The impact of the pandemic on the event management industry in Finland : changes in strategic management during and after the pandemic

The following study illustrates research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the event management industry in Finland. The pandemic restrictions imposed by the Finnish government had been greatly affecting the operational capacity of event management companies whose operative activities and revenue flows were directly dependent on the visitors who were using their services, mostly or entirely offline. Businesses had to actively adopt changes to their usual management tools in an environment of new regulations. The study was carried out using a semi-structured interview qualitative research method. The study was attended by leaders and managers of the event management industry from five cities in Finland with different scales of their organizations from local to large international ones. Through interviews during the course of the study, up-to-date conclusions about key changes in strategic and occupational health managements in the working structures of event organizers were revealed, as well as assumptions were made about future trends in the development of the event management industry in Finland. The study was conducted in an unstable, periodically changing economic environment, dependent on social restrictions and recommendations introduced by the Finnish government. These restrictions had a direct impact on the industry throughout the pandemic until the spring of 2022, when virtually all restrictions were lifted prior to personal health advice. Thus, the main conclusion of the study is the definition of the near future of the industry as a recovery and profitable after the covid crisis period