The City of Helsinki is a cooperation partner of the growth company event held for the 16th time this autumn. Held in Messukeskus Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre on 20–21 November, Slush will bring together 13,000 attendees from 90 countries. International visitors appreciate how well Helsinki’s services work, as well as the city’s safety. In addition to its attendees, Slush will benefit the entire city.
“Once again, Slush will bring new business activities, international contacts and positive, future-oriented thinking to Helsinki and Finland! Slush is an important cooperation partner for the City as we are working towards bringing new investments and know-how to Helsinki. Slush promotes Helsinki’s international renown and improves the city’s image around the world,” comments Mayor of Helsinki Juhana Vartiainen.
The annual event is an important channel for increasing the international renown of Finland and Helsinki, and for attracting international investors to the area.
“Creating new businesses and jobs is the objective of Business Helsinki’s operations. Slush is the most important meeting place for startups and investors, as well as the most important growth event of the year in Helsinki,” says Director of Economic Development Marja-Leena Rinkineva from the City of Helsinki.
This year’s theme is change
“Right now, growth entrepreneurs are struggling with fundamental challenges, and Slush 2024 is intended to provide solutions to these very challenges,” says Slush CEO Aino Bergius.
“This year’s theme, Metamorphosis, refers to a change that today’s growth entrepreneurs and investors can bring about together through new technology. Funding is somewhat short, but Slush will bring together more than 5,500 startups and operators and 3,300 investors, which is a record-breaking number,” Bergius continues.
Slush serves as a channel for international investments in Helsinki
“Slush has put the Finnish startup field on the map, turning the world’s eyes on Helsinki every year. This is important because Finland’s investment opportunities and successful innovation ecosystem are still not known widely enough,” says Director of Strategic Initiatives Johanna Huurre from Helsinki Partners.
“Many international investors are surprised by how well Finnish funds do and how many unicorns, i.e. valuable growth companies, come from the Nordic and Baltic countries. Slush provides an opportunity to tell international investors about these opportunities and generate interest in Helsinki,” Huurre continues.
In 2023, international Slush visitors appreciated Helsinki’s safety, openness, functional services and freedom in particular. All of the aforementioned were given a grade above four on a scale of 1–5. Helsinki’s sustainability and humaneness were also given a grade of nearly four. This information is based on a survey conducted with roughly 1,400 international Slush visitors.
Every international visitor brings roughly one thousand euros to Helsinki
On average, the international guests and attendees of the event stay in Helsinki for three nights. Last year’s international visitors spent roughly one thousand euros each in Helsinki. This figure does not include flight and event tickets.
The event has a considerable effect on local accommodation providers’ occupancy rate. Last November, the occupancy rate of rooms was 60%, but during the event, the occupancy rate of hotel rooms was over 90%.
Impact Lounge creates impactful connections
Helsinki will also hold its own Helsinki Impact Lounge in Messukeskus, curated by the City of Helsinki’s marketing and business service organisations Helsinki Partners and Business Helsinki. Impact Lounge has its own event programme to promote international cooperation and Helsinki’s position in the startup world.startup-maailmassa edistävä tapahtumatarjontansa.
