From 1 April 2025, the operations of the Oulu Convention Bureau (OCB) are transferred from the City of Oulu to Visit Oulu. The re-organisation is aimed at strengthening Oulu’s position as a city for meetings and events and to develop the international competitiveness of the region, especially in the MICE sector (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions).
The Oulu Convention Bureau (OCB) is the official meetings and congress bureau of the City of Oulu and has been operating since 2012. OCB has supported the sourcing of international and national congresses and major meetings in Oulu. Its core task has been to cooperate with various actors and support the application process for events. Activities have included:
- Supporting the acquisition of new international congresses and major national meetings.
- Preparing bid books for congresses and events.
- Marketing Oulu as a meeting and congress destination.
- Preparing congress statistics and increasing the number of events in cooperation with the industry.
Impact of the change on partners
Although OCB’s activities will be transferred to Visit Oulu, the services will remain unchanged. Cooperation with various actors, such as the university, companies, organisations and congress organisers, will continue seamlessly. Visit Oulu aims to provide stronger support to event organisers and to develop Oulu’s attractiveness as a host city for international congresses and meetings.
2024 – A record year for congresses in Oulu
Over the years, the OCB has made significant efforts to promote congress tourism in Oulu. 2024 was a record year for Oulu in terms of meetings and congress events. 5,540 people attended congresses that met the statistical criteria, and Oulu was ranked sixth in Finland in terms of both congresses and attendance. The economic impact of congress tourism in Oulu was around €7.5 million, and the international events increased the city’s visibility and attractiveness.
Oulu looks to the future – even after the Capital of Culture year
The change is also driven by the need to strengthen Oulu’s international competitiveness after the year as European Capital of Culture 2026. Congresses and international events will bring a significant boost to the city’s vitality and economy.
Visit Oulu will focus strongly on supporting event applications and international marketing to strengthen Oulu’s position on the meetings and congress map. Particular emphasis will also be placed on national events, which play a key role in developing the city’s attractiveness and event offer.
– We would like to thank the Oulu Convention Bureau and in particular Helena Pikkarainen for the excellent work that has been done over the years. Thanks to the work of the OCB, Oulu has become one of the most important congress cities in Finland. It is of paramount importance to us that services continue to run smoothly and that we continue to develop congress activities in order to strengthen Oulu’s international competitiveness. Oulu is a great city for meetings and events, and we will invest heavily in marketing it, promises Yrjötapio Kivisaari, CEO of Visit Oulu.
For further information about the Oulu Convention Bureau, please contact Anniina Merikanto, tel. + 358 40 146 3150, anniina@visitoulu.fi. Helena Pikkarainen will continue as a special advisor until 31 October 2025.