Solutions 2011, Ratkaisuja 2011, Lösningar 2011

Little details that impressed the most!

2011-02-04T12:50:00.001+02:00

Excitement, hectic moments, stress, sweat and hard work - it was all worth it!!
Thank you participants - you made the conference a success!

Especially we are grateful for the fact that participants

noticed the small details that we had focused on
were impressed about the atmosphere and the helpfulness of our staff
admired the venue, staging and the central location
felt that the most of the presentations were of high level and focused on solutions
followed and commented us actively on twitter #so11
had great time with tasty local food and cultural insights
and last, saw Lucas dance ;-)

We exceeded our high aims and can be now proud of the truly sustainable conference! We wish all the best luck for Umeå, the host of the next Nordic Sustainable Development Conference in 2013! It is worth to plan it well ahead in time as the local processes take lots of time...

- More blogs will come once we have analyzed the feedback from the participants in detail -

2 days to go

2011-01-28T21:49:00.001+02:00

Already now several persons have called and congratulated on the achievement.It is not everyday that one organizes an event that gathers over 650 persons with several ministers, ambassadors etc.

Those that have ever organized a bigger seminar or conference know what it means. In the case of Solutions local, together - the effort done can be multiplied by five as this not only includes the conference with simultaneous interpretation into 3 languages, but also:

Staging of the different conference rooms and organizing an auction about the decorations
Market of solutions that goes in lines with the conference
Short movie event with 16 different films
School event for nearly 1000 pupils
Launch of local food (80%) in 8 restaurants

The last weeks have been extremely hectic, but still full of excitement. It has been honor to work with a core group of dedicated persons that are ready to do their utmost for the success of the event. The hectic moments have brought up the best out of several persons. Things are nearly ready from our part. Hopefully participants will enjoy it and have a safe journey to Turku!

Be inspired!

2011-01-21T21:57:00.000+02:00

Lucas had been trying to find his new profession desperately already for months. He had tried out creating furnitures, repairing stuff and even teaching, but nothing really made a difference. Everyone else seemed passioned about their work and lifestyle, but not him.
One day Lucas walked past a dancing school and felt that his heart beated with excitement. Maybe this was what he needed in the end. He stepped in and had his first dance lesson. It was time to turn a new page and be inspired!

If you are heading towards Solutions and Turku in 9 days, like hundreds are doing, don't forget you dancing shoes...

Nearly 500 registered!

2011-01-14T21:40:00.001+02:00

The conference is filling up and first sessions and visits are full. The conference programme is ready to be printed and the last details are finding their places. Soon the participants are going to experience Solutions local, together Conference which offers you:

passionate speakers with solutions to share
interior design that has a story and a new dimension of sustainability
local solutions visits that enable a true discussion and insights
local food that has been carefully thought through
active discussion with experts from over 15 countries, nearly 110 cities

We hope that you are going to be one of the lucky ones to attend the conference and part of the atmosphere that can only be experienced in this unique sustainable conference! We are doing the utmost to make it a memorable event worth all the efforts done to reach Turku, Finland - the European culture capital 2011!

Over 400 registered!

2011-01-07T19:27:00.001+02:00

It seems that over the last years, we have all been trying to get people to come to different events right up to the last moment. Giving last minute calls, chasing after potential persons, offering different bargains etc. Does this sound familiar?

We have got used to the situation where the last one registered has been able to attend to the entire event, maybe with a bit more expensive fee, but all the other options have been available. And now, when this is not the case in Solutions local, together - Conference, where places are truly limited and there are less and less options available - people are suprised! But isn´t this a great thing for everyone, even for the last minute persons? It means that the programme is attractive, plans made are in place and plenty of interested persons will attend. It seems that we have been able to reach the target of offering an event with a bit of a difference, and can now happily concentrate on the finishing touches. We hope that from now on, this will be the case for all sustainable events!

If you have not yet planned your journey - it is time to do so. The excitement is nearly touchable, as the last minute participants are registering. Are you still able to fit in?

Your day of reckoning?

2010-12-31T14:08:00.000+02:00

The end of the year is normally time when we make conclusions of the past and prepare for the coming year. But when, actually, is the real moment of reckoning? One can say that yes, we do make conclusions and nice reports of the past year. Some of these are even read by others, but do we really change the way we behave or work? Do we learn from the mistakes done or is something else needed to trigger the process?

For many the real day of reckoning is not the last day of the year. It is the day when someone has time to go through the achievements and questions the gaps and mistakes. An extra effort is needed for that, it does not come automatically. The reasons behind the analyze can vary a lot. The main thing is that the real day of reckoning is possible only if we allow the change to happen for better or worse.

