Traveling the world offers incredible experiences through interaction with locals, nature, and culture all over the world. It is widely accepted that food is one of the best ways to absorb the culture of the destination. When booking trips tourists are always considering food as an important factor in choosing the destination, making culinary tourism more popular than ever before.
But what makes food tourism so special? It is the tourists that are always looking for new experiences, something that gives them an insight of the local culture, but which tastes great, as well. The evolution of tourism has made tourists wanting more than just your typical holiday; they want to experience the destination with all of their senses. Destinations need to consider this aspect, because food might not be the main reason for a trip, but surely it is an essential element, and destinations which have a good reputation for offering fresh, quality products always spark the interest of tourists. Besides from getting a good meal, tourists can meet locals and hear all the great stories and tips about the location.
When traveling to Finland, tourists can discover the passion for cooking local, fresh food. Local Finnish food improves wellbeing and delights the senses. Root vegetables, meat casseroles, ripe berries and mushrooms or wild game and freshly caught fish provide health and authentic flavor. Considering that the forest is full of delicacies, just waiting to be picked, local restaurants provide authentic ingredients, developing new flavors and dishes. Here in Finland, nature is filled with superfoods!
During summer, the Finnish people enjoy cooking, smoking, or grilling their food outdoors, in the serenity of the forest, by the lake or open fire. It is the idyllic scenery to end a hard working week! Finland is a culinary delight for foreigners where they can serve fresh seafood delicacies throughout the year.
Food tourism businesses in Finland need a better service promotion in attracting international customers. For our course Well-being from Blue Spaces, we created a food route in Finland. I truly believe that experiencing a food-themed route like ours would make tourists understand why Finland has been ranked ”the happiest country in the world” four times in a row!
Text: Patricia Ratiu, third year International Tourism Management student Pictures: Pixabay
How often do you think that the everyday life with all the work, studies, chores etc. is getting all too much for you? How often do you wish for an escape from your everyday life? I bet most of you answered that a break from the everyday life would be much needed as often as possible. So did I. So where should you go when you feel like the stress of the daily routines is getting too much for you? You should definitely find your way to the nearest body of water, whether it is a lake, a river or a sea does not matter, you should find your way to it. Even though you might think that a visit to a nearby shore does really not fit your busy schedule or it doesn’t sound like it would be any help to you, you’d be surprised how big of an effect it might have on your mental and physical health.
You might think that sitting on a shore and doing nothing would be a really boring way of spending your time, but it actually is one of the best ways of relaxing your brain. Just watching the water surface, whether it is calm or rough, can really help you to relax and find that much sought after peace of mind for the short time that you are next to water. Of course, our brains control all the senses of human body, and seeing is not the only thing that can help our brains to relax. Listening to the calming voice of the water as well as smelling the, lets say, ocean air can really make your brains just switch of for a second and you will be able to totally relax just from being near a body of water.
Of course just sitting and admiring the water might not be for everyone, but that is not the only way you can improve your mental and physical health when visiting a body of water. Water enables multiple different activities that are beneficial for both mind and body. Exercises and activities in general are very good for both mental and physical health, but adding the water aspect to the exercises can boost that positive effect even more. Swimming for example is not only a great form of exercise for the muscles of the body, but it also is beneficial for the health of your skin as well as it is beneficial for your mind. The sort of flowing feeling of freedom you get from swimming is ideal for your brains to relax.
Other water activities, such as surfing or wakeboarding for example, are also great ways of escaping the routine and switching of for a second, but all the activities do not have to be physical activities. Going for a boat ride or going fishing might not be a form of exercise, but those type of activities are an ideal way of relaxing. Think about it; you are flowing on the middle of a quiet lake on a boat, there is no one anywhere near and you can just enjoy the sound of nature. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
That is something that we all should seek after, make some room from our busy schedules for finding different ways of relaxing our body and mind, since without those breaks, we really can not manage.
