The year 2023 was a successful event year – events brought vitality and impact to Pori
Pori's successful event year in 2023 was evident in both record-breaking visitor numbers and the results of visitor surveys. Attendance records were broken at Kirjurinluoto events during the summer, and visitor surveys indicate that events in Pori are successful.
The city of Pori has engaged in extensive collaboration with the city’s cornerstone events. The city’s strategic event partners, Pori Jazz, Porispere, and Porin Päivä, attracted a large number of people to their events. According to the Hypercell figures available to the city, approximately 608,000 visitors visited Kirjurinluoto from June to August. Pori Jazz Festival attracted around 184,000 visitors, with Porispere and its sister events accounting for about 21,500 visitors. The Iskelmä Festival at Kirjurinluoto Arena saw approximately 13,000 revelers over the weekend. SuomiAreena event attendees at the Market Square and downtown area were measured at over 45,000 with the city’s Hypercell visitor counters, while the number of visitors during Porin Päivä celebrations over three days was approximately 47,000.
Event organizers measure customer satisfaction through visitor surveys. Generally, Pori’s major events were highly successful from the attendees’ perspective. According to the Pori Jazz visitor survey, 98.8% of respondents would recommend attending the festival to their friends or acquaintances.
“In Porispere’s impact study, the Net Promoter Score (NPS), a measure of recommendation value, was 66, while for SuomiAreena and Iskelmä Festival, it was 56. It can be stated that NPS values vary by industry, but generally, an NPS score exceeding 30 is already considered a very good recommendation value,” rejoices event expert Eija Joensuu.
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is the most widely used measure of customer loyalty internationally. It measures customer willingness to recommend and satisfaction with a single question.
New events successfully reached different target groups in Pori
New events held in Pori included, among others, the long-course swimming Finnish Championships in June, the late summer Sensommar Filmfest, and the National Entrepreneurship Days held in October. The Entrepreneurship Days received praise, and Pori as a venue received the highest ratings from visitors compared to previous years’ events.
“The NPS score for Pori at the Entrepreneurship Days was 75, which is the highest compared to the previous five editions. Likewise, the overall rating of 8.8 is the highest when compared to the Entrepreneurship Days held between 2009 and 2023. A big thank you for the success of the event goes to the entrepreneurs of Satakunta, the staff of Isomäki Arena, and our partners,” Joensuu acknowledges.
Event grants were awarded to 46 events
In 2023, the city of Pori granted event funding to a total of 46 events, whereas in 2022, event grants were distributed to a total of 28 events. Event funding for 2023 amounted to a total of €150,000, which was €50,000 more than in 2022.
“Event grants from the city of Pori are a significant and impactful way to support event organizers and enable, for example, the placement of new events in Pori. This year, €150,000 has been allocated for event grants as well,” says Joensuu.
For the year 2024, the event scene looks diverse in Pori. In addition to cornerstone events, several new events will be seen in the city. This indicates that Pori is considered an attractive event location, and collaboration with the city is of interest to event organizers.
“The event scene has quickly picked up pace after the years of the pandemic. The year 2024 looks diverse in terms of events. New events include the Business Festival in February, the international street theater and urban festival by Rakastajat Theatre in June, the H-Class Sailing World Championships in August, and the Pori Venetians. And there’s more to come for sure,” hints Joensuu.