The programme
In early 2010 noze applied to the Tuscany Region internationalisation call with an investment programme to extend its offering to the extra-EU market, and in particular to Switzerland, where noze had already delivered a number of projects at the International Labour Office (ILO) in Geneva.
The strategic goal: move from an occasional presence to a stable foothold in the Swiss market, both to serve ILO and to acquire new customers across SMEs, large companies, research institutes, international organisations, schools and government bodies.
Investment plan
- Opening of a Geneva office — leasing a commercial space for one year, with a local real-estate agency handling the negotiation
- Sending a Project Manager on-site — bilingual English/French and with prior experience living in Geneva
- Workshops in Geneva on noze’s core technologies:
- Plone and content management
- Open Source and the benefits it brings
- Alfresco and document management
- Zimbra and email
- Information and promotional material in Italian, translated into French
- SEM optimisation of noze’s website for the Swiss market
- 2 inbound meetings at the Polo Tecnologico di Navacchio (Pisa) for foreign operators and investors
- Business French course for employees and partners
To support the programme, noze consulted the Département des affaires régionales, de l’économie et de la santé of the Canton of Geneva, the body that promotes foreign investment in Switzerland.
Rationale
Opening the Geneva office addressed a number of concrete motivations: a strategic geographic position at the centre of Europe, high credibility towards both Northern and Southern European markets, the country’s quality of life and stability, favourable market conditions and a Swiss public administration particularly proactive in supporting foreign companies. The experience built up at ILO was the natural starting point for a growth strategy beyond Italian borders.