History of Tampere Talent Ambassadors

Tampere Talent Ambassadors: how everything started

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Tampere Talent Ambassadors activities, an important milestone in the city's journey towards internationalization. Let’s use the occasion of this festive year to reflect upon the history of Tampere Talent Ambassadors.

The 10 years of Tampere Talent Ambassadors features three periods

The early years (2015–2019) marked the establishment of the Ambassadors concept, which functioned as a Business Tampere project. At that time, it was called the Tampere Ambassadors Network.

The second period (2019–2020) was a transition phase, during which a new concept was introduced, and new main stakeholders, coordinated by the City of Tampere, took over the Tampere Ambassadors' activities.

Today, in the third period, Tampere Ambassadors is a City Program running into its 5-th jubilee season. It has  sustainable funding and consists of five different subprograms. Each subprogram is coordinated by a separate unit or organization. Tampere Talent Ambassadors is now one of them, managed by International House Tampere. The other subprograms are:

• Culture Ambassadors
• Business Ambassadors
• Alumni Ambassadors
• Congress Ambassadors

Local and global context

But let’s return to the very beginning. In 2015, no other city in Finland had an Ambassadors network. It was a bold innovation for the country – one that was rare even internationally. Around that time, establishing Ambassadors networks had become a growing trend driven by globalization. Various international networks – differing in aims, sizes, and concepts, and ranging from alumni unions to destination promotion or talent attraction teams – began emerging under the name of Ambassadors.

Mari Taverne, Director of Talent Attraction and Migration at the City of Tampere, the founder of the concept:

– Back in 2015, my team and I at Business Tampere, were in the process of thinking of new ways to build international awareness about Tampere in the eyes of global talents, new ways to attract and retain international talents and put Tampere into a global map. I had a chance to familiarize myself with Ambassador networks from other countries such as Denmark, the City of Copenhagen and France, the City of Lyon. That gave us an idea that maybe the Tampere Ambassador Network could be a new way to connect with globally oriented people who feel warmly about Tampere. It was a first push to initiate the network in the first place.

Concept in the early years

In the beginning, the concept seemed universal, aiming for place branding and social marketing by uniting internationally minded people who shared a love for Tampere. Over the following years, a large and dynamic international network with a low threshold for participation was formed. Geographically and professionally diverse, it included not only internationals living in Tampere but also internationally minded Finns and internationals living abroad. Among its members were students, fresh newcomers and their friends, internationalizing company CEOs, curious locals, Finns who had moved abroad for work, foreign hires of Tampere companies, and their spouses — a truly heterogeneous group.

At that time, the Ambassadors Network was the largest and most popular international project in Tampere. It had a unique atmosphere filled with inspiration, excitement, and appreciation.

– It has been the most international experience of my life so far. We had an opportunity to plan and share activities with so many other internationals, remembers Pamela Roldán from Argentina, who joined Tampere Ambassadors in the early years of the network.

– The first thing that struck me about the program was that it existed at all. I was impressed that my local city saw the value in international talents, and not only wanted to celebrate Tampere's multicultural diversity, but also seek innovative ways to increase and strengthen this diversity through international talent attraction, Ashley Penn, Tampere Talent Ambassador from England, recalls.

The participating in the network activities was voluntary:

– It often reminds me that most of the time in life, the most rewarding times are the times you offer freely, - admits Rogério da Conceicão from Portugal, who joined Tampere Ambassadors in the early years of the network,-  it made me feel that I was a contributing member of society, and it gave back through the visual exposure and connections made that supported and assisted me in becoming employed, cementing the sense of belonging.

Due to the number of stakeholders growth, the network quickly expanded to 123 members from 38 countries: 

– In the first place we were lucky to have such a good and wide international business network through Business Tampere and a strong network of international students living in Tampere. The city of Tampere, Business Tampere and Tampere universities were the first and foremost supporters for the network development. Later on also the local companies were involved,  says the network founder Mari Taverne

Activities

The main format of activities consisted of monthly events designed to familiarize network members with Tampere’s places, services and companies. Through these events, the network aimed to showcase Tampere’s attractiveness to a global audience.