Text: Markus Järvinen, second year International Tourism Management student Pictures: Unsplash
The most memorable experiences are formed when you develop an emotional connection to the experience. That is why storifying is such an important thing in the tourism field. It is also much easier to remember things if there is a story attached to it.
But what is storifying? According to IGI Global, storifying is “the composition of a story from real or fictitious sources so as to create change in the listener’s, viewer’s or user’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviours in the desired manner”.
In other words, it means telling a story about a traditional dessert, for example, so that the one you are telling it to will get more interested about the food that you are telling the story about.
A story can be told about anything: it can be a real story that is based on history or to a real person, or a fictional story that has been made up just to get people interested. And the way the story is told can also vary. It can be told with a song, video, text, orally or any other way people can come up with.
It is much easier to get people interested if you have a story to tell. Take a look at this picture of a restaurant for example.
Photo: Pixabay
Charming, but nothing special, you might think. But what if I told you that this is the place where local members of the mafia used to meet? Countless gun fights and many tragic deaths took place in this same room that you are looking at right now. You would probably be much more interested then, right?
Of course, that story is not true, but wouldn’t it be cool if it was?
This was just one example of storifying, but you probably got the idea. You can also think about situations where you have heard a story about a building, food, lake, forest etc. Did you become interested with the subject more after hearing a story that was linked to it? And if you remember the story still, it shows that storifying is an effective technique.
Text: Roosa Rantanen, second year International Tourism Management student
When you think about holiday, about booking a trip, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? For most of the people nowadays, including me, it means that I will have some fun, visit places, make memories like photos and videos, and forget about work and stress that are present in my life. However, it is not always like that because many travelers come back from their holidays more tired than when they left, wishing for a new holiday.
Why this happens?
We have a misconception that we need to make the most out of our trips, like for example taking long tours that exhaust us, visiting all the places in a destination, and in general overwhelming ourselves by busy schedules, often forgetting about rest and relaxation.
I don’t need to mention the technology and social media platforms that takes a lot of our time even when we are on a holiday. It is very trendy nowadays to share every small thing that happens on our trips on Instagram or Facebook, and we forget that snapping our meals, taking 99 selfies or paying attention to our edits takes time and we end up participating in our activities less then we think, reducing our quality time by stalking the phone.
Photo: Unsplash.com
What can we do about it?
Many studies explain why vacations help us get rid of the stress and increase our sense of well-being. Of course, if we consider well-being when we book our holiday, the first step that we can do is to appreciate the vacation and its meaning.
It is definitely a great idea to visit many places and take many photos, but this can be made by keeping in mind that we just can’t be present in every point on the map. In conclusion, a good solution is to start by reducing the number of visits to those attractions that we are interested in. Getting enough sleep during our holiday is also important to recharge our batteries and planning a lazy day is a great idea. If we are rested when we come back, it will help us to be motivated and perform better in our lives and work. Some people set their flights back on the day before their work starts and it’s always a good idea to put a gap between, like one day to settle in and catch up with the day-to-day routine. (Website of Life Hack, 2021)
A second step is to educate ourselves more on what wellness tourism means and how to get more from our holidays by paying more attention to well-being. Going on a trip doesn’t mean that we need to skip our gym sessions, or to eat and drink whatever we want without thinking on how it can affect us. Wellness retreats help travelers to nourish their bodies and mind, and boost the level of personal wellness.
Photo: Unsplash.com
Practicing yoga, taking Pilates classes or sport in any form will bring balance to our body and mind and will help us to get rid of the stress (website of Corporate Wellness magazine, 2019). Personally, I am planning my next holiday in a spa resort, where I can benefit from healthier food, massage and spa treatments and why not, a digital detox. Breaking unhealthy habits and meeting like-minded people, who have the same goal will improve our lifestyle and we can come back with a new mindset.
What is wellness tourism?
