Events at mountain resort with overlapping value in “Greenstyle”

The White Arena Group is a mountain resort company operating in the three Swiss villages Flims, Laax and Falera, and was already portrayed regarding its green ski hotel (see below). The Group organizes events offering value in overlapping contexts which correspond to the external demand interfaces of Deep-Connect value. These events are bundled under the brand GREENSTYLE which the Group launched in 2010 as an umbrella for all its many and varied sustainability activities.

An event in the resort with Deep-Connect value was actually a kind of “exhibition”. The LAAX Vintage Days took place on 24 and 25 August 2019 at the piazza of the shi hotel named rocksresort. The exhibition linked value for the visitor in several contexts, all of which embodied value in Deep-Connect. 

• First, the visitor could choose from the offerings of 17 exhibitors, united by the theme of sustainable consumption. A unique concentration of used and sustainably produced garments was available, which could both cover existing as well as expand into new areas the preferences of consumers. 
• Second, music and food – with a focus on vegetarian and vegan dishes – provided inspiration for an environmentally conscious lifestyle. 
• Third, lectures, workshops and a film introduced the related themes of vintage clothes and sustainability. 
• Fourth, the reuse of clothes was supported by a free mending service for clothes brought in by visitors, along with a demonstration of upcycling. 
• Fifth, five percent of the exhibitors’ income went to the Greenstyle Foundation and is in turn used for the preservation and protection of the environment in the entire destination Flims Laax Falera. 
• Sixth, visitors were invited to sell their old clothes. Clothing items delivered in advance were selected and prepared for resale. The proceeds from the items sold went 50 percent to the owner and 50 percent to the Greenstyle Foundation. 

Additional events of the White Arena Group were also designed according to the principles of sustainability and value in multiple contexts, as in the following

• The meaningfulness of maintaining and upgrading the Unesco World Natural Heritage Site Tectonic Arena Sardona above Flims was underlined by the networking of sport and culture. In the summer of 2019, 26 hammocks were strung on site to form the longest hammock chain in the world. Nearby, an 800-meter long highline – the longest in Switzerland – was set up, whereupon several top slackline artists from all over the world demonstrated their skills. Right next to it an art installation was realized. A crystal, built from slackline straps, ropes and hammocks, was mounted on the rock next to the waterfall. The crystal is symbolically based on a snow or water crystal and refers to the water erosion in the mountains.
• Sustainability characterizes the “Sudden-Rush Banked Slalom.” The discipline combines casual snowboarding through steep turns with speed and is considered the original discipline of snowboard competition. The participants are a colourful mixture of hobby athletes, active professionals and former top athletes, whereby the latter can probably be called living snowboard legends. During the competition there were discussions with experts about sustainability; advertising media made of recycled wood as well as start numbers from old banners, produced without date to be able to reuse them; the course was completely hand shaped without machine support; Patagonia’s Worn Wear Repair Tour stopped in Laax so that outdoor clothing of all brands were repaired free of charge; wildlife protected areas were avoided in constructing the course; and part of the entry fees was donated to the Atlantic Rainforest Institution and the Greenstyle Foundation of the Group, which supports regional environmental protection projects. A casual and celebratory atmosphere overlaid the entire event. Xavier De Le Rue, former Freeride World Champion and for the first time at the SuddenRush Banked Slalom, summed it up wonderfully: “It’s totally satisfying that the snowboarding vibe is so alive here in LAAX. This event is so refreshing and simply heartwarming. I will certainly come back.“
• The “Swiss Ice Challenge” generated new experiences or sources of value through the in-depth networking of digitisation, the touristic destination LAAX, the cooperation of two different organisations and the central role of communities – among participants, in the local area and in solidarity with non-profit organisations. In the event itself, it is simply a matter of the participants “lightly dressed” – in T-shirt and shorts – walking back and forth between Crap Sogn Gion and Crap Masegn in the depths of winter. What sounds like a teenage prank, however, primarily promotes awareness of the health-promoting aspect of “self-leadership”, which the Erna Foundation in charge is striving for. In a six-week online preparation programme, the approximately 100 participants are trained to control their own breathing, heart rate and blood circulation and thus to cope better with external conditions. Well-known personalities from cultural and sports circles took part and the six-figure donations collected were given to two charitable organisations. The ambience of the Weisse Arena Group was value-enhancing, as the Erna Foundation had chosen the company as the ideal partner for “somewhat different events” like this one and is striving for a long-term partnership.

In the context of the environment, the White Arena Group takes an extremely active stance. For the Group, a sustainable approach to nature is fully in line with its sustainable management as a company: “We offer our guests experiences in a unique natural environment. Our business activities are always in harmony with these natural resources and we are committed to sustainable use of them, because an intact environment is a guarantee for our future and for the next generation.” In order to emphasise this principle, the Group launched the GREENSTYLE brand in 2010 as the hallmark for all efforts in favour of the environment. The brand sensitises employees, business partners and customers to the environment. WAG is convinced that the positive ecological balance of a holiday resort will attract customers. 

In autumn 2019 WAG announced an ambitious vision for GREENSTYLE, in which Flims Laax Falera is to become the first self-sufficient alpine resort. The entire energy demand of the resort is to be covered by regional renewable energy. To this end, the Group has drawn up a comprehensive 7-point plan, ranging from the electrified mobility and decarbonisation of the buildings to expanding the production of renewable energy. As a groundbreaking thought-provoking impulse, WAG presents the cheeky closing remark: “Imagine our resort is transformed from consumer to producer of energy.”