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Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre renewed its restaurant selection; season starts at Habitare
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Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre renewed its restaurant selection; season starts at Habitare

Lilla Strindberg

Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre will start its autumn events with significantly renewed services. The entire restaurant selection has been renewed and a magnificent setting of interesting restaurant brands has been brought to the premises. Starting from the Habitare fair, new kinds of taste sensations will be offered by Lilla Strindberg, Friends & Brgrs and Hanko Aasia, among others.

At the beginning of the year, Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre and NoHo Partners Oyj signed a multi-year agreement for restaurant and catering services. The restaurant facilities of Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre have been completely renovated during the summer months, and special attention has been given to ensure the enjoyment of the customers.

Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre now houses Lilla Strindberg, the younger sister of the iconic café on Helsinki's Esplanade, burger restaurant Friends &Brgrs, which swears by high-quality Finnish ingredients, and Hanko Aasia, which combines different Asian flavours. Rooftop Bistro & Cafe, Paddington Pub, Café Milano, Fair Buffet by Pihka and Pihka & Bar offer completely new experiences for customers at Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre. The hall restaurants Café Solo and Café Trio have also undergone renovation. At the Expo and Convention Centre’s hotel Holiday Inn Helsinki – Expo, customers are served as usual by the Expo Open Lobby and restaurant Platta. Platta's breakfast, lunch and à la carte selection can also be enjoyed outside event hours.

”People now meet even more impressively over food and drink at Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre . The event industry is developing rapidly and good food and drink is an increasingly important part of a successful event experience. Starting from Habitare, we welcome our customers to test our renewed restaurants," says Anni Vepsäläinen, CEO of Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre.

Toni Niemi, who previously worked as Hotel Kämp's Food & Beverage Director, took over the management of Helsinki Expo and Convention Centres’ restaurants during spring. He is also known for his career at Savoy, Katajanokan Casino and the Finlandia Hall and as Development Director of Kanresta Oy.

"In all our operations, we strive for a high-quality customer experience by offering high-quality products and services. Competent personnel, ease and effortlessness as well as responsibility are also important elements in our operations," says COO Toni Niemi.

For event organisers and companies participating in trade fairs, NoHo Messukeskus Restaurants & Event Catering offers tailored restaurant services and modern digital products, such as electronic food and beverage tickets from the online store. Common objectives include responsible procurement, combating food waste, reducing energy consumption, environmentally friendly packaging materials and efficient recycling.

According to an extensive consumer survey published by nSight in the spring, good restaurant services are considered a very important part of the event experience.

NoHo Partners Oyj is a Finnish restaurant group specialized in services, founded in 1996. Cooperation with Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre is one of NoHo Partners’ major city projects. The company has founded NoHo Events, a business unit focused on events and experiences, which aims for a leading position in the Nordic countries.

Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre organizes annually numerous large trade fairs and public events, hundreds of meetings, international congresses for thousands of participants, corporate and entertainment events as well as banquets, which all in all attract about one million visitors annually. The Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre has a total of 21 restaurants and cafés, and the total sales of the restaurant operations is some 15 million euros per year.

Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre is a people-oriented media and an event house recognised for its safety, which creates growth through genuine encounters. Finland’s largest event organiser produces high quality events and offers its facilities and services as an arena for various events. Events produced by Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre include among others Habitare, Educa, FinnBuild, Helsinki Book Fair, Matka Nordic Travel Fair and Vene Båt. Guest events organised at Messukeskus are among others Slush, Nordic Business Forum, the Dog Fair by Kennelliitto and many international congresses and corporate events annually. The owner company Suomen Messut Oyj was founded in 1919.www.messukeskus.com www.messukeskusrestaurants.fi

NoHo Partners Oyj is a Finnish group specialized in catering services, founded in 1996. Listed on Nasdaq Helsinki as the first Finnish restaurant operator in 2013, the listed company has grown strongly throughout its history. The group’s companies include approximately 250 restaurants in Finland, Denmark and Norway. The company’s well-known restaurant concepts include Elite, Savoy, Teatteri, Sea Horse, Stefan’s Steakhouse, Palace, Löyly, Hanko Sushi, Friends & Brgrs, Campingen and Cock’s & Cows. Depending on the season, the group employs around 2,100 people converted to full-time. The company is aiming for a turnover of 400 million euros by the end of 2024. The company’s vision is to be the leading restaurant company in Northern Europe. www.noho.fi

Further information:

Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre (Suomen Messut Oyj)
Anni Vepsäläinen, CEO, +358 400 400 074, anni.vepsalainen@messukeskus.com
Lumia Ankkuri, Marketing and Communications Director, +358 50 3870 023, lumia.ankkuri@messukeskus.com

NoHo Partners Oyj
Toni Niemi, COO, Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre restaurants, +358 40 777 9246
Maria Koivula, Director, NoHo Events, +358 50 366 2382

Photos for free use: Messukeskus mediabank 

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