Our popular networking events aim to provide our members and guests a possibility to network and get to know interesting local and international companies.

The first networking event of the year 2020 was all about the Austrian art of brewing. This time, we had the opportunity to visit the brand new restaurant brewery Stöckl im Park, the sister location of the famous Viennese brewery Salmbräu. Our host was Anne Nikulainen Welledits, the Finnish authorized signatory of both locations.

The evening was opened by the speech of the Ambassador of Finland Pirkko Hämäläinen. Thereafter, the guests got to taste freshly poured beers accompanied by a selection of delicious starters, followed by an exclusive tour in the brewery’s facilities led personally by the CEO Albert Welledits. The brewing equipment is the most modern and ecological of its kind and really fascinating to look at. Mr. Welledits blew the guests away with his high level of expertise and conveyed his knowledge of modern beer production with wit and charm.

The evening was very successful, and around 35 guests participated in the event. The evening was rounded off with a few more Austrian beers: Märzen, Pils, Lager, Zwickl…

5G, Digitalisation – the Global Networks

EcoTalk is a shared event format of the Embassy of Finland, FINNCHAM Austria and the Sylvi Kekkonen Foundation.

The evenings are a mixture of discussions over the newest economic trends, musical performances of young Finnish artists, and informal networking.

This time we focused on how 5G and digitalisation are transforming our economic and working environments. The event took place at the residence of the Embassy of Finland.

The evening was opened by the speech of the Ambassador of Finland, Pirkko Hämäläinen. Thereafter, there was a musical performance by the Sylvi Kekkonen foundation scholarship awardees pianist Johannes Piirto and violin player Juho Valtonen.

The panelists of the roundtable discussion were Peter Wukowits (CEO Nokia Österreich), Manfred Immitzer (CEO Porsche Informatik), and Martin Resel (Chief Customer Officer Enterprise, A1 Telekom Austria AG). All three companies have a leading position in the development and implementation of the 5G technology. The moderator was Honorary Consul Ferdinand Auersberg. The discussion was lively, and there was also numerous questions from the audience.

The second part of the musical performance was powerful, yet at the same time emotional.

The evening was rounded up with typical Finnish dishes and drinks, whereby the guests continued with further in-depth discussions.

On the 12th of September 2019, FINNCHAM Austria opened the autumn season by a Business Update that was organised together with the Embassy of Finland and Business Finland. The event offered the participants a comprehensive overview of the coming events of all three organisations. Around 30 guests and FINNCHAM network members participated in the event.

At the beginning of the evening, the President of FINNCHAM Austria, Johannes Axnix, welcomed the guests and handed the word to Outi Saarikoski, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Finland. After official greetings, Mrs. Saarikoski gave an informative talk on the activities and responsibilities of the Finnish Embassy in Vienna as well as on the Finnish EU Presidency.

The second presentation was held by Trade Commissioner Werner Merzeder (Business Finland), who presented interesting facts and current statistics on trade between Finland and Austria.

Subsequently, Sanna Sipilä-Axnix, advisor at Business Finland, informed the participants about the events organized by Business Finland in the fall of 2019. Particularly noteworthy: the Vienna Design Week, with Finland as a guest country.

FINNCHAM Austria President Johannes Axnix also provided a compact overview of the forthcoming activities, such as the next economic roundtable “EcoTalk”.

After the presentations, it was time to continue the evening with networking and lively discussions. The guests enjoyed the excellent wines of the Dürnberg vineyard, accompanied by delicious Italian snacks and sweets.

FINNCHAM Austria is looking forward to seeing you soon at one of our next events!

Over 100 guests participated in our big anniversary party on the 6th of June 2019. The event took place in the beautiful Weingut am Reisenberg in Grinzing, high above the hills of Vienna.

The event was officially opened by the Ambassador H.E. Pirkko Hämäläinen. Thereafter followed an exciting speech „Finland’s economy in the change of time“. The speech was given by none other than the Chairman of the Board of Business Finland, Pertti Korhonen.

The next highlight of the evening was the panel discussion. The panel was led by KURIER editor-in-chief Helmut Brandstätter, as leaders from Finnish companies in Austria passionately discussed the following themes: Technology & Innovation, Education, general trends, as well as differences in mentality in the daily business.

The performance of soprano Emilia Vesalainen-Pellas (piano: Esa Ylönen) was very emotional. She captured her audience with a combination of her light appearance and the unbelievable strength of her voice and its precision. The performance of Vesalainen-Pellas and Ylönen culminated in the Finnish national anthem — during which none of the guests could sit still.

Also the musicians of Duo Sattuma should definitely be mentioned. Duo Sattuma provided the guests an interesting repertoire, which was a mixture folk and classical music, throughout the evening.

After midnight there was also an after party in the cocktail bar “The Sign”.

Kippis!

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