Case Finlandia Hall
The launch of Finlandia Hall brought maximum media coverage
Starting point
Finlandia Hall opened its doors in January 2025 after three years of renovation. This marked the beginning of a new era in the history of the iconic event venue. For the first time, the doors opened to all city residents and tourists, and the venue now offers a restaurant, a wine café, accommodation, a design shop and a permanent exhibition opening in June 2025.
We acted as Finlandia Hall's communication partner for the launch. Our aim has been to build the story of Finlandia Hall as one of the most interesting places to visit in Finland and to strengthen Finlandia Hall's position as a forerunner of top events and experiences. In addition, the communications have focused on strengthening Finlandia Hall's role as a catalyst for the vitality of Helsinki city centre and as a promoter of Finland's attractiveness.
"We have been very pleased to work with Korner, especially in supporting the opening and launch of Finlandia Hall. The cooperation has been pleasant and smooth from the beginning. The Korner team has been professional in all their work. Their expertise and support has been effective and solution-oriented. In particular, their ability to understand the cultural and historical context of Finlandia Hall, while interestingly introducing our new, emerging business opportunities, has been extremely valuable."
Minna Sauramaa, Marketing and Communications Director, Finlandia Hall
Solution
The new Finlandia also ushered in a new era in communication: the target groups expanded from event and congress visitors to city dwellers and tourists, and the opening of new services required a new communication vision. In order to make Finlandia Hall a popular destination, communication focused on the experiential nature of the venue and the new services, and on the low threshold: in future, Alvar Aalto's masterpiece will be accessible to all, even from inside the Finlandia Hall, almost every day of the week. The launch was preceded by careful preparation, including workshops, clarification of core messages, strategic planning of media communications, design and preparation of press releases and other communication and marketing materials.
In media relations, we have focused in particular on building long-term thought leadership and media relations, as well as providing a diversity of perspectives. We organised two media events in June 2024 and January 2025, giving journalists an on-site tour of Finlandia Hall. As this was a launch of broad public and media interest, careful content planning, precise arrangements and media service were central to the events. Guided tours and expert presentations were used to give the media a comprehensive insight into the renovation and opening of Finlandia Hall.
Finlandia Hall became a national topic of discussion in both June and January. The June press conference and press release attracted extensive coverage, including Yle and MTV News, Helsingin Sanomat and Iltalehti. The main messages of the renovation and the services available to all were highlighted in the earned media.
In January, almost thirty media representatives attended a media event held just before the opening of the building. The event and the press release received maximum coverage in the Finnish media, and the international press also showed interest in Finlandia Hall. Over 70 stories were published during the opening weekend, and the new services received extensive coverage in all major Finnish media, including Yle news broadcasts, MTV's News and Helsingin Sanomat. The launch also received extensive coverage in regional and local newspapers, magazines and business media, such as Kauppalehti.
The effectiveness of media communication was demonstrated on the opening weekend, when almost 3 000 visitors came to Finlandia Hall. The interest of the established media has remained strong also during the first part of the year: articles about new services such as Finlandia Homes apartments, have been published, especially in the magazines. Helsinki residents and tourists alike have welcomed the new leisure facilities with enthusiasm.
Results
"Korner's proactive approach and ability to respond quickly and flexibly to our growing needs and time constraints has been important to us. As a result of Korner's cooperation, we have achieved significant results: the launch of Finlandia Hall has been very successful, and the media coverage and public reception have been excellent. In addition, the strategic communication measures they have provided have strengthened our brand position and laid a strong foundation for future openings.
We warmly recommend Korner for similar projects. Their expertise, flexibility and commitment make them an excellent partner to support demanding and multi-stage launches and communication campaigns."
Minna Sauramaa, Marketing and Communications Director, Finlandia Hall