Last autumn, Carita Varjonen became the CEO of SHIFT Events Oy, the organizer of the SHIFT Business Festival. Since then, Varjonen has been very busy, as the goal is to turn the SHIFT event held at the end of May into an experience that no business decision-maker in Turku wants to miss.
Carita Varjonen has always been a woman of action. Many remember her from the football world, where she led Inter's sales and marketing for 14 years. She moved to Teknologiakiinteistöt in 2018 with the task of being responsible for partnerships and developing the Joki Visitor and Innovation Centre. After Teknologiakiinteistöt became the majority shareholder of SHIFT last autumn, Varjonen took the lead in the event – without forgetting Joki, of course.
– I jumped into SHIFT in October without knowing what to expect. I thought the event industry was familiar to me, and now we were set to build the most impactful event of the year in Turku Science Park. To my surprise, there were a lot of existing preconceptions about SHIFT, and I've had to work hard to prove that the concept has been renewed. Among other things, the language of SHIFT has changed from English to Finnish, the event is now even more accessible, and the speakers have been chosen so that they resonate with people regardless of industry, company size, or lifecycle stage, Varjonen says.
"Working at SHIFT has been like a return to the sports world for me."
Varjonen's winter has been busy, but also very rewarding. SHIFT now has more partners than ever before, and more than half of the event's 2,000 tickets have already been sold, which is exceptional in the Finnish event scene.
– Working at SHIFT has been like a return to the sports world for me. Building an event, networks, partners, ticket sales, and strengthening the brand are similar in both. I am a person who does things with heart, and sometimes I work around the clock. It is easy to take SHIFT forward because I believe in the concept and I can influence things myself and ensure that promises are kept. My passionate goal is that SHIFT doesn't need to be sold to anyone, but people want to buy because the product is so good.
There is only one month left until SHIFT, which will be held at the end of May. The event's visual identity, programme, site plan, and partner concepts are already ready, and the final weeks are focused on ticket sales.
– In May, SHIFT will hit the streets in various ways. Ads will be placed on roadsides, at the corner of the Market Square, and on the sides of buses. We will also have pop-ups in the Science Park area and keep watch at the SHIFT container in front of Mauno at BioCity, where people can come for last-minute ticket purchases and to chat about the programme.
Among SHIFT's ticket types, the executive tickets aimed at management-level personnel have sparked the most interest and are already nearly sold out. VIP tables are already sold out, but VIP tickets and SHIFT passes costing 129 euros are still available. Separate evening tickets for SHIFT are not available.
– We have received many inquiries regarding SHIFT's evening party. If you want to attend just that, you should buy a SHIFT pass at the "price of a gig ticket," with which you can then, if you wish, also go and listen to your favourite speaker during the day. The party is guaranteed to be amazing: in addition to Gasellit and Darude, Jukka Poika was just added to the lineup.
"Separate evening tickets for SHIFT are not available."
The SHIFT day programme features over 30 speakers who will address the event's themes – innovation, leadership, and risk management – each from their own perspective. Varjonen herself is most looking forward to the presentations by non-fiction author Saku Tuominen and media personality Sointu Borg, and, of course, the insights into the future by the event's keynote speaker, David Rowan, one of the world's leading visionaries.
– Saku Tuominen has written truly interesting books on topics such as creativity, prioritization, and sustainable growth. He is also a popular lecturer and trainer, so I am looking forward to his presentation at SHIFT. Sointu Borg resonates with me as a personality: I admire her courage to throw herself in and say things out loud as they are. The author of the book Non-Bullshit Innovation, David Rowan, on the other hand, talks about how different companies have succeeded in creating business with inventions that no one else had even thought of. This is the kind of eye-opening experience Turku and the whole of Finland need!
There will be no shortage of atmosphere in the SHIFT day programme, as in contrast to the factual content, the stage will feature, among others, ONEVIOLIN, who plays well-known pop songs on the violin. At the Teknologiakiinteistöt office, you can hear what your company's slogan sounds like when played by Iiro Komulainen from the Turku Music Festival, and
on the second day's recruitment event, the audience will be entertained by The Voice of Finland finalist Emmi Saunders.
– You should come to SHIFT to learn, get inspired, enjoy yourself, and meet people. SHIFT is also an easy way to spend a company's team, well-being, or summer day, as everything is ready there and there is surely something for everyone.
Although there is still plenty to do before the event, next year's plans are already in Varjonen's sights.
– On 29 May, we will publish next year's programme framework, and immediately after the event, we will start meeting partners and doing post-marketing. For next year's event, we will incorporate this year's best lessons and continue developing SHIFT around them again in August. However, we'll take a breath during the summer, Varjonen concludes.
SHIFT in Turku Science Park on 29–30 May 2024
- • Tickets alkaen 129 € + alv.
- • Programme pääosin suomeksi
- • Tapahtuman virallinen suojelija on Minna Arve
- • + 30 speakers, mm. Dawid Rowan, Sointu Borg, Saku Tuominen ja Jyri Engeström
- • Iltabileiden esiintyjät Jukka Poika, Gasellit ja Darude
- • Tapahtuman avaa ONEVIOLIN
- • Ei ilmaisia lippuja!