An undiscovered city waiting to be explored
Espoo is the second largest city in Finland, where modern architecture, top companies, culture, untouched wilderness, and a stunning archipelago come together.
What characterizes Espoo are its vast natural areas: seashores, archipelago, wilderness areas, and the lake highland waters. Visitors can also find a true countryside atmosphere in northern Espoo, magnificent historic manors, and villas with stories from past events. Espoo's cultural landscapes, built environments, and natural areas resemble a miniature Finland.
Several international companies, such as Kone and Neste Oil, have chosen Espoo as their home. The innovative atmosphere attracts top experts in science and research, and the city is internationally known as a pioneer in expertise, research, and sustainable urban development, with the Aalto University campus in Otaniemi at its core.
This, combined with Espoo's location next to the capital city of Helsinki, creates great opportunities for various business events.
Finland's second most popular congress city
Espoo has been Finland's second most popular congress city (fright after Helsinki) for years, and it's no wonder. Espoo strongly attracts international professionals in science and research: the main campus of Aalto University and the concentration of research centers, expertise, and business in the capital region bring thousands of congress visitors and business travellers to Espoo annually.
5 reasons why choose Espoo
Innovation and creativity
Otaniemi in Espoo, the home of international Finnish companies like Fortum, Kone, and Rovio Entertainment's Angry Birds, is Northern Europe's leading innovation and technology hub, distinguished by a unique cluster of top-level research organisations, academic institutions, and technology-oriented businesses.
An essential part of this unique ecosystem is the main campus of Aalto University, including Finland's leading university of science and technology. Also, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the biggest multi-technological applied research organisation in Northern Europe, keeps its home in Espoo.
This attracts continuous interest from science, research, investors, and business professionals worldwide and significantly impacts Espoo's popularity as a congress destination.
Read more about Espoo's innovation ecosystem on the enterespoo.fi webpage.
Wild Nature and Finnish Culture
An essential part of many successful meetings is the chance to relax and rejuvenate. Espoo offers you a variety of means to do this. Nuuksio National Park, just 20 kilometres from many global company headquarters, is one of the most visited places in Espoo and offers endless possibilities for nature activities. So are you hungry for extreme experiences to counterbalance your meetings?
Enjoy the Finnish hospitality and traditions - try, for example, an authentic smoke sauna, jump into the lake for a refreshing swim or take a stroll in the beautiful woods. Taste traditional Finnish cuisine in one of the local restaurants or pick the ingredients (like berries, mushrooms, and herbs) and prepare the food yourself.
Espoo offers a chance to experience a glimpse of the Arctic, too; visit the Nuuksio Reindeer Park, meet the friendly Siberian huskies who love your hugs, and enjoy the evening in an authentic Lappish hut. Ice fishing, snowshoeing, and ice spa are a must during winter!
Check out the activity offering in Espoo or ask for tips directly from the Visit Espoo congress team - we are happy to help you!
Location in the Nordics - easy access and the quality of life
Espoo's location in coastal Finland, right next to the capital Helsinki, offers excellent traffic connections. We are easy to reach, just half an hour from the Helsinki International Airport and harbours. Helsinki Airport offers direct flights from 100 destinations worldwide.
Getting around Espoo and the capital area of Helsinki is easy and affordable, with an extensive public transportation network. The shortest journey to Helsinki takes only 15 minutes by metro.
Scandinavia is one of the most popular meeting regions in the world. The five countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, are famous for their pristine nature, excellent infrastructure, high-quality services, as well as their sustainable way of life, and equal opportunities for everybody. Even though the Scandinavian countries have much in common, they also have specific characteristics.
Sustainable values
In Espoo, tourism and business travel are developed and promoted with a focus on responsibility and sustainability. As a destination marketing company, Visit Espoo is committed to Visit Finland's Sustainable Travel Finland programme. Our bold vision for 2030 is to be the Nordics' most innovative and sustainable tourism area.
As a conference organiser, you can be sustainable by choosing Espoo's sustainable-certified service providers for your event. And we at Visit Espoo want to help you to do that. Read our tips for more sustainable event organisations in Espoo and find the right event partners.
Sustainable and flexible venues welcome you
Espoo offers versatile meeting facilities, from dedicated congress centres to historical manors and cosy villas by a lake. You will find something unique in Espoo, whether you have an intimate executive meeting, a congress for a thousand people, a formal banquet, or an outdoor gathering.
And most importantly, all the most significant venues and hotels have a strong commitment to a sustainable society.
Find out more on our visitor site
Hero image: Patrik Fageström.