Digital guestbook at Shanghai Expo

The largest world exhibition in history opened in Shanghai in May 2010. The exhibition is expected to attract over 70 million visitors. Finland is prominently involved in the event with its Kirnu pavilion. Forum Virium Helsinki is providing Kirnu with a digital guestbook, in which visitors can enter their greetings from Shanghai.

Kirnu visitors can leave their picture and a personal message in the guestbook. As a reply to their messages, they will get an email with a movie You Looked Great in Helsinki that shows a visitor arriving as a guest of honour in Helsinki. In the movie they travel, towards Helsinki City Hall, where the Mayor Jussi Pajunen is waiting to greet them.

“The movie takes those photographed in the guestbook on a personal, visual journey to Helsinki. They will see the city from their own individual perspective and they will also see themselves as a part of its architecture and community,” says Helena Hyvärinen, Forum Virium Helsinki’s Executive Producer.

New contacts between Finland and China

There will be two guestbook points in the Kirnu pavilion, on the first and second floor. Forum Virium Helsinki provides the service together with Greater Helsinki Promotion and Finpro.

“The aim of the digital guestbook is to promote cooperation between China and Finland and forge contacts between Shanghai and Helsinki. We want to show Helsinki as an innovative, cutting-ed ge city in digital services, which it undoubtedly is,” states Hyvärinen.

A Finnish version of the service, Helsinki guestbook, can be found at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.

Sights set on World Design Capital Helsinki 2012

Digital guestbook is connected to Invitation to Helsinki, a program by City of Helsinki and Greater Helsinki Promotion that encourages international cooperation. In regards to the Shanghai guestbook, it is hoped that it will lead to actual invitations to Helsinki.

“Invitation to Helsinki is one of City of Helsinki’s core concepts for new international cooperation. The digital guestbook is a part of this,” says Hyvärinen.

By 2012, when Helsinki is the World Design Capital, the goal is to expand the guestbook’s story bank and spread the concept in to many other countries.

www.invitationtohelsinki.fi/category/guestbook www.helsinkiguestbook.fi
www.invitationtohelsinki.fi
www.finlandatexpo2010.fi

Text: Maija Jokiniemi, Kaisa Eskola