The real day of reckoning takes only place when the circumstances are right and the decisions-makers are brave enough to make decisions in favor of sustainability of all sides. In this, we are all decision-makers - so let us not forget that during year 2011!

Thank you for reading the blog this year - only a month to go to the Solutions local, together Conference!

Nearly 350 registered!

2010-12-22T22:02:00.000+02:00

What is it that makes people do things in the last moment? Whether it concerns shopping, sending X-mas greeting or doing the last urgent bits of work before a break, it is always the same story. Planning ahead is sometimes not possible, but in most cases, one could avoid the last rush of stress. Or is it in fact the truth that we all want to be loaded with stress before we get anything done?

We want to feel important and needed. Partly for this we also want to complain how busy we are. The hard thing is to actually stop and enjoy the current moment without guiltiness and negative stress. The good, sustainable thing about X-mas is that it comes, whether we have cleaned the house of not. So no last moment stress is needed. Congratulations for those who have understood it!

It is not yet the last moment to register and we are reaching already 350 registered participants. This means that several sessions and restaurants at the conference are getting full and soon we are in the situation, where the last ones to register are too late. This is new for many, as normally conferences are hunting for persons to attend, this time this is not the case. Thank you for a nice X-mas present and see you at the conference!

Shopaholism?!

2010-12-17T16:21:00.000+02:00

Some claim that the more we buy presents, the more we feel guilty of the time unspent with the ones we care. This was suddenly true with Lucas. He felt that during the past year he had been selfish and focused on himself, rather then on his family and friends. And this was influencing his behavior in shop now. He was looking around and thought that one present was not enough for his daughter and son, his children deserve more. Therefore he returned back to get one more, as all the others were buying so many presents too.

Lucas returned back home with bags full of shiny presents and extra plastic bags from all the lovely shops. His wife commented his bags with saying - "I hope you left something for the others too". Lucas stopped and felt ashamed - he had been lured to buy things, shopaholism had attacked him. In the midst of changing his thinking and behavior, he faced a setback. Lucas thought that the sustainable thinking would have been rooted in himself already, but this was not true.

If we are not careful, anyone of us, can be lured to buying unnecessary gifts in unrecyclable packages. Being sustainable requires more thinking and listening to the real needs. It is easy to be lured. In the end, our sustainability is measured at the counter...

Over 200 registered!

2010-12-10T11:49:00.000+02:00

Some count days to the Christmas eve, some to the start of the New Year - for us - the counting goes a bit further until the start of the conference. This means, we have 51 days to go and many details to put in place. It has been great to see, how the word is spreading round and how conference participants and delegations are forming up. Already 200 participants are coming - are you still considering?

Location means everything. This is true as we face it daily. It is one thing to live close to other countries with just a short distance on train to reach other them, then in "far" North. This means that before reaching us, one needs to make a decision if it is worth while to create CO2-emissions for that. Some claim that we could create the same effect with video-connections. This is unfortunately not yet true, as how could we pass following things true it:

person to person discussions with new people
atmosphere and cultural insights, dancing
smells and tastes of pure northern ingredients
the feeling of excitement when solutions found their new homes
market atmosphere with freedom to decide on what to see and hear
excellent hosts with inspiration

Day to day communication can nicely be replaced with on-line connections, but this you need to experience yourself to be motivated to continue back home!

Responsible - trendy adjective

2010-12-03T15:14:00.000+02:00

Responsible tourism, responsible food, responsible consumer, responsible travel... Everyone has suddenly woken up and manifastates that being responsible is now the trend that you should not just pass by.

There used to be a time that we were looking into WHO is responsible, rather than what the concept responsible means. From who the focus then shifted into responsible FOR WHAT? And only now the real analyses of what responsibility really means have started.

Responsible actions take into account the entire organization, not just the surrounding where the actions take place and the external stakeholders, but also the values of it, working environment and personnel. It is not enough to change the slogans of the organization and claim that we are truly responsible, if the actions are limited to recycling of papers or offsetting CO2 emissions.

It is time to focus on responsible solutions and start to use them - be trend-setter with true actions, take part in Solutions local, together - Conference. If you have already registered, you are among 200 forerunners, if not it is time to act.

On a mission

2010-11-26T16:37:00.000+02:00

Lucas was reading the latest publication on the Brand of Finland and thought that for the first time, the document was actually quite practical and he was able to spot realistic tasks also for himself. The Mission to Finland consists of tasks under three topics: In 2030 Finland will be

functionality: the problem-solver of the world
nature: all the lakes are drinkable and organic food is served
education: teachers are without borders
and Finns are bold enough to tell about all this!

