Fall in love with Espoo!

Why choose Espoo?

Espoo, the second-largest city in Finland, is a vibrant city full of contrasts. In Espoo, modern architecture, large corporations, and culture meet the unspoiled wilderness. Many substantial multinationals like Kone and Nokia have chosen Espoo as their home. Several leading Finnish companies have done the same. This innovative environment and spirit, complemented by the main campus of Aalto University, attracts continuous interest from science and research professionals worldwide.

Large natural areas are characteristic of Espoo: seashores, the archipelago, the wilderness in nature reserves, and the waterways of the lake highlands. The cultural landscapes, constructed environments, and natural areas of Espoo are like Finland in miniature. This, combined with Espoo's location, right next to the capital Helsinki, creates vast opportunities for all sorts of business events. Integrating part of the event in the capital Helsinki, just a 15-minute ride away, gives you the best of both worlds.

It is no wonder that Espoo is Finland's second most popular convention city. The city has a proven track record of hosting over 90 international association meetings and several corporate events annually. Aalto University, different research centres, and knowledge and business clusters in the metropolitan area annually bring thousands of meeting and conference guests to Espoo.

Innovation and Creativity

Otaniemi in Espoo, the home of international Finnish companies like Fortum, Kone, and Rovio Entertainment's Angry Birds, is Northern Europe's leading innovation and technology hub, distinguished by a unique cluster of top-level research organisations, academic institutions, and technology-oriented businesses. An essential part of this unique ecosystem is the main campus of Aalto University, including Finland's leading university of science and technology. Also, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the biggest multi-technological applied research organisation in Northern Europe, keeps its home in Espoo. This attracts continuous interest from science, research, investors, and business professionals worldwide and significantly impacts Espoo's popularity as a congress destination.

Otaniemi campus for international conferences

Wild Nature and Finnish Culture

An essential part of many successful meetings is the chance to relax and rejuvenate. Espoo offers you a variety of means to do this. Nuuksio National Park, just 20 kilometres away from global company headquarters, is one of the most visited places in Espoo and offers endless possibilities for nature activities. So are you hungry for extreme experiences to counterbalance your meetings?

Enjoy the Finnish hospitality and traditions - try, for example, an authentic smoke sauna, jump into the lake for a refreshing swim or take a stroll in the beautiful woods. Taste traditional Finnish cuisine in one of the local restaurants or pick the ingredients (like berries, mushrooms, and herbs) and prepare the food yourself. Or how about a rescue suit swimming in the frozen lake! Espoo offers a chance to experience a glimpse of the Arctic, too; visit the Reindeer Park, meet the friendly Siberian huskies which love your hugs, raise your adrenaline in a fast sledge dog ride and enjoy the evening with a dinner in an authentic Lappish hut. Ice fishing, snowshoeing, and ice spa are a must during winter!

Check out the program service providers in Espoo or ask for tips directly from the Visit Espoo congress team - we are happy to help you!

Location: Easy to reach, part of Scandinavia

Espoo's location in coastal Finland, right next to the capital Helsinki, offers excellent traffic connections. It is easy to reach, just half an hour from the Helsinki international airport and harbours. Helsinki Airport offers direct flights from 130 destinations worldwide. Getting around Espoo and the capital area of Helsinki is easy and affordable with an extensive public transportation network. The shortest journey to Helsinki takes only 10 minutes by metro.

Scandinavia is one of the most popular meeting regions in the world. The five countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, are famous for their pristine nature, excellent infrastructure, high-quality services, as well as their sustainable way of life, and equal opportunities for everybody. Even though the Scandinavian countries have a lot in common, they also have specific characteristics.

Flexible Facilities & Professional Services

As a famous conference city, Espoo offers versatile meeting facilities, from dedicated congress centres to historical manors and cosy villas by a lake. Whether you have an intimate executive meeting, a congress for a thousand people, a formal banquet, or an outdoor gathering, you will find something unique in Espoo. The premises and services can be modified to suit the occasion, from intimate customer meetings and dinner parties to sauna evenings.

Espoo is an ideal place for 500-700 persons' conferences and seminars, but space is also available for events that attract 2000-3000 delegates. Only in the Otaniemi campus area, you'll find over 100 rooms to choose from.

Get to know Espoo's meeting facilities

Sustainable values

In Espoo, tourism is developed and promoted with a focus on responsibility and sustainability. Our bold vision for 2030 is to be the Nordics' most innovative and sustainable tourism area.

Visit Espoo is committed to Visit Finland's Sustainable Travel Finland programme. The goal is for companies belonging to the Visit Espoo partner network to be committed to responsible and sustainable tourism development and business by the end of 2022.

As a conference organiser, you can be sustainable by choosing Espoo's sustainable-certified service providers for your event. And we at Visit Espoo want to help you to do that.

You can find and identify sustainable options by leaf symbol in the Sights and Services section of our website. The service provider
holds a certification for environmentally responsible and sustainable operation. Read also our tips for more sustainable event organisations in Espoo.