Meeting and Congress Tourism

Congresses and Corporate Events as drivers of Innovation and Sustainability in the Helsinki Capital Region

The objective of the project is to make the capital region the most attractive and sustainable destination in Europe for scientific organization congresses and corporate events. Through this, it aims to increase the region's visibility, foster networking among experts from diverse fields, and promote innovations and investments. To achieve this goal, there is a need for education and training in constructing sustainable meeting products, calculating and reducing carbon footprints, and establishing a unified communication strategy. Competitive advantage will be sought through sustainability, supporting the entire sector in its green transition and piloting products for international markets.

The project aspires to achieve a leading position, particularly in the organization of sustainable scientific association congresses and corporate events. This entails engaging the entire service chain and all stakeholders in development initiatives and strengthening cooperation among universities, research institutes, businesses, and cities. Additionally, the project's measures aim to enhance understanding of the impact of meetings and congresses, not only in terms of immediate economic benefits but also as a "legacy" that scientific association congresses and corporate events bring to the capital region. International benchmarks will be used to explore impact monitoring models, and a model specific to the capital region will be selected for piloting. Furthermore, a digital tool for verifying impact will be piloted with businesses. By increasing understanding, cities can better target future initiatives to attract scientific association congresses and corporate events to the capital region.

The project consists of five components:

1. Assessment of the current situation and the establishment of a collaborative network
2. Measurement of impact and sustainability
3. Sustainable development, conceptualization, and productization
4. Story for communication and marketing
5. Pilot marketing

The project will be executed between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2025 and is co-funded by the European Union via Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council. Enter Espoo Oy will implement the project. There is also financing from Enter Espoo and the cities of Vantaa and Helsinki. All project activities will be targeted at the areas of all three cities. The project planning involved the participation of congress industry stakeholders, and the project has received endorsements from several corporations and companies, as well as Visit Finland, the University of Helsinki, and Aalto University.
 

Main Image: Salla Repo