Social and evening programme

All conference participants and spouses are cordially invited to take part in the social events. You can register for these by completing the appropriate part of the conference registration form. Please note that registration for these social events on the conference registration form is required even though the event may be included in the conference fee. Registration for the social events during the conference itself will not be possible.

Monday 30 June

City Reception
at the Museum Centre Vapriikki  at 19.00–20.30

Included in the conference fee for registered participants and accompanying persons. Registration on the conference registration form is required.

The City of Tampere cordially invites us to cocktails at the Museum Centre Vapriikki.

The industrial history of the Tampella area began in the 1840s with a small blast furnace. In 1856, Gustaf August Wasastjerna, the owner of the Seinäjoki iron works, founded a machine shop by the rapids, while Adolf Törngren, Master of Laws, founded a linen mill. Five years later the two merged to form the Tampere Linen and Iron Industry Limited Company (since named Tampella), which had a wide range of production including locomotives, turbines and damask cloths of linen. The textile production ended in the 1970s, and industrial use of the last buildings by the rapids ceased in the 1990s. The Swedish word ‘fabrik’ became the Finnish ‘vapriikki’ in the last century, and the museum centre was named Vapriikki to emphasise the significance of its location in Finnish industrial history.

Vapriikki is a modern, functional and versatile exhibition building designed for storage and maintenance of museum collections.

It provides the ideal setting for this official welcome to the conference.

Welcoming Party and Global Market
in the Old Town of Tampere, the Finlayson Area, at “Kuusvooninkinen” at 20.30–22.30

After the City Reception we walk to the Finlayson area. For decades the heart of the Finnish textile industry – Finland’s Manchester, so to speak - was located on the banks of the Tammerkoski Rapids. During the first years of the 20th century more than 3.000 workers were employed in the Finlayson Cotton Mills. A century later this figure is roughly the same now that the area has been refurbished for new users. It is now called “The Old Town of Tampere”. The Welcoming Party and Global Market will be at Kuusvooninkinen (literally “six story building“), a former weaving room of the old cotton mill (www.tampere.fi/tr1/english.htm).

You are invited to enjoy food and drink from all over the world and share information about your work with friends and colleagues in this historic milieu, which has been designated a National Finnish Landmark by the Ministry of the Environment. We hope this evening will give the conference a fun, relaxed and informal beginning.

The Global Market

The Global Market is one of the most important social events of the conference. It is a possibility to "break the ice” with food, drink and samples of different cultures from all over the world.

At the same time, the Global Market is also the place to introduce everyone to the secrets of the “chaplaincy work” that is being done by you and your colleagues in the institution where you work.

In other words, bring local, regional and national food and drink from your country, as well as posters, brochures, publications and anything else you would like to share with the conference participants. In order to prepare for this market, please get together with other participants from your region/country and decide together who brings what. We really appreciate your efforts to have as great a variety of food, drink and information available as possible.

NB: Regarding import quota and restrictions in Finland:

Finland is a member state of the European Union, so please observe the EU rules and regulations for import of alcoholic beverages and the like. If you are in doubt about anything else you would like to bring for the global market please check at:
http://www.visitfinland.com/w5/uk/index.nsf/(pages)/Customs_Regulations
(pages)/Customs_Regulations.

Viikinsaari pavillion

Tuesday 1 July

Finnish Evening on the Viikinsaari Island
Departure by boat from Laukontori Quay at 18.00.

Included in the conference fee for registered participants and guests. Registration on the conference registration form is required.

We invite you to spend a memorable summer evening in true Finnish atmosphere on the Viikinsaari Island. A short boat trip will start and end the evening on this beautiful green island just off the city centre. You have a possibility to enjoy Finnish sauna followed by a dive into the lake. Or you can walk around the island, admire the nature and the rich flora and visit the tiny ecumenical chapel of the island. You will have a chance to have a go at the tango, waltz and other traditional dances on the large open dance floor. A Finnish buffet dinner, including grilled salmon, will be served. Outdoor evening prayer by the lakeside concludes the evening. As many of these activities will take place outdoors please dress accordingly (good shoes, warm clothes).

