Rovaniemi hosts Int´l B2B networking event

More than half a century entrepreneurs gathered in Lumi Resort outside Rovaniemi in the Rovaniemi networking event organised by Business Rovaniemi, Elves Events, and Rovaniemen Yrittäjät for international entrepreneurs on October 24.

The event stimulated the participants to exchange their success stories, discuss the struggles they faced on the way, and do some networking.

The evening kicked off with a handshake game that allowed for a more relaxed and friendly atmosphere amongst the guests. Having successfully broken the ice, one of the hosts, Marika Tiikkaja of Rovaniemen Yrittäjät, gave floor to Rovaniemi Mayor Esko Lotvonen.

In his addresss, Lotvonen talked about the last 10 years in the development of Rovaniemi as a town and what the future decade might bring to it. The mayor highlighted the growth of Rovaniemi’s citizen count: “In the last five years, Rovaniemi’s population has grown by 3%, which makes the current population count at 63,000 citizens. During the last 10 years, we have built 5,000 new flats”.

The mayor spoke about the construction of new schools, the renovation of the city hall and the construction of the new swimming pool which are all taking place in the near future.

Rovaniemi is experiencing a quite eventful business life at the moment, noted Mr. Lotvonen, adding, “Every year there are new companies established. The number of guests, tourists has been increasing. Flights to Rovaniemi from new destinations are being launched. For example, we will have direct flights from Istanbul, one of the biggest hubs in Europe,” shared the city leader.

Referring to the economic problems and uncertainties like Brexit and the trade war between the USA and China that the global society is tackling at the moment, Lotvonen however pointed out that the Rovaniemi government stays optimistic with one of the reasons being its thriving sector -- tourism.

It is reasonable to conclude that Rovaniemi welcomes new international businesses starting here, in the hometown of Santa Claus. “Rovaniemi is getting more and more international with 200 foreigners moving here every year. We are very happy about it. It brings more possibilities, new skills and, of course, networking to this place,” concluded Lotvonen.

Marika Tiikkaja from RovaniemenYrittäjät made a presentation in the event explaining the importance of networking to the entrepreneurs gathered. Tiikkaja encouraged businessmen to network with colleagues not only from their field but from different sectors as well. This advice was very relevant as the event welcomed entrepreneurs from the sectors of hospitality, food and catering, retail, clothing design, brewery, professional photography and many more.

Another reasonable advice from Tiikkaja was to use social media actively in order to connect virtually and maintain business relationships.

Tiikkaja’s presentation was followed by a quick introduction to the services offered by Rovaniemi association for entrepreneurs, Rovaniemen Yrittäjät. The non-profit organisation strives to support and consult local businesses. The benefits of Rovaniemen Yrittäjät membership include discounts on legal services, company illness expenses insurance, and many others.

The evening continued with a creative workshop organised by the newly established company Elves Event. The founders of the business, Dilixiati Bolati, Marko Salopek, Adriana Salopek and Se Won Kang introduced one of their products, “Antler of Art”, to the public. Under their guidance and supervision, the guests decorated real reindeer antlers with yarn to create their own unique Lappish souvenirs. Marko Salopek talked everyone through a year in the life of reindeer, focusing on every season in details. The process turned out to be both informative and entertaining as well as fun and creative.

Elves Events offered another creative workshop -- the candle crafting event -- which includes creating a unique hand-poured candle. Both the experiences definitely offer something new to the customary variety of tours and entertainment that Rovaniemi-based companies have to offer.

The evening wrapped up with a traditional Finnish dinner and two more presentations made by Mariela Pokka from Pokka Reindeer Hides and Artur Dutka from Lapin Panimo, the beer brewery. The entrepreneurs shared their success stories and warned the newly joined Rovaniemi businessmen about the difficulties they might meet along the way.

The evening resulted in many new connections acquired, business cards exchanged, and some serious networking done. It was definitely a successful event, thanks to the efficient organisation and the exciting and rich programme.