss City Marathon, we help to bring alive the classroom teaching and give them real-world exposure to the types of roles they may want to take in their future careers.
And this year, it was not just the IMI students playing their part, we also had a staff member taking part in the run.
IMI Regional Manager, Wilton, completed the half-marathon race, finishing the course in a very respectable time (especially considering he had signed up as a last-minute participant).
"The Swiss crowd and city organisers were incredible – my half marathon was filled with fun music, Swiss horns, and every “hop hop hop!” along the route felt like a surge of energy keeping me moving! Wilton Carvalho - IMI Regional Manager and half-marathon finisher
Whether running, volunteering or spectating, all those involved in the 2024 event had a fantastic time and came away with some great memories and experiences.
IMI's relationship with the Swiss City Marathon is one that we value highly and affords our students a unique opportunity to be involved in one of the biggest events to take part in Luzern each year.
In terms of both academic development and student experience, the volunteers benefit massively, not only from putting their hospitality skills into practice but also from the direct exposure to event management at this scale.
A big thank you to all our student volunteers for 2024, and we can't wait to experience the excitement all over again at the 2025 event.
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