Wellness travel is a segment of the tourism industry that refers mainly to people who book their holidays in order to reduce their stress, relax and forget about day-to-day problems. Global Wellness Institute has an official definition for it: “travel associated with the pursuit of maintaining or enhancing one’s personal wellbeing”
The economy of wellness tourism grows by approximately 6.5% every year and reached $634 billion in 2017. The increasing interest of travelers in a better and healthier lifestyle made wellness tourism to double its growth compared to the entire tourism industry.
Picture: Wellness Corporate Magazine
Europeans present the highest interest in well-being, followed by the Asians and North Americans. Spa tourism is the leading sector representing 48% of the global wellness registering $300 billions in expenditure with over 450 million trips booked.
By 2022 it is estimated that wellness tourism will reach $919 billions in expenditure because hospitality and travel businesses try to develop new strategies daily in order to offer new services, products or experiences for the travelers. (Global Wellness Tourism Economy, 2018)
Text: Bogdan Enacica, second year International Tourism Management student
Mistä haluan tehdä opparin? Mikä minua kiinnostaa? Tulenko ikinä valmistumaan? Nämä olivat kysymyksiä, jotka pyörivät mielessäni vuoden 2020 syksyllä, kun oli vihdoin aika aloittaa opinnäytetyön kirjoittaminen. Ajatus opinnäytetyöhön liittyvästä työmaasta pelotti, mutta samalla olin innoissani. Halusin tehdä opinnäytetyön aiheesta, josta olisin aidosti kiinnostunut. Minulla oli kaksi vaihtoehtoa opinnäytetyöni aiheeksi: Green Care tai synkkä matkailu. Päädyin valitsemaan jälkimmäisen.
Olin jo ennen opinnäytetyöni kirjoittamista kuullut synkästä matkailusta, ja se kiinnosti minua erittäin paljon. Aihe tuntui hyvältä valinnalta myös siksi, että se oli erilainen. Kertoessani synkästä matkailusta tutuilleni, huomasin, että monella ei ollut hajuakaan, mitä se tarkoittaa. Minulle muodostui tavaksi kysyä ihmisiltä, mitä heidän mielestään tarkoittaa synkkä matkailu. Vastaukset vaihtelivat talvella tapahtuvasta matkailusta pimeissä paikoissa vierailuun. Vastaukset vahvistivat käsitystäni siitä, että synkkä matkailu ei ole aiheena kovin tunnettu, ja siitä pitäisi informoida enemmän.
Mitä synkkä matkailu sitten on?
Matkailijat eivät välttämättä lähde matkalle enää vain hakemaan aurinkoa ja hiekkarantoja, vaan matkalta halutaan saada jokin uusi ja erilainen kokemus. Tämä uusi matkailukokemus voidaan saavuttaa synkän matkailun avulla. Synkkä matkailu tarkoittaa matkustamista kohteisiin, joihin liittyy kuolema, kärsimys, katastrofit tai väkivalta. (Fonseca, Seabra & Silva 2016.) Yhteys kohteissa tapahtuneisiin synkkiin asioihin voi olla hyvin suora, mutta tapahtumat saattavat myös liittyä kohteisiin etäisesti. Tällöin kohteita ei välttämättä edes ymmärrä liittää synkkään matkailuun, ellei tiedä niiden koko historiaa. (Hohenhaus 2020.) Synkän matkailun kohteita ovat esimerkiksi Auschwitz-Birkenau, Tšernobyl ja Ruandan kansanmurhan muistomerkki.
Kuva: Pixabay
Synkkä matkailu voi terminä kuulostaa pahalta, ja siihen saatetaan liittää paljonkin ennakkokäsityksiä. Keskustelua syntyy varsinkin synkän matkailun eettisyyteen liittyvistä näkökulmista ja mielipiteistä. Usein ajatellaan, että matkailijoiden motivaatiot synkän matkailun kohteissa vierailulle ovat kyseenalaisia ja sopimattomia. (Sather-Wagstaff 2011, 70–71.) Todellisuudessa synkän matkailun avulla pyritään kuitenkin esimerkiksi oppimaan kohteista ja niiden historiasta, ymmärtämään kuolemaa sekä kohteessa tapahtunutta asiaa, tai hakemaan jännitystä (Stainton 2020).
