The tourism sector and experience-based businesses benefit from moments where people can step out of everyday routines and focus on the future together. In the Digi+Carbonless 2.0 project, we wanted to create easy access opportunities for tourism companies and stakeholders to meet, exchange ideas and innovate together around the future of tourism.
In collaboration with Visit Porvoo, two “Walk in – Talk out” sessions were organized for local tourism companies and network during autumn 2025. The first took place in October as a Future Coffee Workshop and the second in early December as a Christmas Future Coffee session. The aim was to offer SMEs and stakeholders a relaxed and open setting for networking, co-creation and shared reflection on the future of Porvoo’s experience services.
The workshops also served as a testing ground for new co-creation tools and methods developed in the project. The “Walk in – Talk out” concept allowed participants to arrive according to their own schedules. Once on site, they followed a clearly designed future path that guided them from one task station to the next. Each station invited participants to explore a different perspective on the future and to develop ideas together with others.
At the October Future Coffee Workshop, participants visited several future-themed stations such as the “Future Consciousness test”, “Radical Ideas for Porvoo Experiences” and “Unexpected Allies”. These tools encouraged participants to challenge familiar ways of thinking, explore surprising partnerships and generate new ideas for tourism experiences.
The December Christmas Future Coffee session explored the future in a festive spirit. Participants were invited to imagine what Christmas in Porvoo might look like in 2030 and how the city’s unique atmosphere could evolve as part of future tourism experiences.
Networking was also encouraged through informal “blind dates” between experience providers, creating opportunities for new encounters beyond traditional business discussions. The event concluded with an inspiring talk on “The Spirit of Place in Tourism Regions.” The spirit of a place does not emerge by chance—it is shaped through collaboration, shared development and innovation within the local tourism ecosystem.
Feedback from participants reflected strong interest and enthusiasm toward future-oriented collaboration. The workshops were described as activating and inspiring spaces for networking and exchanging ideas. Many participants thanked the organizers for creating an engaging and welcoming environment for discussion.
One participant summed up the atmosphere by saying: “I’ve never attended such a fun workshop before.” Others emphasized the importance of continuing this type of activity: “A very necessary meeting. I hope there will be more.”
The goal is to continue future-oriented workshops and collaboration with tourism SME’s and stakeholders in the Porvoo region in spring 2026.
The English translation of this article was prepared with the assistance of AI tool (ChatGPT).