A wide range of encounters

The national museum days – the most important event of the year for the museum sector – was held in Helsinki between 24 and 26 May 2023. A joint collaboration between the Finnish Museums Association and the City of Helsinki, the event brought together over 400 museum professionals and local representatives to listen to speeches by experts and discuss the theme of the future of museums. At the same time, the 100th anniversary of the Museums Association was celebrated and the 2023 museum of the year award was presented to the Riihisaari – Savonlinna Museum.

The meeting and banqueting venue for the national museum days was the historic Paasitorni. The congress hall gave a distinguished and functional venue for both the conference programme as well as the climax of the event, the museum gala. A special thank you to Paasitorni’s congress technician! All the meals went smoothly. Both the lunches and gala dinner received positive feedback from participants.

The Finnish Nuclear Society ATS organised its third Nuclear and Technology Symposium SYP on 1–2 November 2022. Paasitorni was selected as the event location as the society had positive experiences from the location from before. Almost 200 participants attended the SYP conference, mainly from Finland but also from elsewhere in Europe and the United States.

Paasiravintola catered a tasty lunch, coffee service and dinner for the symposium. A generous and versatile buffet was set under the theme “Flavours of the World”. According to the organisers, the price-quality ratio of the food products was excellent.

Feedback from the participants showed that people have a clear need for in-person events and meeting others after the COVID 19 restrictions and remote meetings. The feedback also indicated that the participants were satisfied with both the symposium programme and practical arrangements.

The Finnish White Ribbon Union is a nationwide women’s organisation founded in 1905. The work of the union is based on Christian values and supports individuals and families in living healthy and balanced lives and helps citizens at the level of society to combat substance abuse. The operations are directed at the whole population, both male and female. The union is a member of the World Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WWCTU), founded in 1891.

The Finnish White Ribbon Union hosted the 41st annual WWCTU conference in Paasitorni from 10 to 15 July 2019. The international congress was attended by participants from 21 countries, with 123 international guests. The most distant participant represented the White Ribbon Union of the island state of Vanuatu. In June 2020, the Finnish White Ribbon Union organised its own employee day in Paasitorni.

SOSTE, the Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health, is a national umbrella organisation that brings together more than 230 social and healthcare organisations. SOSTE and its member organisations promote good social welfare and health conditions, opportunities for participation and a fair and responsible society.

The autumn forum for the chairpersons and directors of SOSTE’s member organisations was held in Paasitorni on 9 September 2020. The event was attended by nearly 90 participants, and remote access was also possible. The organisers praised Paasitorni for the technology available in the Sirkus hall and for the high standard of customer service and technical support. Serving schedules were flexible when needed. Special attention was paid to safety at the event.

The European Space Week 2019 was organised by the European Commission, under the auspices of Finland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union. It was the leading event for the European space programmes in 2019. The week brought together business, policy-makers, international experts and the space application user community. The events took place at Helsinki Congress Paasitorni 2-5 December 2019.

In September 2017, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland organised the meeting of the Task Force on Arctic Marine Cooperation at Paasitorni. The Congress Hall offered a functional and impressive setting for the event and the catering received a lot of positive feedback. The organisers appreciated the professional, quick and friendly service provided throughout the meeting. Some of the participants stayed at the Scandic Paasi hotel, which has direct access to Paasitorni.

In late August 2017, the National Institute for Health and Welfare organised an international, cross-disciplinary conference on drug problems. The Fourth Contemporary Drug Problems Conference, held at Paasitorni in Helsinki, gathered together 130 experts from various parts of the world for three days. In addition to the spacious Sirkus hall, which served as the main venue, conference participants convened in a number of smaller spaces. The foyer connected to Sirkus, which also enjoys plenty of natural light, functioned as a space for breakfast and coffee breaks. Lunch was served in the adjacent restaurant Paasin Kellari. At the organiser’s preference, the food service was entirely vegetarian.

A staff event for the Emergency Response Centre Administration was held in the nearly 110-year-old Paasitorni in May 2017. Some 150 guests enjoyed the buffet laid on in the spirit of Finland’s centenary year and the fun-filled evening in the great Congress Hall, decorated according to the theme.

In September 2016, the seasoned and prize-winning event agency Tapahtumantekijät Ltd. produced a sauna-themed kick-off event in Paasitorni’s versatile Sirkus hall in cooperation with its customer.

The end of June 2016 saw more than 500 professionals from the library profession convening at Paasitorni for the international LIBER conference. This conference, along with its preliminary conferences, is held in a different European location every year, and this was the second time it was held in Helsinki. In addition to the large main hall, the conference required plenty of parallel and exhibition spaces. Paasitorni’s historic and aesthetically pleasing setting, the functional spaces and the much-lauded catering created a strong foundation for the successful event.

In late August 2016, 150 child neurologists from the Nordic countries convened at Paasitorni for the 36th Nordic Neuropediatric Congress. The event was organised by the Finnish Association of Pediatric Neurology in cooperation with the Nordic Neuropaediatric Society. The practical arrangements were taken care of by the congress service agency CongCreator.

The organisers and participants praised the three-day convention in Paasitorni for, among other things, the quality of the catering and the excellent service. Some of the guests stayed conveniently under the same roof, in the distinctive Scandic Paasi hotel.

For several years now, the Finnish Psychiatric Association has trusted Paasitorni with the arrangements for its professional event, Psykiatripäivät. Our flexible and attentive staff, adequate and functional spaces, up-to-date technology and excellent restaurant services are all praised by the Psychiatric Association. The location is great, and accommodation in Scandic Paasi convenient.