Helsinki as an event partner

This page contains information on event partnership and events organised by the city. We will tell you more about the Helsinki brand, which is an important part of our event organising. You will also find the contact information of city employees who work in association with events.

Learn more about the forms of cooperation and our activities

Major events and partnership events

Are you planning to organise a major event in Helsinki? Do you want the City of Helsinki as an event partner? Start by filling in the electronic event partnership application form. Our event advisors process the form and decide on how to proceed in the matter.

Partnership events can recur annually or be individual one-off events, for instance, large sports events, arena concerts or major events awarded after an international bidding process. Our partnership events also include congresses and B2B events.

Apply event partnership (application in Finnish)

You can submit an application form at any time you wish. Please determine the following information before filling in the form:

  • event date
  • budget and grants
  • cooperation partners
  • event venue
  • sustainability and accessibility of the event
  • traffic and infra
  • estimated number of visitors

The application criteria include, for example, the event’s impact on the vitality, well-being and attractiveness of the City, compliance with the City’s strategic focus areas and economic impact.


Examples of our partnership events:

  • Flow
  • Helsinki Cup
  • Helsinki Design Week
  • Helsinki Running Day
  • Pride
  • SLUSH
  • Tuska

If you need help completing the electronic application, please contact Event Advisor Heidi Forss-Anila (heidi.forss-anila@hel.fi).

 

Congress applications
Helsinki Partners assists organisers of international congresses free of charge with things like the application process, selection of meeting rooms and suitable partners and service providers, and pre-marketing of the congress.

Helsinki has performed well in the competition for international congresses. Helsinki’s strengths as a congress city include a reliable reputation, high level of service, good connections, safety, top competence and high-quality research in many fields of science.

Helsinki Convention Bureau contact information

Helsinki is the most important event city and the largest organisation in Finland. We are constantly improving our practices to make organising events go even more smoothly.
 
We have workgroups where event advisors from different city divisions and organisations work together to promote eventness and the smooth organisation of events in Helsinki. Some of the groups focus on the development of eventness and strategic guidelines, while others streamline the grass root processes of organising events. The groups agree on things like land use, safety, noise restriction guidelines and event-related traffic arrangements to promote a smooth and open flow of information and ensure compliance with the strategic guidelines.

  1. City Board

    Responsible for the most significant strategic policies related to events, such as the Helsinki tourism and events programme; decides on major event applications.
     

  2. City Executive Group

    Responsible for significant eventness-related strategic policies and decisions on major events. Chaired by the Mayor.

  3. Major event-steering group

    Accelerates and aligns the decision-making process for large-scale events and ensures the smooth flow of internal information. The group ensures that events comply with the City Strategy goals and monitors the implementation of the Helsinki tourism and events programme. Chaired by the Mayor.

  4. Events advisory board

    Is an external advisory board for event development. Promotes the competitiveness of Helsinki's event scene and gives concrete proposals to the city. The chairman is Sami Kerman, CEO of the Finnish Event Industry Association.

  5. Event steering group

    Brings together experts from the City of Helsinki and its subsidiary organisations to develop eventness. The group agrees on practical policies and ensures that the organisation of events in Helsinki goes smoothly. The group also ensures the implementation and progress of the goals in the action programme. Chaired by Sanna Forsström, Head of Brand unit, tel.

    Event steering group organisation:

    City divisions
    City Executive Office
    Culture and Leisure Division
    Urban Environment Division
    Education Division

    Other actors
    Helsinki Partners
    Event Foundation
    Helsinki City Premises Ltd
    On-site event group

    Resolves practical problems, identifies practical development needs and ensures that the City is a good partner for event organisers. The on-site group aims to promote cooperation between City divisions. Chaired by Päivi Munther, Project Manager, Events.

  6. On-site group organisation

    Resolves practical problems, identifies practical development needs and ensures that the City is a good partner for event organisers. The on-site group aims to promote cooperation between City divisions. Chaired by Päivi Munther, Project Manager, Events.

    On-site group organisation:
    City divisions
    City Executive Office
    Culture and Leisure Division
    Urban Environment Division

    Other actors
    Event Foundation
    Helsinki City Premises Ltd
    Kiinteistö Oy Kaapelitalo
    Police
    HSL
    Rescue Department

A light show in the heart of the darkest winter, a surprise art gift in an apartment building courtyard, Helsinki birthday carnival in June and the best canned-herring products selected by the herring jury. These are some examples of experiences produced by the Helsinki Event Foundation.

Launched as a subsidiary organisation to the City of Helsinki in January 2019, Helsinki Event Foundation organises such public City events as Helsinki Festival, Lux Helsinki, Helsinki Day, Helsinki’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, Baltic Herring Market and Helsinki Christmas Market. The foundation also promotes Helsinki’s eventness.

Helsinki Event Foundation

We make use of our highly recognisable visual identity in all Helsinki events. This visual identity includes the Helsinki frame logo, as well as a specific colour palette, font and wave motifs. You can find a comprehensive information package on the visual identity of the Helsinki brand on our Brand.hel.fi webpages. If you have received a grant from the City of Helsinki, please make sure to use the Helsinki logo in your communications on websites, brochures, advertisements and the like.

Brand.hel.fi visual identity guidelines

 

An important part of the brand is the feeling that Helsinki conveys to different audiences. We want Helsinki to be an attractive, functional and responsible event location where it is easy to participate in events and even organise them yourself at a low threshold in every part of the city.

Helsinki Material Bank offers Helsinki brand-specific images for your events. Be sure to mention the photographer’s name and source when publishing an image.

Images and videos from MyHelsinki Material Bank

 

 

You can apply for grants awarded by the Culture and Leisure Division for the organisation of events.  The grants come at no cost and are intended to cover the costs of the event or other separately specified purposes.

The grants are divided into four categories: culture, sports, youth activities and the promotion of hobby and physical activities. You can apply for a grant from the body appropriate to your event.

Learn more about the grants and how to apply for them:

Grants – City of Helsinki

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