Synkästä matkailusta on olemassa paljon tietoa Internetissä, joten jos tämä teksti herätti mielenkiintosi, suosittelen tutustumaan aiheeseen enemmän! Synkät kohteet auttavat meitä oppimaan historiasta ja menneisyyden merkittävistä, mutta samalla järkyttävistä tapahtumista, jotka ovat mahdollisesti muokanneet yhteiskuntaamme sellaiseksi, mitä se on tänä päivänä.
Kuva: Pixabay
On tärkeää, että synkästä matkailusta puhuttaisiin enemmän, ja että kohteissa vierailtaisiin jatkossakin. Synkissä kohteissa vierailu voi parhaimmillaan opettaa arvostamaan elämää, mutta samalla myös ymmärtämään kuolemaa.
Teksti: Tia Kinnunen, vastavalmistunut matkailun restonomi
Opinnäytetyössään Tia tutki synkkää matkailua toimeksiantajanaan Satakunnan museo.Linkki Tian opinnäytetyöhön.
While studying the course Well-being from Blue Spaces, I got very attracted to food tourism. Gastronomy tourism is a very interesting way of getting to know the destination and its culture. If we sit a bit and just imagine for example how Finland or Finnish culture tastes like? How would it taste to each of you?
For myself I imagine the taste of a grilled sausage, coffee, and ryebread. And if I imagine where I could have these foods it would probably be some really quiet place in the nature – a forest near the river where mushrooms, blueberries and cranberries grow, a forest where I hear birds singing and the sound of the wind that touches the trees.
For the Well-being from Blue Spaces course we did a food route assignment. I chose to make a route in Satakunta and searched all kinds of information about special foods in the region. As I am from Estonia, of course I was thinking that the most typical food for Satakunta would probably be karjalanpiirakka or salmiakki, but my research showed that karjalanpiirakka has nothing in common with Satakunta and well salmiakki is a favourite treat to nearly every Finn.
Personally, I was surprised after my research to see that Satakunta is the most suitable place for sea buckthorn to grow because of a colder climate in Satakunta. I have lived in Finland for six years and only now I realise why sea buckthorn is so popular in Satakunta – well, because this is the region where it grows in Finland, and it is a speciality of the place.
The second surprising news that I found showed that a long time ago, back in the past, Satakunta was very rich with salmon fish and every single family in Satakunta had salmon on their everyday table. That historical fact was a big surprise for me, maybe because now it is very expensive to buy salmon from the shop because usually it is pretty hard to catch it and because there are just few places in Finland that have salmon in the waters. If we take a look at what kind of salmon shops are selling here, it is usually salmon from Norway, and it is rare to be able to buy Finnish salmon.
How to understand Finnish food culture?
Overall, after all my research and thinking about food culture in Satakunta I got an idea for my assignment that was not only about food. If you want to understand Satakunta culture, especially its food, you have to taste that food somewhere in the nature and have it cooked in the way it was cooked back in the past or cooked by yourself.
It is impossible to understand Finnish food if you do not have any experience of Finnish nature. Finnish nature gives that special feeling and taste to the food that is the experience people should search for when they are visiting Finland. There is something special about Finnish nature and food, it is that calmness that you feel while being somewhere in the forest, listening to the place, eating berries from the bushes, drinking coffee and for example grilling sausages. No wonder Finnish people always say that sausage cooked in the nature tastes better than one cooked inside the house!
Text and pictures: Aleksandra Dmitrijeva, second year International Tourism Management student
In the wellness tourism industry there is talk about so called blue spaces. What are those exactly? Well, blue spaces are referred as spaces with open water. So, trip to the coastline or riverside would be considered as visiting blue spaces. They also include ponds, springs, waterfalls and even spas.
