blue wings november 2015

THE WORLDS BEST AIRPORT LOUNGES

MAGNIFICENT MALAYSIA

LAS VEGAS MINIBREAK

NOVEMBER 2015

at Slush

Your personal

copy

INNOVATION ISSUE TRENDS, DESTINATIONS AND INSIGHTS FOR TRAVELLERS

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This is not rocket science

...its print meeting digital. Together they can be an effective solution for targeting your customer or just having fun.

This magazine cover is printed on Stora Enso LumiArt paper. Check out our full selection of sustainable papers at www.storaenso.com/paper

Finnair firsts

This autumn has been a very exciting time for us, as Finnair is the first European airline to fly the new A350 aircraft. The unique Nordic experience on board is incredible and I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy it.

To further improve our passengers jour-neys we are developing and enhancing the digital travel experience.

We have updated mobile apps for android and iOS, including the Apple watch. Our website, finnair.com, is being re-designed to become faster and more functional.

The A350 aircraft also features a state-of-the-art Nordic Sky entertainment system with Wi-Fi to keep passengers entertained and better connected. Passengers will be

able to purchase Finnairs products and ser-vices on all of these channels and manage their travel experience every step of the way.

The theme of innovation also runs throughout this issue of Blue Wings. You can read about the eventful journeys that three startups have made since last years Slush festival in Helsinki. Slush is one of northern Europes largest tech events and naturally Finnair will be there.

We also have stories about the new direction of Baltic fashion, how top Finn-ish health-tech companies are shifting from software to services, and the blooming of an innovation garden in Espoo.

What will inspire you this month?

Pekka Vauramo

EDITORIAL

1At this years Slush, Finnair will be taking part in a hackathon that gives computer programmers the chance to create travel tech innovations.

2 Take a winter break in the sun Finnair flies nonstop to Miami three times a week.

3 Did you know that Finnair flies Norwegian salmon to Tokyo for top sushi restaurants? See page 84 for the full story.

HEAD OFFICE FINLANDCONTENT DESIGNER

Amanda SoilaVISUAL DESIGNER

Sirpa rmnen SUB-EDITORShelly Nyqvist

VISUAL ASSISTANTIris Mark

ENGLISH EDITINGSilja Kudel

REPROGRAPHICS Faktor Oy

ON THE COVERCamilla Tuominen, CEO of Emotion

Tracker, by Susa JunnolaBEHIND THIS ISSUE

Daniel Allen, Tim Bird, Laura Iisalo, Nora Krevneva, Markus Kuokkanen, Silja Kudel,

Mirva Lempiinen, Jorma Leppnen, Tanja Mikkola, Ville Palonen, Katja Pantzar, Anu Piippo, Pivi Ristell, Minna Takkunen and

Fran WeaverSUBMISSIONS

[email protected] WINGS ONLINE

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PUBLISHER Head Office Finland

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Arja Suominen

[email protected] HEAD OFFICE

Tietotie 9 A, Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, 1053 Finnair, Finland, tel. +358 9 81881,

Postal address: P. O. Box 15, 01053 Finnair, Finland

CUSTOMER FEEDBACKwww.finnair.com > Information and

services > After the flightor by mail: Customer Relations, SL/08,

FI-01053 FINNAIR.www.finnair.com, www.finnair.fi

www.finnairgroup.com

November tips

NOVEMBER 2015 BLUE WINGS 3

BY PEKKA VAURAMOCEO OF FINNAIR

THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS TO EVERY RULE.

MILLENARY IN PINK GOLD.

IN THIS ISSUE NOVEMBER 201534 44 51 55 63 66 73 76 84

BUSINESS THE PERFECT PITCHBehind the scenes at Slush

DESTINATION MALAYSIAS EAST COASTHandicrafts, mosques and some of the worlds best diving

TOP 5 LUX AIRPORT LOUNGESThe worlds best places to wait for your flight

DESTINATION WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGASIts bright, brash and never boring

LIFESTYLE THE NEGOTIATORSFinnish CMI celebrates 15 years of innovative peacebuilding

DESTINATION THE NEW BALTIC COOLUnearth local fashion treasures in Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius

DESTINATION MEET THE GIANT PANDASChinas Chengdu Panda Base offers cute creature comfort

BUSINESS TECH MEETS DESIGNMeet the game-changers in the health-tech sector

LIFESTYLE FROM SEA TO SUSHIHow the worlds tastiest salmon flies from Norway to Tokyo

STARTERSSingapore turns 50 ........................9

NEWSNordic design in Nagoya ..........10

BUSINESSEspoo Innovation Garden ........12

CULTURENordic tunes in Europe .............14

FOOD AND DRINKArtisanal rye whisky .......................16

STYLESmart travel accessories ........18

WORLDArtistic rain in Shanghai ..........20

FINLANDNorthern Lights spotting .........22

DESIGNA wooden high-rise ....................24

DESTINATIONMoscows Red October ............26

FAMILYHealing hockey ..............................28

FOODThe broken lemon tart .............30

TAKEOFF

3444

55

Slush brings startup buzz to Helsinki in November.

Beach life on the east coast

of Malaysia

Get a sensory overload in Las Vegas.


IN THIS ISSUE

Alexander Stubb ....................................32Tiina Rosenberg .....................................60Finland in figures................................114

REGULARS

FLY FINNAIRTips for takeoff .......................................96Inflight wellbeing ...................................97Entertainment .........................................98Shopping ....................................................99Sustainability ........................................ 100Border crossings ................................ 101Helsinki Airport .................................. 102Maps and destinations .................... 104Fleet ......................................................... 108Frequent flyer benefits ................... 110

Nagoya, p. 10Lapland, p. 22Moscow, p. 26Malaysia, p. 44Las Vegas, p. 55Tallinn, p. 66

Riga, p. 66Vilnius, p. 66Chongqing, p. 73Norway, p. 84Tokyo, 84

84

73

66

This action camera is one of this months

PlusShop offers see p. 113.

Chengdu Panda Base is the best place in China to see the cuddly creatures.

The Baltic fashion scene is bubbling with creativity.

Japans favourite sushi salmon grows in the cool waters of northern Norway.

6 BLUE WINGS NOVEMBER 2015

HSTENS STORE HELSINKIMannerheimintie 8, 00100 HelsinkiTel. 020 780 1370 hastens.com

Special Edition 2015Hstens Ocean Blue

Hstens beds have been sold in Finland for 20 years. To mark the occasion, we are offering Hstens Ocean Blue beds at a special price with a saving of up to 1,000. The design, inspired by the

archipelago, is harmonious and fresh. Every bed is bespoke and hand-made using only the best natural materials.

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Cash-In on suomalainen perintalan asiantuntijayritys.Hoidamme saataviesi perinnn ammattitaidolla, henkil-kohtaisesti ja tehokkaasti.Cash-In erbjuder indrivningstjnster ven p svenska.

www.cash-in.com | [email protected] | +358 (0)207 701501

TAKEOFFNEWS / BUSINESS / CULTURE / FOOD AND DRINK / STYLE / WORLD / FINLAND / DESIGN / DESTINATION / FAMILY

SINFinn

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Surreal fantasylandTEXT BY SHELLY NYQVIST

Singapores golden jubilee comes into full bloom at Gardens by the Bay, a 101- hectare urban oasis on Singapores south side. Eighteen supertrees, varying in height between 25 to 50 metres, are scattered throughout the botani-cal gardens. Twelve of these tall beauties are located at Supertree Grove in Bay South Garden. The supertrees come to life every evening in a dazzling light and sound show at 7.45 pm and 8.45 pm.

Singapore celebrates its 50th anniversary throughout 2015. The last months of the year will see the opening of the National Gallery, the Jubilee Walk and the ASEAN Para Games.

gardensbythebay.com.sg

SINGAPORE


TAKEOFFNEWS

Northern exposure in Nagoya

COMPILED AND WRITTEN BY MIRVA LEMPIINEN

If you stroll through Nagoyas Yaba Park in November, you might find yourself in the middle of a Nordic wonderland.

The TRAVELLERS event, stretching from Yaba Park to the Sakae-Minami areas, is a three-week cultural fair.

It offers a cross-section of Nordic design and food, says Anders Bengs, whose Finnish ecological design company Costo is among the exhibitors.

