Why Would Anyone Want to Become an Event Organizer? This is My Story.

“I listened. I watched. I asked questions. I read. I surfed the internet. I participated. I got to try different things. And I made mistakes. I explored various events. I continuously absorbed knowledge from others. I processed information. I trained to become an event organizer.”

I’ve always loved sports. As a child, I wanted to watch every possible sports broadcast on TV. Back in the day—before the internet and paid TV channels—sports didn’t air often enough on national television.

But every now and then, something special would come along. I still remember the feeling of being forced to take a nap when the women’s 10km cross-country ski race from the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics was on TV. I was devastated to miss Marja-Liisa Hämäläinen’s gold-medal race. But I also remember the joy of waking up early that summer to listen to the men’s javelin final at the Los Angeles Olympics in August 1984. Or the summer of 1986—the Mexico World Cup—where I recorded the best matches and highlights on VHS. Watching Diego Maradona’s magic, Gary Lineker’s goals, and Emilio Butragueño’s brilliance over and over again, probably a hundred times, left indelible memories etched in my mind.

Fast-forward a few decades. Today, sports and sports entertainment can be watched 24/7, practically every day of the year. And while that’s great, I’ve found that sports experiences consumed through the media inevitably lose their intensity—at least for me. Especially when compared to the experiences I’ve lived through in person. Being there, with all your senses engaged, surrounded by others, is something entirely different. It’s those moments combined with things outside of the main event, like a match or a concert, that create unforgettable memories.

We all have our own event memories, ones that never fade from our internal hard drives. Memories that feel like they happened just yesterday. Memories that offer a welcome break from everyday life—memories we want more of. In other words, reasons to attend large-scale events. With so many events out there, every organizer must ensure their event offers attendees the chance to create lasting, memorable experiences.

I stumbled into event organizing by accident. In the late 1990s, while studying, I earned some extra money by helping organize student parties at various nightclubs. During the final year of my business studies, I couldn’t find a suitable internship in my hometown, so I turned to Lahti Ski Club, the organization responsible for the legendary Salpausselkä Games. I figured it must be easy work—the event was familiar to me, as I had attended it every winter. My dad volunteered there, and my brother competed in ski jumping for Finland’s then-dominant team.

It wasn’t easy. But it was incredibly fascinating. What started as a short internship turned into a five-year, hands-on masterclass in event production at that same organization. I listened. I watched. I asked questions. I read. I surfed the internet. I participated. I tried new things. And I made mistakes. I immersed myself in different events. I constantly absorbed knowledge from others, processed it, and eventually trained to become an event organizer.

My journey with Nordic skiing and biathlon events of all sizes came to an end when I moved on to organizing conferences and seminars for decision-makers and influencers at a company called Management Events. Their business model and event production methods were ahead of their time. In short, when every employee knows the answers to why, what, and how value is created for clients, the foundation for success is there. Surprisingly, even today, many public events still struggle with this basic principle.

In the 2000s, "customer experience" became a buzzword, embedded in companies' strategies and operational plans. Naturally, I had to jump on that bandwagon. When it comes to competing for our attention, free time, and wallets, the winner is often the one who offers the best value. For event attendees, that value comes in the form of memories and experiences—ones that stick, like Brazil’s Zico missing a penalty in the quarterfinals against France during the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

I started chasing the perfect sports event from a customer experience perspective. Instead of focusing on the sports content, I began to pay more attention to traffic flow, queues, food, visual presentation, staff service, crisis communication, and so on—things that influenced how I felt about the event and how I talked about it afterward. I never found the perfect event (for me). So, I wondered: what if I tried to create it myself?

I went back to where it all began—the ski jumps and cross-country trails of Lahti’s Salpausselkä district. I had the honor of serving as project manager for Finland’s bid to host the 2017 Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti. While few believed in our chances at first, we won the decisive vote of the International Ski Federation’s board with around 80% of the vote.

The event was built under the leadership of Secretary General Janne Leskinen in a bold, new way. I was the event director, responsible for, among other things, the customer experience for the event’s audience. In total, 270,000 visitors attended the Lahti 2017 Nordic World Ski Championships. The event's daily recommendation rate (NPS) was 88%, and overall customer satisfaction was 96%. We came pretty close to the perfect customer experience I had been chasing—but not quite all the way.

What if we had been able to better translate well-planned elements into production? What if we had implemented individual services for the audience even more efficiently? What if we had had a better understanding, during the planning phase, of how customer experience-enhancing details impacted production, resource needs, commercial operations, or the budget?

There must be a better way to design and produce events that focus on the attendee’s experience—a way to create events that are higher in quality, more cost-effective, easier, and faster to execute. That’s why I’ve shifted my focus to sharing the knowledge I’ve gathered over the years and helping others become stars in event management. My mission now is to empower event professionals with the tools, insights, and strategies they need to elevate their events and deliver unforgettable experiences.