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Jyväskylä among the top conference cities
Jyväskylä was the fifth most popular conference city in the 2025 national statistics. A total of 39 international scientific meetings, conferences, and congresses were held, attracting 3,988 participants to the city. They were mainly held at the University of Jyväskylä and aimed to share scientific research data and strengthen international scientific networks.
The number of international meetings and conferences and the number of participants vary greatly from year to year. The year 2024 was a record-breaking year, but the number of participants in conferences in 2025 was lower, returning to the average annual level. According to a national survey organized by the Finland Convention Bureau, conference participants spend an average of €1,276 in Jyväskylä. When online conference participants are deducted from the number of participants, the estimated conference revenue is €4 million.
-Jyväskylä is a conference city of just the right size, and we receive excellent feedback from participants and organizers, says Jaana Ruponen, Marketing Manager at the Jyväskylä Convention Bureau.
The feedback praises the compactness of the city and its excellent facilities for organizing conferences. Professional service, nearby venues for exciting side events, and a wide range of accommodation options are also praised. Many found the clean nature, cruises, and walks along the waterfront to be refreshing experiences during the long conference days.
– Accessibility is a challenge for Jyväskylä. Participants arriving from around the world are surprised that there are only a few flights between Helsinki and Jyväskylä, Ruponen continues.
Jyväskylä’s conference marketing is based on a network of 20 public organizations and companies. The network is led by the City of Jyväskylä and channeled through the Jyväskylä Convention Bureau (JCB). The JCB helps organizers of international meetings and conferences to bring events in their field to Jyväskylä.
Jyväskylä honors event and conference organizers for 2025
The City of Jyväskylä presented its 2025 conference and event awards at an event held at Sataman Viilu on January 28. The public event award went to Jyväskylän Kesä. The event was organized by the Jyväskylä Festival Association.
“Jyväskylän Kesä is the oldest cultural festival in the Nordic countries and a trendsetter in the Finnish festival scene. In its 70th anniversary year, it combined tradition and innovation, reached a wide range of audiences, and brought performances to the city that are otherwise rare, says Jaana Ruponen, Marketing Manager for Events at the City of Jyväskylä.
Conference awards presented for ecological research and source code application development
Two conference awards were presented this year.
The 6th Oikos Finland Conference, an ecological research conference organized by the Department of Biological and Environmental Science at the University of Jyväskylä, was the largest conference held in the city in 2025, with 417 participants.
The 23rd International Plone Conference, organized by the University of Jyväskylä’s digital services, brought together 180 people from around the world. The conference focused on open source application development and Python, the world’s most popular programming language.
Congress Ambassador Award for Summer School
The 2025 Congress Ambassador, Professor Arja Sääkslahti, awarded the University of Jyväskylä’s Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and Information Technology for organizing the Summer School. The award is given for long-term, committed work for the summer school, which is held regularly and brings together hundreds of academic juniors and seniors year after year to network and learn from each other.
In connection with the award ceremony, a new congress ambassador was also announced: Mihály Szeróvay, Professor of Practice at the University of Jyväskylä’s Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences. The congress ambassador encourages Jyväskylä’s scientists to engage in active international science communication and, in particular, to organize congresses and conferences.
The Event of the Year award is presented annually by the steering group of Jyväskylä, City of Events. The Congress Award is presented by the steering group of the Jyväskylä Convention Bureau, which consists of representatives from educational institutions, the city, and companies providing meeting services.
Record year for international science conferences
Jyväskylä is a lively city for international meetings, conferences and congresses. 2024 was an all-time record year for science conferences in the city. Jyväskylä hosted the 5th largest number of congresses in Finland, with 60 in total and 5917 participants. These figures include both on-site and virtual congress attendees.
According to a nationwide survey organised by the Finland Convention Bureau, the average conference delegate leaves Jyväskylä with €1276. When online delegates are deducted from the total number of delegates, the estimated congress revenue is €5.2 million.
