Sustainability Report 2025
Sisältö
Sustainability drives growth and internationalisation
Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre is a pioneer in sustainability within the event industry. We take responsibility for the environment, people, and economic sustainability. We report on our sustainability work in accordance with the ESG framework and take into account the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Sustainability is an essential part of our growth strategy. The event business has significant positive impacts on Finland’s economy, employment, and attractiveness. This is also reflected in our growing income and employment impact in the Helsinki metropolitan area.
In 2025, we continued our work on our key sustainability themes. As part of our social responsibility efforts, we launched cooperation with HelsinkiMissio and the Finnish Red Cross. At the same time, we continued embedding sustainability into our daily operations by training our staff and encouraging our customers to make responsible choices.
For Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre, sustainability consists of both small and large actions that also accelerate our growth and internationalisation as a Nordic event venue. Our three sustainability themes, along with their targets and indicators, are presented in this report.
Veronica Lindholm, CEO, The Finnish Fair Corporation
Sustainability as part of our growth strategy
Sustainability is an essential part of Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre’s growth strategy. Our goal is to increase economic growth and social well-being while minimising environmental impacts.
Our mission is to create growth through encounters. We promote our customers’ business, offer inspiration to our visitors, and strengthen the economy. Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre is Finland’s largest event organiser, producing high-quality events and renting out its facilities and services as venues for various events.
Our goal is to increase economic growth and social well-being while striving to minimise the environmental impacts of our operations.
In 2025, we continued our work on our three sustainability themes.
Sustainability theme 1
Attractive and safe events that enable encounters together with our customers
- Our goals are reliable and ethically sustainable service, event safety, and accessibility.
- Our indicators include income and employment impact, media visibility of events, NPS scores, and the renewal of the SHORE certificate.
- Our target is to increase the income and employment impact of events to over €400 million by 2030.
According to the latest survey by Taloustutkimus (2024), Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre generated €245 million in revenue for the Helsinki metropolitan area (2023: €187 million).
Events are also an important platform for societal discussion. More than 5,100 media representatives and influencers visited events organised by us during the reporting year.
The NPS score measuring visitor satisfaction was at an excellent level at 53 (2024: 45). The internationally respected SHORE safety certification verifies our high-quality safety practices.
Taloustutkimus: Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre is Finland’s best trade fair and event organiser
Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre was selected as Finland’s best trade fair and event organiser in Taloustutkimus’ Business Leaders – TEP 2025 survey. We received the highest scores for the functionality of exhibition spaces, diverse service offering, staff expertise, diverse supplementary services, and ability to innovate. The NPS score measuring recommendation willingness was the highest among companies in the industry.
Our management system is certified according to the ISO 9001:2015 standard. Operations are continuously developed through audits in cooperation with DNV GL. The internationally respected GOLD Excellent level SHORE safety certificate verifies first-class safety practices and risk management both at Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre and at the Holiday Inn Helsinki – Expo hotel owned by the company. The certificate is awarded by the international, independent risk assessment expert SAFE Asset Group.
Close cooperation with authorities helps assess risks and maintain safety. Companies and associations from various industries participate in development groups, bringing valuable expertise to event development.
We also actively participate in important networks, including the Helsinki Tourism Advisory Board, Helsinki Makers, Urban Climate Leaders, the Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa, the Event Industry Association, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events UFI, Congress Network Finland, and the meetings and congress industry organisation ICCA.
We help international congress organisers find concrete local sustainability initiatives and partners to integrate into the congress programme. Participants of the EAN Congress held in summer 2025 enjoyed a refreshing break in Central Park.
Events organised at Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre generate significant economic impact for the surrounding region. The income and employment impact of the ten international congresses held in 2025 exceeds €57 million.
Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre is a climate partner of the City of Helsinki and participates in the Sustainable Travel Finland programme. International congress clients value Helsinki’s long-term work as a responsible travel destination.
Sustainability theme 2
Sustainable events
- Our goal is to reduce the environmental impacts of events.
- Our indicators include recycling rate, carbon footprint (Scope 1 and 2), and energy use.
- Our long-term goal is to be a 100% carbon-neutral event venue by 2030.
Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre is ISO 14001 certified. We aim to reduce our environmental impacts through efficient waste management and recycling, energy efficiency, and the use of renewable energy.
CO₂ emissions from waste management decreased significantly in 2025 and were –47 t CO₂ (2024: +6 t CO₂). Our recycling rate decreased slightly from the previous year and was 21.6% (2024: 23.3%). We continue our long-term work in guiding and encouraging recycling and strengthening recycling-related communication.
Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre renewed its energy efficiency agreement for 2026–2035 and committed to reducing energy consumption by 10 percent from the 2024 level by 2035. The commitment supports our long-term sustainability target of being a 100% carbon-neutral event venue by 2030.
We produce solar energy in the solar power plant built on the roofs of our halls and utilise geothermal heating, district cooling, heat recovery, LED technology, and motion sensors in lighting.
Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre is strongly networked in climate work. We are a climate partner of the City of Helsinki, participate in the Sustainable Travel Finland programme, and are committed to the global Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism.
We encourage our staff and customers to make responsible choices
- Environmentally friendly products are marked with an environmental label in our product catalogue.
- All our facilities offer recycling opportunities, and during construction and dismantling phases, customers are supported by a roaming environmental advisor.
- In exhibition construction, we focus on recyclable solutions where as much of the materials used as possible can be reused in future events.
- In 2025, our employees had the opportunity to work shifts as sorting guides to support customers.
- The EcoCompass environmental certificate was awarded to our restaurant services during the reporting year. Our partner in restaurant and catering services is NoHo Partners.
Sustainability themes visible in events
- Sustainability was visible in many ways in our events in 2025. Examples include Habitare’s Choice area highlighting responsible actions, I love me’s Circular Fashion Competition, and the Matka Travel Fair’s Sustainability Competition.
- In international congresses, we help organisers find concrete local sustainability initiatives and partners to integrate into the congress programme.
The Habitare Choice area highlights companies’ steps towards a more sustainable future. Introduced at Habitare in 2023, the area showcases ideas for making responsible choices in every room of the home.
The Sustainable Innovations competition, organised in connection with the PacTec, FoodTec & PlastExpo Nordic event, seeks the most interesting innovations in the packaging, food and plastics industries that incorporate sustainability.
The Circular Fashion Competition, organised by the I love me fair and Jalotus ry, recognises and rewards fashion and textile industry actors who promote circularity in three categories. The competition is supported by the Finnish Fair Foundation.
Sustainability theme 3
Well-being employees and partners, and a safe working environment
- Our goals are well-being employees and partners, employee development, and the promotion of diversity, equality, and inclusion.
- Indicators include eNPS, staff turnover, and number of training days.
Our social responsibility work extends from our staff to our partners. Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre is committed to promoting equality and safety in its facilities and events.
In 2025, we launched cooperation related to social responsibility with HelsinkiMissio and the Finnish Red Cross. The partners participated in numerous events during the year.
Our long-term cooperation with Live Vocational College also continued. Together with Live, we offered around 200 students the opportunity to gain work experience in various event industry roles. Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre participated in the Live Foundation’s “Humane Workplaces of Finland” network promoting diversity and employment of people with partial work ability.
We continued our support for Hursti’s Aid in organising the Christmas celebration for the lonely and socially excluded. The celebration was held at Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre for the ninth time.
We offered internship opportunities for students, work experience periods for schoolchildren, and free admission for school groups to selected events.
A significant contribution to social sustainability is made by our largest shareholder, the Finnish Fair Foundation. The foundation supported Finnish expertise by awarding approximately €600,000 in grants, scholarships, and recognition awards during the reporting year.
Employee well-being and development
- Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre provides its employees with a work environment that supports well-being and high-quality occupational health care.
- The ePassi benefit enables sports and cultural activities.
- Staff receive regular training on safety and well-being.
- Office spaces have been designed with attention to ergonomics.
- We support employees’ studies alongside work and offer opportunities for study leave.
- We also develop professional skills through our own training programmes.
- Employees can familiarise themselves with events and participate in suitable training sessions organised during events.
- Employees may also spend one working day per year doing volunteer work in an organisation of their choice.
- Employee satisfaction is monitored through regular surveys. In 2025, the eNPS score measuring employee satisfaction was 21 (2024: 40).
Our goals include well-being employees and partners, employee development, and the promotion of diversity, equality and inclusion in the workplace.
At the beginning of 2025, Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre launched cooperation with HelsinkiMissio, which works to reduce loneliness, and with the Finnish Red Cross, which supports people in crises and emergencies.
Employees at Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre may spend one working day per year doing volunteer work in a volunteer organisation of their choice.
ESG indicators
| Key figures | 2025 | 2024 |
| Revenue and employment impact M€ | 245 (2024) | 187 (2023) |
| NPS | 53 | 45 |
| Recycling rate % | 22 | 23 |
| Waste management CO₂ emissions | -47 tonnes CO₂e | +6 tonnes CO₂e |
| Group CO₂e, tonnes (Scope 1-2)* | 1,053 | 1,261 |
| eNPS | 21 | 40 |
*Marked-based CO₂e calculation