Launched in March 2022 in Helsinki’s prime location Töölönlahti, Little Finlandia will continue Finlandia Hall’s great story of Finnish design, experiential events and Finnish food. The event center has won several awards for its communication, including a SABRE Awards finalist nomination and a Finnish Comms Award. Business success has followed successful communication.

Challenge

Long-term and persistent communication was done strategically and carefully. The challenge was to consistently deliver messages that build the story of Finnish design, sustainability, local food and experience alongside Alvar Aalto’s architecture. It was important to get the message across to citizens in Helsinki and tourists in other parts of Finland and internationally. Little Finlandia is an open meeting place where everyone is welcome. The message of the renovation of Finlandia Hall was “Open for everyone – open to everything”.

Solution

The power of working together is  powerful. Right from the launch, Finlandia Hall built a talent pool of world-class experts in communications, social media and international marketing. The solution was to build a long-term communications continuum, with each stage reflecting Finlandia Hall’s own story, identity and operating philosophy. 

The first step was Little Finlandia’s launch event, where the key messages were reflected in everything. The event was an experience of a lifetime, with Mika Jokela’s perfect and surprising local Finnish cuisine from Little Finlandia’s own talented kitchen. 

The aim was to raise media awareness and media visibility of the new event center and its potential to host a wide range of events. The launch of Little Finlandia was also intended to make the general public aware of the new meeting place, where they can walk from Töölönlahti directly to the Finlandia Cafe&Wine.

Results

Constant, persistent communication paid off. Little Finlandia exceeded its initial 12-month turnover target in just nine months. Little Finlandia has organized around 400 national and international events.  The café’s occupancy rate was three times higher than the target. International and domestic media attention has exceeded all expectations. According to Meltwater’s statistics, the earned media reach of Finlandia Hall exceeded 150 million. It won a prize at Finnish Comms Awards and was a finalist in the SABRE Awards. 

News coverage of the different phases of the renovation of Finlandia Hall took over the airwaves. The messages went through. The Experience Finlandia concept, the mini hotel, the Finlandia Lounge and many other new and exciting services were featured in Finland’s biggest media: Helsingin Sanomat, MTV3’s ten o’clock news, YLE, Hufvudstadsbladet and many other media. The communication could not have been more successful.

Customer experience

“Business goals were met and exceeded. A resounding success. I am extremely satisfied with the communication reports. The results could not be better. We have brought the event industry back on track”, CEO Johanna Tolonen, Finlandia-talo.

“Ahjo, Helsinki Partners, advertising agency RED and PING Helsinki worked intensively to launch the new event center at Töölönlahti. With a fast schedule and close cooperation, we achieved wonders together. Our good partners worked with fire and passion. The best part of our collaboration was the constant sparring and direct feedback that pushed us all to super performance. Thanks to Ahjo, Helsinki Partners, RED and PING Helsinki (headlines and visuals RED)”, Minna Sauramaa, Director of Marketing and Communications, Finlandia Hall.