We live in a highly modernized world with next to no connection to the nature at least in the big cities. No wonder people are stressed and unhappy all the time. Work is hectic and one can’t practise selfcare enough or do it the right way. Sure, eating or drinking your feelings is a way to manage them in a pinch but in a long run it’s only harmful to you and people around you. The last thing you should want is to be a burden to the people you love to an overly exhorted way. But stress can be hard to manage on your own, so it’s human to try to release it which ever way takes it away the fastest.
So, why don’t we experiment…
Imagine you arriving to a remote riverside in search of a way to pause your busy life. This is what you see, take a good look at the picture below.
Source: Pixabay
You can see the clear blue water gently rushing by hugging the land around it. You can hear the calming song of the water as it passes you by welcoming you to its presence, inviting you to take a deep breath. You can smell the fresh water in the air with luscious forest around you.
After taking the mandatory Instagram picture you sit down and gaze at the water and maybe get curious about how cold the water is. By touching it you find out its quite chilly but pleasant. The sight, sound and smell of the environment has called you back to where you once belonged. Taking a few more deep breaths filled with fresh air, you can feel the stress melting away.
How did that make you feel?
According to studies blue spaces have a positive effect on the human psychology and wellbeing and they are linked with health and happiness. Mental health is important especially during this pandemic time and going back to nature could be one of the solutions to increase it. Being around aquatic environments has mood increasing properties such as generally being in a better mood and reducing stress and negative moods. Visibility of blue spaces have a lowering impact on psychological distress. This fact could be used in the future when planning cities or it could be a part of one’s moving criteria. The happiest people are said to be those living near a blue space, especially near the ocean.
All in all blue spaces are worth taking a look at when trying to de-stress or pause for a bit. Mental heath is an important force for people to have the strength to keep going in a world that doesn’t sleep. Remembering to take care of yourself increases happiness and peace of mind.
Text: Kia Aroautero, Tourism student from Haaga-Helia. Kia took part in SAMK’s online course Well-being from Blue Spaces via CampusOnline.
I didn’t have any intentions to study tourism. Especially not in Pori. I applied to study law at the University of Helsinki multiple times but eventually just gave up.
I always had a passion for travelling. My parents loved camping with a caravan and the summers were spent driving around Eastern Europe in countries such as Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. I always wished my family would be normal and do a yearly trip to the Canary Island or something instead of visiting concentration camps in Auschwitz. As an adult I’m grateful and realize I’m extremely privileged to have visited these historical sites but when you are an angsty teenager you don’t find much amusement sitting on a car for hours and hours just to see some dusty abandoned bunker where an unnamed Nazi commander was hiding in the 1940s.
From trailer trash childhood to backpacker youth
I was thrilled when I got old enough that my parents gave me a permission to take my first solo-trip. I bought my first backpack and headed to Indonesia. I was inspired by the Finnish television program named Madventures where two Finnish fellows backpacked around the globe to the most weirdest locations and did the most shocking activities such as ate monkey brains. I didn’t eat monkeys during my travels but I got inspired by the show and visited some of the sites in their footsteps.
After my first backpacking trip I was hooked. I loved living like a nomad. I stayed in the shady hostels in grim neighborhoods and met other like-minded people mainly Europe, some which are still great friends of mine. I also met a guy I fell for. It was amazing to find someone who you can share your passion with. I never knew such interesting guys existed. We did the whole Southeast Asia together. Seeing a firefly for the first time, being lost in Jakarta, sleeping outside in the hammock underneath the starry sky. After we broke up I kept on travelling by myself and with friends but I opted for safer locations. It isn’t particularly wise to sleep in the streets in a third-world country.
