Last year, Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre made strides in various areas of sustainability, leveraging these advancements to drive its growth strategy. The sustainability report highlights the centre’s sustainability efforts in 2024.
Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre promotes its clients’ businesses, provides inspiration to visitors, and strengthens the economy. The company’s mission is to foster growth through encounters, with sustainability being a core part of its strategy. As a pioneer in the events industry, the Expo Centre has been publishing its sustainability report since 2020.
“For us, sustainability is always about actions, and we have been taking these actions consistently and will continue to do so. Sustainability fits well with our business, as exhibitions are a true example of a circular economy. For instance, most of the structures can be reused in subsequent events,” says Hanne Lindroos, Sustainability Manager at Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre.
“Our staff regularly work shifts where they inform exhibitors about eco-points and recycling during the setup and dismantling of events. Additionally, environmental inspectors work at the expos to assist customers and regularly check the Expo Centre’s eco-points and other areas,” Lindroos lists.
Progress was made last year in waste management, with the recycling rate improving from 19% to 23%. This positive trend has been achieved through systematic efforts, including guiding customers on waste sorting. The Expo Centre also started collecting and recycling plastic packaging last year.
The environmental inspectors are employed by the Expo Centre’s partner, SOL.
Sustainability also advanced in the food and beverage sector: the Expo Centre’s restaurant services were awarded the EcoCompass certificate, which verifies environmentally friendly practices and their continuous improvement. The
Centre’s partner in restaurant and catering services is NoHo Partners.
Significant economic impact
A key aspect of Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre’s sustainability work is the economic and employment impact of the event venue on its surroundings. Last year, events held at the Centre generated a revenue stream of €245 million for the Helsinki metropolitan area, with the employment impact of the expo operations amounting to 3,335 person-years.
The comparative figures for 2023 were €187 million and 2,535 person-years. Thus, the economic impact grew by a remarkable 31%.
In 2024, the Finnish Fair Corporation organised over 500 events, ranging from expos and international congresses to annual general meetings and celebrations, attracting nearly 900,000 visitors in total.
Read the sustainability report here.
