A Visual Arts Event as Part of Urban Tourism

Helsinki Biennal is an event organized by HAM Helsinki Art Museum every second year. Its first edition was held in 2021 in Vallisaari, Finland. Since the event was organized for the first time, HAM wanted to make an Impact Study about the event. The idea was to create a report that views the impacts of the event on different sectors. The report consists of four different parts: 1) Art and culture, 2) Nature, 3) Economy and the marine attraction of Helsinki, 4) Other key effects. This thesis concentrates mainly on the arts and culture and nature side. The main objective of this thesis is to explore how the event affected the people who were involved, both participants and organizers. The thesis introduces the commissioner HAM Helsinki Art Museum and the backgrounds in creating this event with basic information about cultural events. Afterwards the thesis dives into Helsinki Biennal and its background, why and how it came to be. The theoretical framework of this thesis consists of the basic concepts of event and tourism management. Different ways of categorizing events are explained with examples and The experience Pyramid and The Tourism Experience Realms are introduced. Explanations of tourism vocabulary and categorizing has been broken down as well as the impacts of tourism in different sections. The research in this thesis was conducted with qualitative research by interviewing local entrepreneurs of Vallisaari on their views and opinions about the impacts of the event. Based on the results of the research and information given by HAM, the event was considered a success. The only issues were long queues and the environmental impact of the large quantity of participants. Afterwards the thesis discusses how the theoretical framework reflects in the information gathered throughout the research process. The conclusion chapter describes the plans for the upcoming event in 2023 and focuses on the writer’s own thoughts and reflections