– Thanks for this fantastic result are due to the conference organisers. It is particularly gratifying that in Jyväskylä the conferences were mainly held on-site, with only a few hybrid and online. This is good news for local accommodation, catering and social programme providers,” says Jaana Ruponen, Marketing Manager of the Jyväskylä Convention Bureau.
In the survey, Jyväskylä was rated 4.4 (on a scale of 1-5) as a conference city. When asked about the highlights, one response summed up many of the things that came out of the survey.
“I got to network with researchers in my field and visit Finland for the first time. I enjoyed the food, Finnish culture, seeing a beautiful country and interacting with many wonderful Finnish people.”
Almost all the conferences were organised by the University of Jyväskylä and the aim of the gathering was to share scientific research knowledge and strengthen international scientific networks.
Jyväskylä awards 2024 event and congress organisers
The City of Jyväskylä presented the 2024 Congress and Event Awards on 4 February 2025 at an event held at the Harmooni Restaurant. 2024 was a record-breaking year for events and congresses. A record number of participants attended internaThe City of Jyväskylä presented the 2024 Congress and Event Awards on 4 February 2025 at an event held at the Harmooni Restaurant. 2024 was a record-breaking year for events and congresses. A record number of participants attended international meetings and conferences, with more than 5,800 scientists gathering in Jyväskylä during the year.
The Congress Award was presented to the Congress of the Sports Sector
The Congress Prize was awarded to the organising committee of the 2024 AIESEP conference. Organised at the Faculty of Exercise and Sport Sciences of the University of Jyväskylä, AIESEP was the largest conference organised in the city in 2024, attracting 550 participants from 52 different countries, from all continents. The conference theme “Past meets Future” paid tribute to Jyväskylä as a pioneer in physical education teacher education. The highly successful conference took advantage of the spring campus in creative ways.
Honourable mention for excellent communication at the conference
The IAEVG 2024 conference received an honourable mention for its outstanding communication and for creating a good atmosphere and a good team spirit during the event. The conference was organised by the University of Jyväskylä’s Institute of Education and Training. The conference was attended by 401 participants from 45 countries on site and 320 participants remotely. The conference addressed key issues in the field of guidance in a rapidly changing world.
Congress Ambassador Award for strong backround work
Congress Ambassador Varpu Marjomäki awarded the Congress Ambassador Award to Satu Julin and Johanna Nousiainen, project coordinators of the University of Jyväskylä.
The award was given to Julin and Nousiainen for their important work as conference facilitators. They assist conference organisers in areas such as finance and project management.
A new Congress Ambassador, Associate Professor Arja Sääkslahti from the Faculty of Physical Education at the University of Jyväskylä, was also announced at the award ceremony. The Congress Ambassador will encourage scientists in Jyväskylä to actively communicate science internationally, especially by organising congresses and conferences.
The Convention Award is awarded by the Jyväskylä Convention Bureau Steering Committee, which consists of representatives of educational institutions, the city and companies providing convention services.
In the picture, the award recipients from left to right are Johanna Nousiainen, Satu Julin, Heidi Vanhanen,Timo Jaakkola, Arja Sääkslahti, Pekka Hämäläinen, Hanna Pullinen, Miika Lähdeniemi, Tiina Eskonen, Vesa Holm, Outi Ruusuvirta-Uuksulainen.
New promotional video for Jyväskylä Congress City out now
Jyväskylä is a dynamic and youthful city in the middle of the most beautiful lake district. The city’s strength lies in its versatility and adaptability, with a compact city centre where everything is within walking distance.
The city is ideal for organising congresses. The main hotels and meeting and congress facilities such as Jyväskylä Paviljonki, Seminaarinmäki and Agora are located close to each other. Within half an hour’s drive you will find a wide variety of social programme that will leave unforgettable memories.
In this video, congress participants share their experiences of Jyväskylä as a congress city. Looks great, doesn’t it?
More information
Jaana Ruponen
Jyväskylä Convention Bureau, [email protected]