Dear MINDS colleagues,

Welcome to the 32nd MINDS International Conference in Helsinki, Finland. We have been waiting to have you as our guest for two years now. It’s great to be hosting a spring event, and what an event it will be.

We have been living amid a global pandemic for the past two years, which has affected our daily lives in so many ways. On top of the pandemic, the shocking war in Ukraine has shaken everyone’s hearts and minds. In the past, these subjects have largely been confined to films and fiction, not as part of everyday life, where they have caused anxiety, fear and despair. I sincerely hope peace returns to our daily lives and the pandemic fades into the background.

The challenges mentioned above have emphasized important values to us all – friends, freedom, sharing, communities and trust. These values are also strongly reflected in the MINDS community and collaboration. Future co-operation should be built and strengthen on our strong foundation. Let us cherish these values when we gather in Helsinki. I, and the entire STT team, are proud of the community we represent.

At the same time, trusted news sources have never been more important and news agencies are in a critical position. Our role is to maintain democracy and freedom of speech – no matter how strongly we are challenged by “fake news”.

MINDS was founded in Helsinki in September 2007. STT had the privilege of being a founding member in creating this great community. The founding meeting was held in Helsinki and now MINDS is returning to its founding city for the first time. That’s why it’s great to see a record audience attend the spring conference.

The theme for the event is interesting and timely: Stronger together - Collaboration and sharing for success. This theme is strongly reflected in the content of the topics, keynotes and presentations. There will be interesting speeches and presentations. I hope you will all get energy, ideas, enthusiasm and insights for the future to help make your own business more successful.

You can also find many interesting things to do in Helsinki during spring, if your schedule gives you the opportunity to scout around. We can’t promise Santa Claus, polar bears or reindeers, but the spring weather might surprise us all. It might be wise to check the weather forecast before packing your suitcase. We’ll hope that the sun is shining and energizes us all. A few tips for leisure can be found on the MINDS Helsinki this website. I recommend checking out the following:

• The Central Library is definitely worth a visit, even if you’re not a book lover. There’s nine living trees, 100,000 books and two cafés inside. In case, for some mysterious reason, you need a 3D printer or a sewing machine, you can find them here. Oodi is a perfect example of modern Finnish architecture with wooden, glass and steel surfaces, and interesting shapes. Head to the third-floor Book Heaven for a coffee.

• If you have a few extra hours, take a short ferry ride to the Suomenlinna Fortress. This trip offers great views of Helsinki from the sea. The UNESCO World Heritage Site Suomenlinna is full of history, some of it pretty dark. Nowadays it is a popular picnic destination during the summer. If a cruiser passes you, remember to wave!

May I offer you all a warm welcome to Finland and Helsinki, the city where MINDS was created. Our team can hardly wait to have you as our guest. See you at the welcome reception on April 27, at Scandic Park hotel at 6pm with some Koskenkorva.