The City of Turku is once again engaging in strong international public relations work to market the city to international stakeholders. This week, the City is focusing in particular on presenting in London its goals and activities for culture and climate work. The events involved are being organised together with Turku Music Festival and Visit Turku.
The City of Turku is running two events in London which will bring together international journalists, tour operators, cultural sector agents and Finnish operators.
On Tuesday, the Finnish Ambassador’s residence will host an event in honour of Jasper Parrott, an agent who brought Finnish classical music artists to world fame. The President of the Republic of Finland has awarded Parrott the Order of the Knight of the White Rose of Finland in recognition of his work on behalf of Finnish music. This medal of honour will be presented to Parrott at the event by Finnish Ambassador to the UK Jukka Siukosaari. The City of Turku and Turku Music Festival initially proposed that the medal be awarded to Parrott.
Pianist Ossi Tanner will perform at the embassy. The programme was designed by Klaus Mäkelä, the musical director for Turku Music Festival, whose international career has been strongly promoted by Jasper Parrott.
On Wednesday, the City of Turku and Turku Music Festival will hold a promotional event at the Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre. The Southbank Centre is London’s leading classical music concert venue.
The event will showcase Turku’s major cultural investments: the Music Centre, the Museum of History and the Future, and Art House. Approximately 50 journalists, tour operators and other stakeholders are expected to attend.
Turku is investing in culture in a very significant way in the lead up to the city’s 800th birthday in 2029. We are also making big efforts at the European level. We are seeking for all our cultural centres and museums both visibility in international media and consideration in the plans of tour operators. This is what we are working towards now in London, says Mayor of Turku Minna Arve.
After the event, Conductor and Artistic Director of the Turku Music Festival Klaus Mäkelä will conduct a concert of the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Southbank Centre.
The Turku Music Festival is Finland’s highest-quality, international-level music festival, and it has a strong presence on the international scene.
– Turku Music Festival wants to be a cultural flagship for Turku at the international level and, together with the City and the area’s tourism operators, to strengthen the image of Turku as a cultural tourism destination comparable to the capitals of the Nordic countries. The coronavirus pandemic temporarily halted our international marketing, but we are now continuing our work and pushing ahead in search of growth, says Liisa Ketomäki, Managing Director of the Turku Music Festival.
The international public relations and media events will continue in the spring, led by the City, Turku Music Festival and Visit Turku. Visit Turku presents the strengths of Turku and the Turku Archipelago as a tourist destination. It focuses particularly on Sweden, Russia, the UK and Germany, which are Turku’s main marketing areas for tourism. There has already been increasing registrations from international journalists’ for events organised by the City of Turku.