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Tampere is an interesting event city, and it is busy all year round. Several music, culture, and sports events delight the locals and attract people from all around Finland and abroad.

The biggest part of the event and venue carbon footprint consists of energy consumption and traffic, tells Senior Advisor Satu Lähteenoja from Demos Helsinki. “If the event organiser owns the building they operate in, they can install a solar panel system on the roof in addition to using eco-friendly electricity. The most important factor is a traffic, that is the arrival of performers and visitors. A responsible event organiser encourages visitors to arrive by public transport and light traffic.”

As for conferences, Lähteenoja thinks major changes lie ahead. “Nowadays it is possible to organise virtual and more user-friendly conferences. Event venues’ role can change in the future so that people gather at a local venue and participate virtually instead of travelling far,” says Lähteenoja.

Equal and diverse Tampere Music Festivals

Tampere Music Festivals consist of Tampere Biennale, Tampere Vocal Music Festival and Tampere Jazz Happening, which together have about 30 000 visits annually.

Especially social responsibility questions such as diversity and equality are close to heart for Tampere Music Festivals. “We have the We Speak Gay certificate, which is granted for the events considerate of sexual and gender minorities. Our staff and voluntary workers are committed to zero bullying. We also educate our staff and communicate a lot about safety procedures and safe spaces,” says Minnakaisa Kuivalainen, Executive Director of Tampere Music Festivals.

Think Sustainably service has given Tampere Music Festivals clear guidelines to develop their sustainability actions and has led to updating their environmental program and procedures. Compensating carbon footprint is something that the organisation considers in the future.

Energy efficient jamming at G Livelab Tampere

G Livelab Tampere is a music club offering new kinds of live music experiences as well as a stylish venue for organising events. Equipped with a state-of-the-art sound system, G Livelab stands out also with its sustainability: the building was retrofit, and the presentation technology was upgraded energy efficient during a major renovation. Electricity comes from climate-friendly district heating and accessibility is in the core of the visitor experience. G Livelab restaurant, catering also for private events and meetings, serves organic and locally produced food.

G Livelab has rethought its material flows and choices thanks to Think Sustainably service. “A lot of the plastic waste is generated by our events, so we are taking better care recycling it. As for the materials, durability and natural materials matter: all of our furniture is Finnish design, made of natural materials and made to last,” G Livelab Tampere CEO Annamaija Saarela says.

Equality shows in staff training and for example unisex bathrooms. “Accessibility and equality are important factors for us. We want that everyone can access G Livelab gigs and events with ease.”

Manse PP aims to be the most responsible baseball team in the world

Manse PP is Tampere’s own Finnish baseball team, whose roots date back to the late 1970s. The women’s and men’s representative teams play in Kauppi Sports Park north of Tampere. At best, Manse PP games attract close to 2,000 spectators to support their home team in this Finnish national sport.

Manse PP aims to be the most responsible Finnish baseball team in the world. “Games are family events, so there are many in the audience who think that sustainability matters. We encourage our audience to arrive by public or light transport. We also aim to keep food waste to minimum, recycle beverage cans, and plan to further increase vegetarian and local food options during the games. Last season, the most popular beer was Nokia Brewery’s organic beer, whose carbon footprint is 100 % offset,” says Matti Helimo, Chairman of Manse PP registered association.

The Kauppi baseball stadium will be renovated in 2022, and environmental values play a big part also in the new stadium. For example, a solar power system will be generating electricity for the stadium’s service building. The location of the stadium requires that most of the audience arrive by public transport, foot, electric scooters or bicycle. “We are cooperating with Tampere public transport Nysse in game transports, and we are working to get even more bike parks for the coming season. We also give concrete incentives to our audience: at last season’s theme games, the first 100 to arrive by bicycle got to park right next to the stadium gates and enjoy a free snack,” says Helimo.

International top events in a responsible way in Tampere

During the spring 2022, Finland will be hosting men’s Ice Hockey World Championships in Tampere and Helsinki. In Tampere, the games will be played at Uros Live Arena, an experience centre in the heart of Tampere. Uros Live Arena hosts up to 15,000 visitors. The Arena is complemented by a high-class hotel, an international casino, as well as comprehensive conference and meeting facilities and several restaurants. Sustainability has been in the core of Uros Live Arena from the beginning. Visitors have the opportunity to make sustainable choices at every step of the customer experience.

Another event of international attention is European Capital of Culture. Tampere and 15 municipalities in the Tampere Region are applying to become Capital of Culture in 2026.

Tips for responsible events

A responsible event goer can best affect their own carbon footprint by arriving as climate friendly as possible. Choosing vegetarian food, sorting the trash, and favouring durable containers or containers with a deposit are important actions towards sustainability.

Environmental certification such as EcoCompass is a sign of commitment to implement and develop event’s own sustainability. A visitor can choose to favour events that actively communicate about their responsibility or give customer feedback to encourage an event organiser to take sustainability better into consideration.