Experience and Wellness Economy
Our training proved to be very attractive in 2020. We exceeded the set degree targets, and the number of applicants increased overall. In particular, the demand for multiform education increased considerably.
The year was full of development for our unit, despite the exceptional circumstances. We updated our course offering by opening up new open university of applied sciences paths to the the bachelor degrees in Hospitality Management in Helsinki and to the degree programmes in sports in Tampere and Turku. We further increased our cooperation with upper secondary institutions on all of our campuses and in all of our degree programmes. The new fitness and health specialisation programme of the Master's Degree Programme in Sport was immediately popular.
In global education services, we proceeded mostly in line with our objectives, even though the restrictions on travel and attendance significantly hindered the organisation of studies. The Sport Management education cooperation in Guangzhou continued, as did the Aviation Business cooperation programme in Chongqing. The education cooperation in Malta, which has been in place for a long time, produced its first Master’s degrees, and cooperation with the Paul Bocuse Institute also increased.
The year was topped off when, after years of goal-oriented quality work, the Haaga campus English-language Bachelor of Hospitality Management programme received accreditation from the International Centre of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality Education (THE-ICE), the first university in Finland to do so.
The number of our RDI projects increased substantially and we also increased the number of commercial research and development projects. The events of the 50th anniversary year of the Bachelor of Hospitality Management programme culminated in March on the Haaga campus with the RESTO 2020 competition, which gathered more than a hundred participants from more than ten universities of applied sciences. The first ever virtual Space Tourism Forum in Porvoo campus reached hundreds of participants.
In November, Haaga-Helia organised the world’s first space tourism event. The virtual Space Tourism Forum Porvoo event brought together from around the world a huge number of people and parties interested in space tourism. The event showcased the latest megatrends in space tourism and studies in the field. The keynote speakers at the event were Anette Toivonen, Lecturer at Haaga-Helia, and Mikko Dufva, Sitra’s leading foresight specialist. The event’s panel discussion participants were Pekka Janhunen, Space Physicist and Research Manager at Finnish Meteorological Institute, Maija Lönnqvist, Chief Specialist on Space Policy at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, and Anette Toivonen.
Haaga-Helia and Hotel Kämp started a collaboration with the goal of developing a world-class restaurant experience for Hotel Kämp’s restaurants. During the next three years, Haaga-Helia is going to help Kämp Group develop several concepts for its restaurants. The concepts will use XR (Extended Reality) technology to create an experience environment to support the food product in Hotel Kämp’s spaces. The concepts, which are based on Finnish food culture and the expertise of top chefs, are meant to create a selection of food products which are supported by various visual landscapes as well as soundscapes and smells. Participating from Haaga-Helia are experts in the restaurant and service business as well as hospitality students.
At the end of the year THE-ICE Board of Directors granted Committed to Quality (C2Q) membership of THE-ICE to Haaga-Helia. The membership was granted to the Degree programme in Hospitality, Tourism and Experience Management, led by Degree director Risto Karmavuo. Haaga-Helia becomes the first institution in Finland to receive THE-ICE accreditation. In addition to the recognition, C2Q membership carries with it a range of benefits such as participation in the annual THE-ICE International Student Barometer Survey (ISBSB). The International Centre of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality Education (THE-ICE) develops benchmarks and promotes excellence in tourism, hospitality and events education.
Experience and wellness economy, graduates 2020