Inspired by all the suggestions, Lucas decided to organize a party for his neighborhood as they had recently finished a road construction on their street. He also gave up on water bottles and decided to have the next meeting in a library, rather than in an ordinary office building.

The report stated that a functional society is not fulfilling by controlling, but by doing things together. This is what the Solutions local, together is all about!

Talking about money

2010-11-19T15:34:00.000+02:00

The recent months have shown that it would be so much easier, if we would talk about money instead of sustainable development. When we talk about the use of resources and quality of life, it is as if they would not have financial implications. In reality, many municipalities need to raise their taxes and service costs in future, as the basic resources, such as water and energy, will cost more. By being sustainable, we would get savings that everyone is so much searching for.

Talking about money would also mean that

Local authorities would all be eager to prioritize the sustainable solutions, as that would mean savings in the long run.
The decision-makers would see the prize tag on some things that in the end are considered prizeless, such as clean air, water and soil.
No one would expect the events dealing with sustainable development to be free of charge, instead they would pay without any questions daily fees around 800 EUR.

I have then seriously considered naming the conference in the end - "Financial solutions local, together - maybe then we would all wake up?

First snowfall

2010-11-13T09:16:00.002+02:00

It felt cold to get out of bed this morning. As Lucas slid his feet into the slippers he wondered if the weather forecast had been right and it had snowed during the night. Peeping through the curtains he saw that it had. Coffee, I need hot coffee, Lucas said to himself and headed for the kitchen.

He had come across a promising contact while surfing on the social media. And now his business idea was starting to take shape. Lucas got dressed and went out to do the snow work. He was whistling.

Lucas felt that he could do anything, as making contacts was so easy through services like Facebook and Twitter. It was like first snow, lots of promises of fun, but still too fragile to stay...

Network of networks?

2010-11-05T18:38:00.000+02:00

When looking into the sustainable development from the city perspective -it is evident that every day resources are wasted in reinventing the wheel again. When serious changes would be needed, we rather focus in starting from zero then on looking outside and benefiting on what has already been done elsewhere. Internal process is needed, but why not speed it up a bit?

It is amazing, that the flow of information inside the organizations is still, in many cases, on a random level. More faster would be to consider each local authority as a network or a spider web that would have the same aim/interest in mind. This way, the message might reach the right nodes faster. For this to succeed, it would need a change in the way we consider the role of the local authorities. And in this respect, we would need a network of networks to speed up the exchange of good practices in the Baltic Sea Region.

Is a network of networks even possible to be created? Would we finally be ready to share experiences, both good and bad, for the benefit of the common sustainable future of our region?

Come and check out, how we succeed with creating a node for the networks, namely Solutions local, together -conference!

Seize the innovation

2010-10-29T16:38:00.000+03:00

Today I had the pleasure to participate in a so called Signal Session on Sustainable events. The introduction to the topic was given by Guy Bigwood, who has been part of several greening processes of the tourism industry. It was facinating to realize that he was repeating the same stories that have been discussed already for a long time in different connections, especially in relation to sustainable development in the cities. There was nothing new and also his tips were just pinpointing that we should move from words into action. The video conference had gathered participants from 5 different locations in Finland and the after discussions showcased that within the industry in Finland, we all approach the topic from very different perspectives and it will take a while before we can truly be competitive in the sustainable event sector. It is evident that the Solutions conference will bring its share to the development.

All this discussion made me realize, that the efforts done on one field, that is in relation to integrated management systems, could easily be transferred to the event manager field. Local authorities, in some cases, are actually forerunners when we are talking about integrated approach on sustainability and this should also be highlighted for the business sector. With minimal resources, vital transformations have been carried out in cities in order to facilitate the entire market to become greener. The opportunities that exist demand you to seize the moment for innovations to appear!

Networking and the exchange of good and worse practices are beneficial in this respect. The visionary skills and communication capabilities are needed like air nowadays. We all have to face the challenge of safeguarding the value and this is not an easy task. Over hundred participants have already now registered for the Solutions conference - hopefully you are one of them, as that is the place to be when we talk on showcasing how things could be done in the event sector!

Challenges of participation

2010-10-22T15:25:00.000+03:00

The past weeks have showcased, in many different ways, how we all face the same challenges whether we discuss about decision-makers, employees or citizens. One of the biggest challenge of our time is how to activate, involve and motivate our stakeholders or target groups, even colleagues, to participate in different processes, actions or events. It is not an easy task, as the tempo of our life is hectic, and many are not able to be in the moment anymore. Even in meetings, many are having a second discussion through channels of social media and claim to be present in both. Possible or not, that is the trend nowadays.