This is the second annual fair. The first was a major success with more than 75,000 visitors flocking to learn more about HOKUO, as the Nordic countries are called in Japan.

The Japanese find the Nordic countries intriguing because of our nature, design, architecture and culture, says Bengs.

The two dozen exhibitors include the

Wooden Horse Museum of Sweden and the Finnish design brand Kauniste. There will also be appearances by the Moomins, and Nordic DJ club nights.

Nordic design products were a big hit at last years fair, which received loads of positive feedback, says Bengs.

We expect this years event to be simi-larly warm-spirited and were hoping for even more visitors. It would also be great to see some familiar faces from last year, he says.

Supported by the embassies of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark, the fair is also sponsored by Finnair.

The Nagoya TRAVELLERS fair runs from October 31 to November 23.

travellers.voyage

Helsinkis new home of hyggeThe Danish word hygge refers to pleasant, comfy things: Eating with friends, laughter and warming up by the fireplace. You no longer need to go all the way to Copenhagen to experience hygge, as Helsinki now has Lilla Roberts, a cosy new bou-tique hotel. After two years of reno-vation, Kmp Groups ninth hotel opened this August in a historic Art Nouveau building formerly housing a police station and an energy com-pany. It now features 130 hotel rooms, two conference rooms and an outdoor garden terrace. The restaurant Krog Roba draws inspira-tion from the latest Danish and Icelandic culinary stylings, with a strong Helsinki twist. The stylish lilla e. bar brings fresh creativity to the Finnish cocktail scene with its drinks. Rooms start at 131.

lillaroberts.com

Dutch luxury design brand Moooi is expanding its reper-toire from furniture and deco-rative items to beauty prod-ucts for high-end hotels. In keeping with its name mooi means beautiful in Dutch the

brands shampoos and condi-tioners are made from all-nat-ural, nourishing ingredients and come in pretty O-shaped bottles.

moooi.com


Moooi means beautiful

The TRAVELLERS fair brings Nordic design and culture to Japan, including Costos sustainable designs.

NAGOYA CALLINGFinnair flies five weekly flights from Helsinki to Nagoya in central Japan.

A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME WITH RIMOWAThe 1920s marked the beginning of modern air travel and the golden age of Hollywood.

In 1919, Hugo Junkers presented the worlds fi rst all-metal commercial aircraft. It was made using the aircraft aluminum alloy discovered by Alfred Wilm in 1906. In 1950, RIMOWA

presented its suitcase with the unmistakable grooved design made of the same material at the time, it was the lightest suitcase in the world. RIMOWA was a real pioneer in the sector,

starting the trend for lightweight luggage back then.

RIMOWA Store Suomi: Helsinki www.rimowa.com

HOLLYW

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TAKEOFFBUSINESS

FINNISH FAVESFinnairs PlusShop stocks a wide range of Suunto watches. You can pay with points, money or a combination of both! www.finnairplusshop.com

Bug apetit!

COMPILED AND WRITTEN BY SILJA KUDEL

If chowing down on a plate of crispy creepy-crawlies isnt your idea of gourmet fare, chew on this: Edible insects can revolutionise our food system. Theyre a protein-rich, nutritious and a very deli-cious food source that can be utilised sustainably anywhere in the world, says Robert Nemlander, co-founder of Finnish start-up EntoCube, inventors of a modular shipping container system for mass-pro-ducing insects.

Our insect food farms operate off-grid powered by food waste and solar energy. These technologies can lift entire commu-nities out of poverty by creating thriving local businesses. Welcome to 21st century agriculture! says Yichen Wu, EntoCubes head of business and strategy.

EntoCube is among the start-ups to grow out of the Espoo Innovation Garden, Northern Europes hottest and largest innovation hub.

The Garden is based in the Otaniemi area, home to Aalto University and top Finnish companies such as Kone and Rovio. Fostering serendipitous cross-fer-tilisation, it encourages local researchers

Clock up your milesThe new Suunto Adventure Travellers Watch, Kailash, is a clever companion for frequent flyers on the go and thats the official word of true denizens of the skies. The Finnish innovation was field-tested for eight weeks this autumn by Finnair pilots, cabin crew and 25 Platinum-level Finnair Plus members. The soft-ware was tweaked based on their feedback.