Travel habits change by age
As I grew older, I began to seek different kind of experiences during my travels. I love museums, art-galleries, dining in fancy restaurants and seeing the local architecture. I enjoy quality accommodation and wouldn’t settle any longer for these dingy hostel rooms with beds full of bedbugs. I still have some of this explorer spirit inside of me which tends to lead me to strange and unusual tourist destinations such as Bosnia-Herzegovina. I love exploring unknown. I love the authenticity in the unusual tourist destinations. I love cities which have their own character and where you feel like a city is made for the locals instead of a city made to entertain the tourists. I love getting instant regret after ordering Japrak in Sarajevo and receive my coffee black even when I asked to have a latte. These instances are what makes travelling so amazing, you get to experience things which are out of your comfort zone and get a taste of life outside the bubble. Heartfelt conversations with the locals, getting lost in the city and end up finding a hidden gem, all the things mentioned previously are the reason what keeps me motivated to keep on exploring. When the plane lands in a foreign territory I feel like a heavy burden is lift out of my shoulders. After a trip I feel rejuvenated and motivated to work towards the next adventure.
I wish the hospitality education at SAMK gives me the professional knowledge and the necessary tools which I can utilize to help others experience the world. Hospitality studies were not something I had in mind but life is unpredictable. I always thought it will take the joy out of something you love if you do it as a living. I’m still enjoying tourism. I wish I could land a job which gives me opportunities to travel the world and check off my bucket list. I wish there’s life after Covid-19 and I’m still able to see the Catatumbo lightning in Venezuela and float in the Dead Sea.
Text and pictures: Liisa Kemppainen, first year International Tourism Management student
As a part of the course Managing Activity Services and Events, we had an opportunity to participate in an International Virtual Workshop this Spring. Students from Douglas College, Canada, had created a virtual meeting space, Gather, using an application called gather.town. As participants, we were requested to register in advance, and we were provided a list of topics to be discussed in groups during the workshop. We got to choose three topics out of the possible seven, that we found the most interesting and wanted to take part in.
Before the actual workshop, we had a chance to try out Gather and create our own avatar to move around and communicate with others. There was a short tutorial to get acquainted with the functions of the virtual space in the beginning. It was easy and fun to use and reminded me of the nostalgic video games I used to play as a kid.
The workshop started at 7 PM Finnish time, as Vancouver is ten hours behind and it was 9 AM there. There were students from Canada, Finland, Czech Republic and the Netherlands taking part in the workshop. It was possible to have a video conversation with others when the avatars were close to each other or in a private space, in this case around the same table. There were seven tables in the workshop room representing different topics we got to choose from, and after every session we changed the tables. Each discussion lasted for 30 minutes and there were three of them all together. Each table also had a student or a pair from Douglas College leading the discussion.
The first discussion I took part in was about student events and activities in the participant’s country. It was a wonderful start for the workshop! We started by introducing ourselves, everyone was really active, and the atmosphere was easy-going. We had fun sharing our experiences and it was exciting to listen to others’ opinions. We compared the differences between Finnish and Canadian student life. We talked about what kind of events there are for students, who organizes them, how much they cost, how often do we participate and how would we like to improve them.
The second discussion was about our international experiences. To me, this table seemed more serious than the previous one, even though the topic was comprehensive and freer to discuss about. We again started by introducing ourselves, as the groups had changed. However, this time we had turns answering questions, rather than sharing what comes to mind. The Finnish people were well represented in this discussion, so we were able to compare what kind of international experiences we had in common. We also brought up the opportunities there are for students in SAMK concerning internationality.
The third and final discussion was a chance to give feedback and to think together what would be needed to take into consideration in case organizing this kind of an event in the future. We agreed that it is valuable to network internationally and through an event like this it is possible during studies. Someone even came up with an idea to try out Gather for teaching purposes to maintain students’ interest. The discussion was so active, we got lost on the subject. So, in addition to the topic, I learned about different cultures and countries as well.
Beforehand, I did not know what to expect, but I was excited to take part in this workshop and it turned out to be a positive surprise. The others seemed quite thrilled too, as I came across many smiling faces. It was delightful to meet new people from different countries – and even from my school – via online connection especially because of the coronavirus pandemic. I would totally recommend and encourage you to participate in this kind of event, if you are ever given an opportunity to do so!