Will it then be possible to create an event that really involves people - not just their bodies, but also their minds? Event that is so interesting that participants do not even want to open their mobiles for e-mail check-ups, but are taken by the moment? All the possible ingredients for having this are in our hands and with partners we are able to create even something bigger. Some claim that only the change is permanent so is the Solutions -conference able to create a change for sustainability?
The early-birds are registering at the moment and many more will follow, so why not you too?

Social networks

2010-10-15T20:59:00.000+03:00

Lucas is trying to find suitable networks and services for marketing his eco-idea and future products. He has heard a lot about social networks but has only been involved in them as a private person. The main thing he knew is that one thing in social media, such as link or hint, can lead to totally different topic. This way it is very time consuming.

Thanks to his good friend in the IT business, he got an introduction to what social networks are, the difference between some of them and are how they can be utilized for marketing purposes. He found out that on most networks, the creation of a presence is easy, as all you need to do is register yourself. But getting people to know and find you is not an easy thing. You need to know the tools, how they work, what their purpose is and what kind of messages you can get out there using them.

Getting your own message heard in the noise is not easy and that is why he was recommended to use a combination of services to get his own message out to public. Lucas wondered should the main focus be on social media or would it just steal his time and energy. All the big gurus nowadays are speaking highly of it, so maybe it is worth to try.

Setting the trend!

2010-10-08T15:38:00.000+03:00

Yesterday, the annual Best in the city of Turku -party was arranged to celebrate a wide range of initiatives/people/happenings awarded in 2010 by the regional City-paper. The Local food initiative, that was started by the Solutions local, together -conference was awarded as the best Food initiative of the year in the city of Turku! This makes the work carried out even more valuable, as the so called trend-setters in the city have noticed the work done. The fact that we have not yet even marketed the initiative with full volume raises the value of the award even more.

In the same event, the Campaign, that also has originated from the conference preparations, used the surrounding of a pub to raise awareness on how everyone´s own actions can really make a difference. Although at first one would think that the surroundings were wrong it turned out to be a success. Several young people were reading the Campaign information from the walls, discussed the issues and no one could avoid hearing what was said by the commentator. It felt very natural, as that´s where the young people are - so why not bring there also the campaigning on sustainable development?

We really need to approach things from outside our normal ways of thinking - whether these are organizational, mental or socials. Bring different people together, be enthusiastic and bold! Without a big vision and enthusiasm, no big things will happen. More trend-setters are needed to bring the message across!

Looking for networks

2010-10-01T15:44:00.000+03:00

Lucas was thinking how to get started with his business plan. He had realized that in order to make himself and his idea known, he would need to be linked with potential customers. He would also make his marketing in person. This is not as easy as one might first think.

At first, one needs to have the business idea and the target audience clearly defined. Many good ideas fail to do this. Lucas felt strongly that his plans were focused correctly. The second step was to find key events that would bring the marketing to the right audience, but this couldn't be too expensive. The reality is that many marketing opportunities are too expensive for starting small business to join, although one could cooperate with like-minded.

In order to find the like-minded people, Lucas asked his friends to assist and started in Facebook and Linkedln. Let's see what happens.

Last change - practical solutions competition

2010-09-24T16:22:00.000+03:00

Have you got a practical solution to climate change? Take part in a competition for organizations in the Baltic Sea Region and the Nordic countries! The competition deadline is 30 September 2010, so you still have some more days to it.

So far several organizations have taken up the competition and send in their proposals. It has been great to see that the issue of climate change has been looked upon different view points. In many cases, proposals easily exist, but have not been evaluated from the climate change perspective in order to see how meaningful they really are. The competition offers a good opportunity for this!

The competition winners are going to be awarded at the Solutions local, together conference. They also have an opportunity to take part in the Market of Solutions during the conference. Therefore the PR and marketing are in place for the solutions to be spread around the Baltic Sea Region - take a moment to rethink what you have and benefit from the opportunity!

Rewarding work

2010-09-17T15:18:00.000+03:00

Promoting a conference is hard work. Let’s say that you book a stand at a fair that is aimed at the right target group. You know you have a good message that would benefit many. But how do you get that message across when you are surrounded by fellow promoters who think that also their message is beneficial to many? How do you get people to stop at your stand and listen to what you have to say? And can you do all that sustainably?

