Study trip to Umeå 22.2.2024
The programme
At 07.05 o’clock we met at the harbour for the delivery of tickets and boarding to the ferry. We had the option to either take our own car to the harbour or hop on the bus from Novia campus to get to the harbour. We decided to take our own car to the harbour since it was the easier option for us.
On the ferry we ate breakfast buffet on behalf of Novia.
After breakfast we had a group meeting about the companies we were going to visit while in Umeå. We got put into random groups of 5-6 people and had a teamwork exercise. The exercise was to guide one person who had to wear a blindfold, through communication only all along an obstacle course which was constructed with cards. The main rule was for the blindfolded not to step on the cards which were placed on the floor. After the exercise there was a little bit of free time onboard to walk around the ferry, go to the shop or just chill until we arrived in Umeå.
We hopped on the bus which took us to the Umeå city centre where we bounced around a bit trying to find our way to the first company we were going to visit, which was Visit Umeå.
Visit Umeå
The company has the task of developing, marketing and selling the destination Umeå and the Umeå region, with the goal of creating a more long-term sustainable tourism industry. They also work to develop, market and sell Umeå’s center to priority target groups with the goal of creating an attractive and vibrant city centre and driving more visitors. Their business is conducted in three business areas which consist of: Events and Meetings, Private tourism and Umeå city centre.
Events and meetings
Visit Umeå works to recruit new events, develop exiting events, create collaborations between stakeholders such as organizers, municipalities, and the business community. Contributed to the events also developing in a sustainable direction by adding knowledge and incentives. The focus areas for events are primarily sports, culture, and entertainment.
The company also works as a Convention Bureau with recruiting national and international meetings and serves as an easy way into the city. All work carried out by Visit Umeå is done free of charge and impartially for the end customer and in the role they represent the entire city. A large part of their work is to identify and support local hosts who want to take on hosting an upcoming meeting.
Private tourism
The business area works to strengthen and develop a sustainable tourism industry in Umeå and the Umeå region in designated areas and to drive incoming private travellers with the help of travel reasons in nature, culture, entertainment, shopping, design, food and sports to Umeå and the Umeå region. Umeå and the Umeå region offer a wide range of experiences, which means that they work to position themselves as a combined urban and nature destination.
Umeå city centre
The business area centrum works to build an attractive and vibrant city centre, position the centre as a natural meeting place and drive day and evening visitors to the centre. Together with relevant actors, they collaborate to create long-term development plans. Issues that may concern parking, security, social meeting places, public environments, street development and store offerings. https://visitumea.se/en
After the visit at Umeå center we had our lunch break, and the most time consuming part was finding a place where we wanted to eat.
After lunch we listened to presentations by Kvarkenrådet, RI.SE and Västerbottens handelskammare at Storgatan 65, Umeå.
Kvarkenrådet
Kvarkenrådet is a neutral cooperation between platform and an enabler of all kinds cross-border cooperation in the Kvarken region.
The Kvarken Council was founded in 1972 during the first Kvarken Conference in Vaasa, Finland. The first years were dedicated to the organization’s formation and the cooperation’s anchoring in the municipalities, authorities, and organizations. In 1979, the Kvarken Council became a part of the official Nordic border-regional cooperation, with financial support from the Nordic Council of Ministers and its Nordic Senior Official’s Committee for Regional Policy (NÄRP). The Kvarken Council’s operations was administered by a non-profit association as of 2008. And at the turn of the year 2020-2021 the Kvarken Council changed from a registered accosioation to a stable legal entity.
They are one of the cross-border operators funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Kvarken Council’s operations are financed partly by the Nordic Council of Ministers and partly by membership fees from the main members.
The Kvarken Council has worked actively since 1972 to propel various cross-border projects as well as initiate collaboration projects between different parties. These projects represent a wide variety.
Some examples of their projects include,
- FAIR - The project promotes the Kvarken regions future electric aviation
- Midway alignment – Pro projects purpose is to secure and develop maritime traffic across the kvarken.
- The Kvarken Region
RI.SE
RISE research institutes of Sweden is Sweden’s research institute and innovation partner. Through international collaboration with industry, academia and the public sector they ensure business competitiveness and contribute to a sustainable society.
They help customers and partners adapt and to meet challenges, take a holistic approach to solve complex issues and strengthen their competitiveness.
Rise conducts cutting edge research projects in a wide range of scientific fields – with the aim to improve and drive progress within technology, science and sustainability. They collaborate with researchers, private and public organizations as well as schools and learning centres in Sweden and other countries.
Some of their current projects include:
- Unity4Water – Innitiative between Mälardalen University, RISE and 30 more to revolutionize the reuse of wastewater and process water to use it as a resource in food production.
- Digitalisation and AI for Energy Saving in Industry – A strategic project to create the network and collaborations between Swedish industries with international counterparts to share the knowledge and guidelines about digitalisation, AI and related technology.
Västerbottens handelskammare
The Västerbotten Chamber of Commerce aims to be a unified force for international growth on favourable terms and contribute to better sustainable growth for businesses in Västerbotten.
They strive to be a natural partner for both their members and other stakeholders. One of the tools they work with to promote and strengthen the business community in Västerbotten is projects. In the projects they undertake, and always aim to work closely with businesses, municipalities, universities, and other key actors, all working towards contributing to a stronger business environment in Västerbotten.
https://www.handelskammaren.ac/
Hanna Santamala & Sandra Smedlund