Text and pictures: Julia Alankoja, first year International Tourism Management student
Satakunnan ammattikorkeakoulun toisen vuoden matkailun opiskelijat pääsevät tänä keväänä työskentelemään tapahtuman suunnittelun ja toteuttamisen parissa, kun maaliskuussa järjestetään Restojamit -innovointikilpailu restonomiopiskelijoille. Tapahtuman järjestäminen on osa Tapahtumilla tuloksiin -opintojaksoa, joka toteutetaan hyvin käytännönläheisesti painottaen konkreettista tekemistä. Restojameihin osallistuu tänä vuonna 10 joukkuetta ammattikorkeakouluista ja ammatillisista oppilaitoksista ympäri Suomen.
Konkreettisesti tekemällä asioista jää parempi muistijälki
Tämän tapahtuman toteuttaminen tarjoaa SAMKin restonomiopiskelijoille loistavan mahdollisuuden päästä hyödyntämään opiskeluissa kertynyttä teoriatietoa tapahtumien järjestämisestä ja markkinoinnista sekä soveltamaan jo opittuja asioita projektin muodossa. Konkreettisesti tekemällä asioista jää parempi muistijälki, niin onnistumisista kuin virheistäkin. Tekemällä oppii myös sellaisia asioita, mitä ei ehkä kirjasta lukemalla opi; nopeaa reagointia muutoksiin, ongelmanratkaisukykyä ja tiimityöskentelyä. Olemme päässeet tämän kevään aikana harjoittelemaan näitä taitoja käytännössä ja oppineet runsaasti siitä, mitä asioita olemme tekemässä, miten kannattaa toimia sekä miksi toimimme juuri näin.
Tämän vuoden Restojamien toimeksiantajayritys on Museokortti
Restojamit järjestetään tänäkin vuonna verkossa vallitsevan maailmantilanteen vuoksi. Tapahtuman järjestämistä ja toteuttamista varten ryhmämme jaettiin neljään pienempään projektitiimiin, jotka vastaavat omista osa-alueistaan ja hoitavat oman puolensa tapahtuman onnistumiseksi. Tekninen tiimi järjestää verkkopalvelut, teknisen tuen, sopivan yhteiskäyttöalustan tapahtumalle, tarvittavat laitteet, laatii kilpailun säännöt osallistujille ja vastaa myös tekniikan riskienhallinnasta. Ideointitiimi suunnittelee, miten osallistaa kilpailijoita ja luoda elämyksellisyyttä, herättää kiinnostusta ja näkyvyyttä, valmistelee tapahtuman lopullisen ohjelman, aikataulun ja käsikirjoituksen, ennakoi riskejä sekä ideoi tapahtumaa yhdessä markkinointitiimin kanssa.
Markkinointi- ja viestintätiimi vastaa somen päivittämisestä, lehdistötiedotteista, erilaisten markkinointivideoiden julkaisemisesta, kilpailijajoukkueiden esittelyistä ja yleisesti SAMKin sekä restonomiopintojen näkyvyydestä eri kanavissa. Arviointitiimin vastuulla on yleinen arvioiden ja huomioiden kirjaaminen koko projektin aikana, palautteen kerääminen niin osallistujilta, järjestäviltä tiimeiltä kuin osallistuvilta opettajiltakin, tapahtuman jälkeisen palautetilaisuuden suunnittelu ja järjestäminen, kiitokset kaikille osallistujille ja ulkopuolisille tapahtuman jälkeen sekä sertifikaattien laatiminen ja toimittaminen kilpailijoille.
