Over the past summer, Helsinki has been able to enjoy wonderful, memorable concerts by world-class artists. In June, Metallica played two concerts in the Olympic Stadium, and in July, the stadium got to witness Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band as well as four sold-out concerts by Coldplay.
“We welcome the vibrancy and joy brought by these events. Event-goers described Helsinki as a functional, safe and vivid event city. This is a very postitive signal for us, as we develop our readiness to put on events,” says the City of Helsinki’s Head of Brand, Events & Marketing Sanna Forsström.
The seven arena concerts organised by Live Nation Finland brought a significant economic boost to Helsinki, as event-goers spent a total of 114 million euros during their visits. Most of this amount, approximately 100 million euros, was made up of consumption by visitors from outside Helsinki. Roughly 53 million euros was spent outside the Olympic Stadium on services and shopping in the Helsinki area. This information is based on a recent visitor survey implemented by Sponsor Insight.
Memorable concerts improved life satisfaction
Visitors were exceptionally satisfied with the events. The NPS score reflecting the willingness of the respondent to recommend the event was 90 for the Coldplay concerts, which is a very high number. Up to 97 per cent of Coldplay concert-goers felt that the event improved their life satisfaction. A further 91 per cent felt that the event was memorable. Nearly 97 per cent of respondents felt safe during their visit. These figures highlight the fact that the events were successful and the visitors were very pleased with the organisation.
The organisers also view the summer as very successful.
“This summer of events has been historic. In addition to record numbers of visitors, we have been able to work together with our partners and do what we do best: bring great artists together with their fans and create memorable moments, improve people’s lives and produce material good,” rejoices Live Nation Finland’s Managing Director Tomi Saarinen.
“The renewed Olympic Stadium made a comeback as a world-tour venue that attracted a lot of new visitors to the stadium. The concerts were a merging of large-scale implementation, opportunities offered by the stadium and a unique atmosphere, which made the events special for the artists and audience as well,” says Stadium Director Ari Kuokkanen.
Helsinki attracted event-goers
The four Coldplay concerts brought approximately 63 million euros to Helsinki, whereas the two concerts by Metallica brought in approximately 36 million euros.
Metallica played in Helsinki on a Friday and a Sunday, which is why some visitors stayed in Helsinki for longer. Roughly one in three Metallica and Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band audience members paid for their accommodation, and 90 per cent of them chose to stay in the city. The proportion of concert visitors living in Helsinki varied between 15 per cent and 25 per cent. One in five Metallica concert-goers arrived with their child, whereas 15 per cent of Coldplay concert-goers took their child along to the show.
Approximately 95 per cent of concert-goers arriving from outside Helsinki travelled to Helsinki specifically to attend these events. This shows that people are willing to travel both to other cities and abroad to attend concerts. More than 50 per cent of the visitors travelled to Helsinki using public transport, and roughly half of them chose a long-distance train. Approximately 60 per cent of local respondents used public transport services when travelling to the event venue.
The visitor survey commissioned by the City of Helsinki and the Olympic Stadium was conducted by Sponsor Insight. More than 23,000 event-goers responded to the survey.
