In 2023, the Finnish Fair Corporation Group organised 33 fair events. In addition, 30 guest events and around 500 meetings, congresses, banquets, entertainment productions and special events were organised at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre. Event attendance recovered after the pandemic break, with companies reporting new sales records for their fair participations. A total of 883,280 visitors attended the events. Group turnover increased by 11.4 % year-on-year to EUR 51.3 million.
International congresses are very important for Helsinki and Finland. In 2023, eight international congresses were held at Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre, with 15 500 delegates and a revenue and employment impact of almost EUR 30 million.
The most significant service reform was the renewal of the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre’s entire restaurant selection in cooperation with the new restaurant partner NoHo Partners. In addition, events were launched and a completely new facility and service concept, the BÖLE Arena & Club, was introduced.
In Taloustutkimus’ 2023 survey of decision-makers in working life, Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre was among the leaders in its sector and by far the number one in the sector in terms of the functionality of fair and exhibition facilities, the range of services on offer, and the trustworthiness and operational reliability.
STRONG PROGRESS IN SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability became a priority in the strategy. An extensive survey of key stakeholders on sustainability was carried out, from which a double materiality assessment was derived. The analysis identified three sustainability themes for which targets and indicators were defined. Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre’s Sustainability Report 2023 provides more details on the progress of the sustainability work.
“This year is the first programmatically intact year since the pandemic, and we were able to once again develop our events, services and strategy in the long term. We are looking for growth both in new customer relationships, events and business models, and in better serving our customers as a total solutions provider. We want to grow in a sustainable and data-driven way. For us, responsibility is action“, says Anni Vepsäläinen, Managing Director of Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre.