Restonomit ovat myös tapahtumatuotannon osaajia
Tapahtumien tuotanto on merkittävä osa koko matkailualaa, ja tämän takia restonomiopinnoissa opiskellaan paljon niin tapahtumien perusteita, niiden markkinointia kuin tulevaisuuden tapahtumien kehitystäkin. Tämän lisäksi pääsemme SAMKissa toteuttamaan tapahtumaprojekteja konkreettisesti; Restojamien järjestäminen on tästä hieno esimerkki, joka opettaa varmasti kaikille toteutukseen osallistujille paljon uusia ja hyödyllisiä käytännön taitoja tulevaisuuden työelämää varten. Olemme SAMKissa iloisia siitä, että pääsemme jo opiskeluaikanamme näkemään tapahtumien rakentumista ja olemaan itse vaikuttamassa niiden suunnitteluun ja toteutukseen.
Tiesimme tammikuussa projektia aloittaessamme, että tämän vuoden Restojamit tullaan järjestämään virtuaalisesti etänä, eli kilpailijajoukkueet eivät saavu Poriin suorittamaan kilpailua vaan osallistuvat verkossa tapahtumaan. Verkkotapahtuman järjestäminen eroaa toki perinteisestä, paikan päällä järjestettävästä tapahtumasta, sillä meidän täytyy ottaa eri tavalla huomioon muun muassa tekniikan toimiminen, hyvät yhteydet kilpailijoihin ja tapahtumasta tiedottaminen. On kuitenkin ollut todella hyödyllistä päästä toteuttamaan virtuaalista tapahtumaa, sillä etätapahtumat varmasti tulevat yleistymään tulevaisuudessa runsain määrin.
Onnistumisia ja haasteita
Restojamien järjestäminen on jo nyt ennen tapahtumaa tuonut meille opiskelijoille niin onnistumisen tunteita kuin haasteitakin. SAMKin Porin kampus suljettiin väliaikaisesti, ja vielä on epävarmaa, pääsemmekö tapahtuman järjestäjäporukalla yhdessä koululle tapahtuman ajaksi. Jos joudumme kaikki olemaan omissa kodeissamme tapahtuman aikana, saattaa tämä lisätä haasteita ja riskejä esimerkiksi tekniikan toiminnan sekä tapahtuman juontamisen yhtenäisyyden saralla. Meitä on myös iso porukka järjestämässä kyseistä tapahtumaa, mikä on sekä etu että mahdollinen haaste. Informaation tulisi kulkea sujuvasti eri tiimien välillä, sillä kommunikaatio on yksi onnistuneen tapahtuman avaimista. Suurin osa meistä järjestäjistä toteuttaa Restojamien osalta ensimmäistä tapahtumaansa, jolloin jonkinlaisia virheitä esimerkiksi aikataulutuksen kanssa syntyy lähes pakostakin. Opimme kuitenkin kaikki matkan varrella paljon tapahtuman, erityisesti etätapahtuman, suunnittelusta ja toteutuksesta; tärkeää on oppia uutta ja saada käytännön kokemusta teoriaopiskelun rinnalle.
SAMKin Porin kampus
Restojamit-tapahtuman suunnittelu on edennyt tähän mennessä mallikkaasti. Kaikki neljä tiimiä ovat tehneet aikataulun mukaisesti töitä tapahtuman onnistumista varten, eikä isompia ongelmia ole ilmennyt. Projektiryhmämme on luonnehtinut Restojamien järjestämistä kiinnostavaksi, hyödylliseksi, mukavan käytännönläheiseksi ja opettavaiseksi kokemukseksi. Toisaalta vallitseva maailmantilanne tuo epävarmuutta tekemiseen, eikä aina tiedä varmaksi, etteikö joitakin järjestelyjä täytyisi muuttaa nopealla aikataululla. Olemme kuitenkin jakaneet keskenämme ideoita, informaatiota ja ajatuksia laidasta laitaan, minkä avulla olemme löytäneet ne kaikista luovimmat ja toteuttamiskelpoisimmat ideat tapahtumamme perustaksi. Projektiryhmämme on tyytyväinen siitä, minkälaiseksi tapahtuma tulee muodostumaan ja odotamme innolla kovaa vauhtia lähestyviä Restojameja!
