A year of growth at Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre: Record visitor numbers and strong financial results

The year 2024 was a strong one in terms of performance for the Finnish Fair Corporation. Revenue rose close to the level of the record-breaking pre-COVID year, many events broke their previous visitor records, and new investment initiatives were launched. The Finnish Fair Corporation Ltd’s annual report for 2024 provides a detailed overview of the year. The Finnish Fair Corporation Group organised 36 fair events in 2024. In addition, Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre hosted 25 guest events and 450 meetings, congresses, celebrations, entertainment productions, and special events. Altogether, nearly 900,000 visitors attended the group’s events. Revenue grew by 13.9% from the previous year, reaching 58.4 million euros.

International congresses and events are of great importance for Helsinki. In 2024, eight international congresses were held at Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre, attracting 34,358 participants. The total economic and employment impact of these congresses for Helsinki was 68.7 million euros. The new club and concert venue, BÖLE Arena & Club, hosted six entertainment events in its first full year of operation, drawing 20 000 guests.

The development of the event programme continued strongly

As a new public event, the Food Fair was added to the fair portfolio of the Exhibitions Business Unit. Meanwhile, the other business unit, Messukeskus Events & Congresses, announced a ten-year partnership agreement by which Helsinki International Horse Show will move to Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre starting 2026.

In the summer of 2025, a new movable 5,000-seat arena grandstand will be introduced, bringing greater flexibility and opportunities for hosting new types of events in the largest halls of Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre. This 6 million euros investment will benefit the entire city of Helsinki and help fill a gap in the capital region’s offering for venues for congresses, corporate and sports events, and other similar event centres.

Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre invests in growth

In the 2024 TEP survey, which is a survey for decision makers in working life facilitated by Taloustutkimus, Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre received the highest shared overall rating among trade fair and event organizers. It ranked number one in the industry for the functionality of its exhibition spaces, the diversity of its service offerings, and its reliability and delivery performance.

“Events have a strong role as a marketing channel and as catalysts for trends. In addition, the event industry holds significant societal importance. Our economic and employment impact on the capital region is substantial. In 2024, Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre generated a revenue stream of 245 million euros for the Helsinki metropolitan area, and we aim to grow our economic and employment impact to 400 million euros by 2026. Our latest project, the Solar event space, represents a new step forward in attracting major international congresses and corporate events to Helsinki,” says CEO Anni Vepsäläinen.

The article A year of growth at Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre: Record visitor numbers and strong financial results first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.