Boat to Viikinsaari leaves from Laukontori quay at 18.00. Return transportation from the Island at 19.30, 20.30, 21.30 and 22.30.

More information about the Viikinsaari Island at http://www.tampere.fi/english/culture/activities/viikinsaari/index.html

The Cruise Boat Tarjanne

Wednesday 2 July

Tampere City Sightseeing and a Lake Cruise
Wednesday 2 July at 12.00–16.00
Departure by bus in front of Tampere Hall (Yliopistonkatu 55)

Included in the conference fee for registered participants and accompanying persons. Registration on the conference registration form is required. Registration during the conference itself will not be possible.

The city tour of Tampere shows you the best of the city. You will hear the story of its birth, and you will learn how it developed into the vibrant city it is today. You will enjoy some stunning views of the surrounding lakes on Pyynikki Ridge, and the picturesque old wooden houses of the idyllic Pispala district will leave you with an unforgettable memory. The tour is crowned by a visit to Tampere Cathedral, a National Romantic masterpiece, which with its fascinating frescos will tell you more about the history of the Finnish people than any tour guide could. This city tour will be followed by a cruise on the blue waters of Lake Pyhäjärvi. Finland is known as the Land of a Thousand Lakes, and Tampere is situated between two particularly beautiful expanses of water. So, what could be a more suitable way to spend some of your spare time than on a lake cruise? On board you can enjoy refreshments while listening to a recorded guide tour on the surrounding sights. The boat departs/arrives from/to Laukontori quay in the city centre.

ALTERNATIVE EXCURSIONS ON WEDNESDAY JULY 2

A summer day in national heritage landscape of Hämeenkyrö
Wednesday 2 July at 12.00–19.30

Price: EUR 89

Spend a summer day visiting a Finnish national heritage landscape.
The municipality of Hämeenkyrö, an old agricultural parish, is
situated only half an hour’s drive from Tampere. On the way there we
will visit the village of Pinsiö to admire Nancy Holt’s environmental
work called “Up and Under”. In Hämeenkyrö we visit the local Lutheran
church, churchyard and old vicarage, followed by a short guided tour
of Frantsila’s organic herbal gardens. In addition to herbs, there is
also a lot of information about alternative medicine available. After
a drive along the lake shore we arrive at the strawberry beds which
are famous for their picturesque setting. The view is straight out of
a beautiful landscape painting! Taking our bark baskets, we pick the
juicy sweet berries that have ripened during the long summer nights –
not forgetting to taste a few as we pick. A lunch of genuine home-
cooked food in the living room of the farmhouse and a visit to the
animals on the farm completes our look at life on the northern edge
of the EU and makes for a perfect summer day’s outing.

Tour to the wilderness
Wednesday 2 July at 12.00–20.00

Price: EUR 100

Join an excursion into the fresh and unspoiled Finnish countryside to
admire its varied landscapes! Helvetinjärvi National Park is set in
the rugged forested terrain typical of the northern part of the Häme
region. Ravines, lakes with sharply falling shores, small woodland
pools and vast deserted forests are characteristic features of the
park. Our excursion begins with a bus trip that lasts about one hour,
after which we hike for three kilometres. Along the route the guide
will tell us about the flora and fauna. We stop for coffee and
sandwiches by campfire.

After the break we continue to Kalela, the wilderness studio of
Akseli Gallen–Kallela (1865–1931), one of Finland’s most loved
painters. To conclude the tour, we enjoy Finnish sauna and swimming
in the lake, and have a delicious buffet supper just before the bus
comes to take us to Tampere.

