Haaga-Helia heads to Dubai Expo 2020 in October

The World Expo in the Middle East offers a great opportunity to promote Finland, as the event is expected to visit about 25 million guests.

— The project started as early as 2019, but expo was moved for a year later due to corona, says Lecturer Salla Ursin, who has been involved in the Haaga-Helia project group from the beginning. The group has been working on the Dubai project together with Business Finland.

— It is great to be able to see the Finnish Pavilion and how the event is organised and also our Haaga-Helia students in practical positions at Expo Guides, Ursin continues.

Haaga-Helia's students represent Finland

Students work as Expo Guides for the Finnish Pavilion as part of their studies, and some of them also serve as brand ambassadors for the time of the fair in Haaga-Helia's social media. One of them is Salli Halonen, who is studying in the Tourism and Event Mangement Program (TEMPO).

— I'm really excited to be ready to go and new challenges! I want to grow and develop professionally, as well as expand my image of the world, get to know new people around the world and, of course, give the best possible service to anyone who comes to visit the Finnish Pavilion.

Valuable experience and collaborative networks

Students at Haaga-Helia are currently undergoing a training phase with Business Finland representatives as trainers.

— The opportunity to work for Business Finland is a really valuable experience for the student in the future, summarises Kaisla Parviainen, who is studying International Business.

Teachers in Haaga-Helia  expect from the expo to grow an international network of collaborations in places such as internships, case-assignments and theses.

— You can also learn about the latest digital technologies for future lessons at the Expo. For corporate collaboration, I expect new top contacts. Great to be able to represent Finland and Haaga-Helia, says Jussi Mertanen, a lecturer who goes to Dubai also.

Picture: Haaga-Helia students and teachers prepared for the Dubai Expo on Training Day 26 August.