Lugano, European capital of communication

In November 2018, Lugano will host the seventh edition of the biannual conference of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA), the leading association in Europe for researchers and academics in the field of communication. 

The conference will see over a thousand experts convene in the southern Alpine and Italian-speaking city of Lugano to discuss – through dozens of parallel sessions – a wide range of current topics, including the uses of media, their relationship with democracy, crisis communication, the portrayal of science and of the migration phenomena. The USI Faculty of Communication Sciences supports the event and its academic aspects are organised by professors Gabriele Balbi, Lorenzo Cantoni, and Katharina Lobinger. 

The President of ECREA, Ilija Tomanič Trivundža, stated, “The selection of location of ECREA’s ECC conferences is always also an acknowledgement of the importance of local scientific partners. Selection of Lugano as the host of 2018 ECC conference is thus explicit acknowledgement of the research excellence of The Faculty of Communication Sciences and of the long term contribution of scholars from Università della Svizzera Italiana to both our field and to our association”. 

Upon signing the agreement (image), the Dean of the Faculty of Communication Sciences, Prof. Andrea Rocci underscored the importance of the conference, which “next year will make Lugano the international capital of communication, exposing hundreds of dynamic and leading researchers in the field to our unique approach to communication and to the beauty of our city”. 

On behalf of the local authorities, Roberto Badaracco (Head of the Culture, Sports and Events department of the City of Lugano) and Claudio Chiapparino (Director of the Events and Congress Division) highlighted the City's commitment to help organise the conference and actively support this kind of events, expressing "gratitude to USI – like with regional entities – for its contribution in increasing the reputation of Lugano as an international congressional centre”. 

Also in 2018, Lugano and the USI Faculty of Communication Sciences will host the annual conference of the Swiss Association of Communication and Media Research (SACMR), the association that supports, since 1974, the discussion on the discipline by fostering dialogue between theory and practice. Its 280 members – lecturers and experts in the field – will gather in Lugano from April 12 to 13 to take part in the conference with the title “Next door giants: exploring Media, Languages, Cultures and Borders in Switzerland and Europe”.

For information on ECREA: www.ecrea.eu/about

For information on SACMR: https://sgkm.ch/en