As part of the Tampere Ambassadors activities were organised visits to Särkänniemi Amusement Park, Moomin Museum Grand Opening ceremony, the Tampere Tram Model Exhibition, also Tampere Ambassadors annually participated in an honorary Mayoral luncheons. At such events an “Ambassador of the Year” award was granted to the most active and influential Ambassadors.

– One standout memory from my time as a Tampere Ambassador was when we visited the studios at Mediapolis during the live broadcast of Nenäpäivä in 2017. The event was a fantastic chance to get to know about public broadcasting in Finland that I never would have been able to experience otherwise. I particularly enjoyed sharing the fun atmosphere of Nenäpäivä with my fellow Ambassadors, reminisces Ashely Penn

Talent attraction tools

At that time, there was already a general focus on attracting international talent. However, there were no specific target regions, professions, or established messaging yet. These important talent attraction tools were co-developed during these years alongside national and regional internationalization strategies.

Rising topics of international talent integration

There was another group of events focused on promoting diversity and inclusion. Ambassadors participated in workshops to discuss Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) topics and integration activities in Tampere.

– I just loved the possibility of meeting so many people from so many different backgrounds and the way the platform encouraged us to come together and brainstorm our ways to integration. The atmosphere in all meetings was always positive and constructive, and that made possible a healthy interaction that made us all grow in one way or another. I am deeply thankful for this opportunity, Pamela Roldán

– One of the best memories I have about the network was an international food event (Red Nose Restaurant Day in May 2016) that we organised together with newcomers and Ambassadors. It was a good way to present different international cultures that are represented in Tampere and the same time make the internationals feel like home in Tampere,  says Mari Taverne

During these events many life-long connections have been built:

– My brightest memory about the events and activities is conversations that created special relationships and friendships over snacks and drinks after every gathering , Rogério da Conceicão.

How Ambassadors promoted Tampere

Digital marketing, as we call it today, was only beginning to emerge back in 2015. In its early years, Tampere Ambassadors actively used hashtags and event photography, published articles and videos in their home countries' media, and collaborated with bloggers. Additionally, Tampere Ambassadors actively promoted Tampere at real-life events in Finland and abroad.

During the early years of the Network we managed to form a unique co-creation and participative culture which nurtured and facilitated new projects and collaborations:

As Pamela Roldán recalls:

– The program indeed helped me build relations with other international entrepreneurs that eventually transformed into diverse projects, such as an intercultural dance event, a winter photo session in the middle of the frozen lake, a participation in a theater play and a virtually animated dance performance. The most important learning during these interactions was to feel inspired by each other's talents and ideas, and to dare to unite efforts to create something very unique. A truly empowering experience!

Employment opportunities which the Network provided

On top of being a place branding and social marketing project the Tampere Ambassadors Network facilitated and enhanced employment and integration opportunities for the network members providing them with valuable connections, career opportunities and support:

– Probably the most significant thing to have arisen from my time in the Tampere Ambassador Program is my change in career. It can be difficult to continue an established career in a foreign country. However, the Tampere Talent Ambassadors Program gave me the opportunity to publish many voluntary articles, videos, and social media content that I could use as references, eventually securing my current position in marketing for Valtra, a well-known Finnish brand, comment Ashley Penn

– Even before the official process of integration had actually started through, for example, the acquisition of the Finnish language and the opportunities to work in our field, the Tampere Ambassadors became a community where we could seek support, companionship and encouragement. I currently live in Copenhagen and I have not encountered yet, an initiative similar to Tampere Ambassadors, Pamela Roldán.

Concept transformation

During the 4 early years Tampere Ambassadors Network fulfilled its concept and created trust and a strong tradition of win-win collaboration between the internationally-minded citizens and the City stakeholders. It brought valuable experiences to the city authorities on running international networks and educated international residents on active citizenship and participation. These experiences were wisely considered by the local authorities as  good grounds for the next phase which led to the present activities of Tampere Ambassadors. The next publication highlights the process of reformation and sheds the light on some behind the scenes logic of this process.

Stay tuned!

More information on Talent Ambassador program and activities:

Natalia Gromova
Tel. +358 44 2370 594
Email: info@tedcenter.fi