In October, the main event of Nordic Business Forum will gather business professionals from around 60 different countries to Helsinki. The two-day conference will bring around 2000 foreign visitors to Finland to create new connections, network and listen to inspiring talks by international top speakers. Finavia has been Nordic Business Forum’s partner since 2017.
Nordic Business Forum, founded in Jyväskylä, Finland in 2010, has quickly become one of Europe’s top business conferences, and the organisation now hosts events in Finland, Sweden and Norway.
“For the first four years, our flagship event was hosted in Jyväskylä. As the conference kept growing, we decided to organise it in Helsinki, mainly because of the excellent international flight connections from Helsinki Airport to different parts of the world,” Hans Peter Siefen says.
This year, the theme of the event is growth. Some of the keynote speakers include actor George Clooney, entrepreneur Randi Zuckerberg and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.
Helsinki Airport is a connection hub of international air traffic
For decades, Helsinki Airport has been Finland’s gateway to the world. Due to its strategic location, the airport has put Finland on the map as an international hub of business between the East and West. Consequently, it serves as an essential operator for the Nordic business.
With its vast route network and accessibility, Helsinki Airport has established an important role in serving passengers from the Nordics and the Baltic area.
“Without great flight connections, international business in Finland would be very difficult, which also applies to organising an international seminar. There is an excellent train connection to Helsinki from St. Petersburg and a quick ferry connection from Tallinn, but from other directions, flight connections are essential,” says Siefen.
Growth from international connections
Nordic Business Forum’s flagship event in Helsinki aims at becoming one of the world’s most noteworthy conferences by 2021. Siefen find’s this year’s theme, growth, to be inspiring.
“Growth comes mostly from learning. In the words of Albert Einstein, ‘intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.’ Nowadays no organisation can grow or even keep their current market position without continuous development and learning,” Siefen says.
Helsinki Airport has seen strong growth in passenger numbers in the recent years. In 2018, the number of yearly passengers exceeded 20 million for the first time. Right now, the airport is under renovation, which will make it even more spacious, experiential and innovative. This will also support Helsinki’s position as an international travelling and conference destination.
“The Helsinki region is a great place for hosting Nordic Business Forum and other international events. The infrastructure is great, and the extensive flight connection from Helsinki Airport to Asia also bring interesting opportunities for reaching audiences in that part of the world,” Siefen concludes.
In addition to supporting international business, Finavia gets marketing advantage out of the partership.
“For Finavia, the partnership is an opportunity to meet important stakeholders and tell about Finavia’s importance and services, development and connections of Helsinki Airport. There are numerous guests from near-by areas, especially from Estonia, to whom we wish Helsinki Airport to become another home base”, says Anna Tuomi, Finavia’s Head of Marketing.