All kind of free material from bags, pens, different sized leaflets (even catalogues), drinks and bits to eat is offered to be taken home. Many visitors take at least a brochure and sweeties (individually wrapped-up, of course). Hands up - how many of you have actually read the leaflets? Or did they end up in a bin on the way to a cloakroom or did you just leave them laying somewhere on a bench? What a waste in many ways.

How about the stand itself? How sustainably can you make it? There are manufactures that make stand frames of wood but they are not many. Most use aluminum. Most of the paper posters are recyclable providing they are not shrink-wrapped. The frames of aluminum roll-ups and walls can be reused but the posters themselves not.

Proving you have managed to make the stand as sustainable as it is possible today is it still also attractive and inviting so that people come and have a closer look? Is it the wooden poster frame or is it the colorful whole wall that attracts people? Or is it your smile that does the trick? Well, that at least is sustainable and reusable.

Yes, promoting a conference is hard work - but also so very rewarding when you see and feel that the person is listening, asks questions, and promises to come to the conference. Then you know all the hard work was worth it.

Small actions turning into big impacts!

2010-09-10T21:05:00.000+03:00

Lucas had an intensive discussion with his friends about what each and every one of us can do to make a difference. It is easy to make promises, like politicians, but what if we would just do things instead of talking. How much could we influence in the end?

Lucas and his friends decided to take part in a campaign organized in the South-West of Finland. They had ran into the campaign through newspaper adds and thought that it would be quite interesting to take part in. Through campaign everyone is able to look into their water consumption and electricity in houses, food choices at shops, transportation modes and the amount of waste created. The campaign website (in Finnish) gives practical indicators on each action made and through them it is easy to see how the actions can make a difference.

As the first easy action, Lucas reduced the temperature at his house one degree and no one complaint or noticed this change! And this reduced the heating costs by 5 %. Amazing. After that Lucas started to use a cup while washing his teeth and that made a saving of 56 cents per week and saved nearly 170 liters of water. It was much more easier and fun than he thought. Why didn't he think of it before?

Programme available!

2010-09-03T13:25:00.000+03:00

Finally we have reached a moment, when the Solutions local, together Conference programme is launched and the registration has started! From now on it becomes easier to explain what the conference is all about, as all the side events, praxis and the entire concept of a sustainable conference becomes a reality.

It is amazing to see the enthusiasm surrounding the topic of sustainable development at the moment. Everyone we have approached recently, has been exceptionally positive and wanted to be engaged in the process.The sustainable spirit in Turku is growing. Still there is a change to include your bit into the process or programme - so just contact us or write a comment on the blog.

Do not miss the change of being part of the conference, as places are limited! The early bird prices for individuals and groups are available when registering by the end of October 2010. All ready now several groups are being formed..

What spoils the conference for you?

2010-08-27T15:22:00.004+03:00

Preparations for the launch of the conference programme are on the way and soon you are able to see what has been planned for participants and get registered before all the places are booked.
Meanwhile we have thought of possible things that can ruin the conference spirit, so that we could avoid them. Here is the start of the list, hope you can add more to it:

damaged heating conditions on the place

too tight schedule

bad interpreter - reading directly from the documents

presentations do not have any red line, only formalities

speaker is too fast or too loud

speaker not answering to the questions from the audience

during the conference, you do not see anything of the host city

participant list not up to date

no professional use of computers

photographer blocking the view

...

Turn damages into benefits

2010-08-20T14:21:00.007+03:00

Lucas owns some hectares of forest. Lucas went to check if his forest had suffered any damages of a recent storm. It was obvious from the very first moment he reached his part of the forest, that this was the case. He was faced with hundreds of broken birch trees on the ground. After clarifying the situation, it was clear that the amount was too little to get anyone to buy it (app. 50 trees) or it would only be bought sometime next year. Lucas therefore considered what he could do with it. Surely he did not want it to rotten in the forest - it rather be used as soon as possible for something good.

He found out that several school yards looked very dull and needed some benches for kids. He contacted the rectors and made a deal with them, that they could get the junks for free from his forest, if only they would use it for the yards and some for handcrafting during the school year. This way 10 junks were used. He also offered the trees for nearby cottage owners, who willingly made some logs of it. It this was worth of 5 trees. 15 or so junks, went to the theater for decorations and benches and a good number of them were used by a cottage builder close to his forest. After all this effort, Lucas was left with 5 trees and with those he decided to do some wood crafting for his garden.

All the setbacks of the storm were turned into a goodwill after active offering of the junks. This resulted in nice thank you letters, great fun while cutting the junks and in a big smile every time he passed the school yard with great new wooden benches.