Hotel Rosendahl

Thursday 3 July

Conference Dinner
at the Scandic Hotel Rosendahl at 19.30

Price: EUR 35. Registration on the conference registration form is required. Registration during the conference will not be possible.

Join us for the great Conference Dinner at the lakeside Restaurant Rosendahl, located in a beautiful natural setting close to Pyynikki Park, just 2 kilometres from the city centre. A seated 3-course dinner will be served by a kitchen rated as one of the best in Tampere. Music and entertainment will be provided as part of the evening programme. Outdoor evening prayer by the lakeside concludes the evening. Bus transportation will be arranged.

Meeting Point at Telakka

The Culture Centre & Restaurant Telakka (www.telakka.eu), run by a group of local artists and actors and close to the University main campus, will be the meeting place for all our conference participants after the evening programme is concluded. This is the place where you are most likely to meet colleagues and old friends – or to make new ones. The café is open until 2-3 a.m. Snacks, refreshments, coffee/tea, wine, beer and soft drinks are available at your own cost.

OPTIONAL SIGHTSEEING TOURS

Tampere city sightseeing tour
Tuesday 1 July at 10.00–12.00 and Friday 4 July at 13.30–15.30
(Note: Tuesday’s tour will be during the sessions – mainly targeted to accompanying persons)

Departure by bus in front of Tampere Hall (Yliopistonkatu 55)
Price: EUR 25

The city tour of Tampere shows you the best of the city. You will hear the story of its birth, ad you will learn how it developed into the vibrant city it is today. You will enjoy some stunning views of the surrounding lakes on Pyynikki Ridge, and the picturesque old wooden houses of the idyllic Pispala district will leave an unforgettable memory. The tour is crowned by a visit to Tampere Cathedral, a National Romantic masterpiece, which with its fascinating frescos will tell you more about the history of the Finnish people than any written work. Programme subject to changes

Helsinki

POST CONFERENCE TOUR

Helsinki – the pearl of the Baltic Sea
Friday 4 – Saturday 5 July 

Get acquainted with the beautiful seaside city of Helsinki. A 2-hour bus drive will take you from Tampere to the capital of Finland. After acoffee break, a guided city sightseeing tour and a visit to the Ateneum Art Museum, the Finnish National Gallery, will give you a good picture of Helsinki. The bus takes you to the hotel in Helsinki at about 18.00. Dinner at the hotel, after which there is a possibility to visit Helsinki Cathedral. Transportation, one night hotel accommodation with breakfast at Hotel Cumulus Olympia, coffee and dinner, aguided sightseeing tour and a guided visit to the Ateneum are included in the tour price. The tour will be accompanied with an English-speaking local organiser.

Price: EUR 155 per person in a double room
Price: EUR 185 per person in a single room

HERÄTTÄJÄJUHLAT (revivalists movement’s summer days) IN ESPOO

Spend an extra day in Helsinki with the local university chaplains on Saturday, 5 July and visit “Herättäjäjuhlat” and the Otaniemi Chapel of the Technical University in Espoo.

Herättäjäyhdistys represents one of the four main revivalist movements in the Finnish Lutheran Church. Every summer it organises a big summer event, which brings together approximately 30 000 people. These kinds of summer festivals are popular and typical also for other Christian movements in Finland. Herättäjäjuhlat has been organised since 1893. The programme consists of lectures, singing hymns together and concerts. Interpretation provided by volunteer assistants only. Free entrance. Transportation at your own cost. Espoo is located 20 kilometres from Helsinki.

If you want to stay for an additional night at Hotel Cumulus Olympia in Helsinki, you can book it through Tampere Conference Service by using the registration form.

Please inform us on the registration form if you are interested in the Espoo event so that we can give local organisers your e-mail address so that you can correspond with them directly.

As a minimum number of participants is required, please book your post conference tour by 31 March at the latest. The organisers reserve the right to cancel a tour if there are not enough participants. Information of a possible cancellation will be given on the first week of April 2008.