With the aim of holding events in as many different countries as possible, the EME Division of TEA pursued connections with Finnish members to put together a first-rate programme over two packed days in Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland – and the home of Santa Claus.
For those who arrived the night before, things kicked off with a visit to the Arktikum Museum, guided by the managing director Hannele Koskiniemi. This was followed by a trip to the Pilke Science Centre under the auspices of the exhibition manager Heikki Hepoaho.
The nation celebrates its centenary in 2017 and the museum puts the history of Finland and Rovaniemi into context.
Sustainability is key
There’s a huge focus on sustainability in Finland, with forestry being top of the list in Lapland. One of the event’s sponsors, Lappset, runs a business which is very dependent on local timber, as we saw firsthand. In all cases, there’s an emphasis on zero waste. Every last shaving is used.
We collected the rest of the group from the airport – and many were surprised to be met by Elf Candy, our host, as they landed on the evening flight. We set off into the Lappish forest to explore Santa Claus Secret Forest of Joulukka.
Apart from meeting Santa Claus and visiting his command bunker, members of the group also tried their hand at ice sculpting, with ice and lessons supplied by Taavi Heikkila from Frozen Innovations – the constructors of the Arctic SnowHotel that we visited the following day.
After that we relaxed in the Finnish way with a traditional smoke sauna, hot tubs and lake swimming. Our hosts for the evening were Illka Länkinen and Katja Ikäheimo Länkinen. Their hospitality was without bounds.
The visit overlapped with the Arctic Design Week conference – particularly its main seminar on 25 February, during which the keynote presentation, Designing for Extremes, was given by Keith James of JRA. Keith, a past president of TEA, received a lifetime achievement award at the TEA’s Thea Awards in April (see our report on page 18).
Arctic Design Week is aimed at the many industries and universities in the area. Following the keynote, a mix of speakers from the Scandinavian design community were among the slate of presenters, including several TEA members. They included Matt Barton (7th Sense), Stephen Richards (Paragon Creative), Nick Farmer (Farmer Attraction Development) and Johan Granholm (Lappset Creative). Julius Oforsagd was responsible for organising the event and inviting TEA to participate.
The group went to the Lappset factory for a tour of the facility and then onto the Santa Park to connect with our “inner elves”. Some also went on to Rovaniemi’s Arctic SnowHotel for a dinner and a tour of what is a truly unique experience. Some of the braver souls also stayed in the hotel.
TEA EME Division is indebted to the event sponsors: Electrosonic, Lappset Creative and SantaPark, and in particular to Asko Alanen from Lappset. Without his cooperation and support this event would have not been the success it was.