Taste Saimaa Brand Development & Communications

HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS | BRAND DEVELOPMENT | BRANDING WORKSHOPS | PR & MEDIA RELATIONS | LAUNCH EVENT | COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT

The Lake Saimaa region has been awarded the prestigious European Region of Gastronomy title. The unique gastronomy and culture of Eastern Finland are celebrated with rich experiences that combine the purest food in the world and the original culture. When the title was awarded, I worked as the head of communications and brand development for the Saimaa European Region of Gastronomy management project.

I led the development and launch of the Taste Saimaa brand. I came up with the theme “Six Senses of Saimaa”, based on which we created a brand story together with the agency Kixit that created brand visuals and assets. The brand development was a collaborative process between several stakeholders, including entrepreneurs, local decision makers and the Saimaa region’s visit organizations. I held workshops to engage people from across Eastern Finland to create a mutual brand, and made sure that the outcome would align with several different institutions’ existing brands.

I was also in charge of managing the PR event for the Saimaa European Region of Gastronomy title release. We reached considerable press coverage (20+ articles in the Finnish media, including i.e. Yle TV news, Maaseudun tulevaisuus) as a result of the award ceremony.

Managing Taste Saimaa communications and creating a network of communicators across Eastern Finland was also my responsibility. The goal was to create an active group of public and private organizations, that would promote the Saimaa Region as the place to be for foodies, nature lovers and art enthusiasts, attracting new international tourists in the area. The Saimaa European Region of Gastronomy title has since started to attract international media coverage including National Geographic and Boston Globe. tastesaimaa.fi