Unlike other smart watches, this self-reliant timepiece is no slave to any mobile device. It has its own inbuilt system that auto-matically recognises your loca-tion and time zone. It also keeps a log of the countries you visit, flights you take and distances you travel.

The watch is very light and rapidly finds the GPS signal. The best feature for me is that I can easily check how far I am from home. Ive set my home location to my front door so I always know how far I am from my family, says Harri Kajanne, one of 12 Finnair pilots who tested the watch. Home can alternatively be set to your destination hotel.

The watch comes with a step counter that reminds you to move around after a long-haul flight, and you can even wear it in the shower: All Suunto watches are water-resistant to 100 metres.

suunto.com

EntoCubes insect farms can produce

up to five kilograms of food a day.

INNOVATIONS

and entrepreneurs to team up and make their ideas bloom and grow.

Another of the Gardens winning ideas is Catchbox, a soft, cube-shaped micro-phone that can be tossed to audience members to ensure that even the shy guy in the back seat gets his question heard. This cuddly ice-breaker is the winner of the International Red Dot Product Design Award for 2015.

Expanding at a rate of one new startup per week, the Espoo Innovation Garden made the finals of the European Capital of Innovation Award last year and will vie for the title again next year.

espooinnovationgarden.fi/en

AARO KEIPI

Powered by UPM BioVerno

UPM is the frontrunner of the new forest industry. UPM BioVerno is based on UPMs own innovations. It is derived from tall oil, a residue of our pulp production. UPM BioVerno is produced in Finland completely outside the food value chain.

UPM BioVerno is now available from St1 and ABC service stations.

More fuel for thought at www.upmbiofuels.com

#UPM #BioVerno

Driving in Finland?You can now fill up your car with diesel that stems from the Finnish forest. UPM BioVerno is suitable for all diesel engines. An award-winning, thoroughly tested renewable diesel that cuts down greenhouse gas emissions.

Blue Wings is printed on UPM Valor paper.

UPM_Biofore_BioVerno_ENG_215x285_090915.indd 1 09/09/15 14:54


TAKEOFFCULTURE

Say Ja Ja Ja to Nordic beats

COMPILED AND WRITTEN BY SILJA KUDEL

Its no news that Sweden churns out hits like fast fashion, but music mavens are now waking up to the fresh line-up of experimental bands popping up like runaway daisies all over Scandinavia.

The space to watch for the hottest newcomers and gigs is Ja Ja Ja A Nordic Affair, the definitive website celebrating the best music emerging from Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Nor-way and Denmark.

JJJ also spotlights hand-picked Nordic talent at its monthly club nights. The club was founded in London in 2009 in response to grow-ing interest in Nordic music, which

often struggled for visibility due to meagre marketing and badly chosen venues.

For the last six years we have managed to fill the Lexington in London every last Thursday of the month, always making sure we have a killer line-up of the best new art-ists the Nordics have to offer. We try to keep it relevant, says Nina Finnerud, project manager for JJJ London.

From London, JJJ has expanded to FluxBau in Berlin, and last month also to Hamburgs Molotow club.

jajajamusic.com

3 Finnish acts to catch

They might look more like clean-scrubbed engineers than rock stars, but this four-piece outfit is one of Finlands leading indie exports. Satellite Stories offers upbeat, feel-good melodies minus the angst. Their third album Vagabonds was produced by Simon Barny Barnicott, the name behind Arctic Monkeys.

satellitestories.com

The award for goofiest band name of the year goes hands-down to Have You Ever Seen The Jane Fonda Aerobic VHS?. Combining catchy riffs and bubble-gum garage, their new debut album Teenage Sweetheart has an infec-tiously danceable groove.

soundcloud.com/janefondaaerobicvhs

If floaty, haunting vocals and raw, atmos-pheric guitar is your idea of the perfect soundtrack for a wintry evening, then Cats of Transnistria is just the ticket. The Helsinki-based duo will release their debut album early in 2106.

catsoftransnistria.tumblr.com/

MUSIC

No frosty vibes here: The Lexington in London hosts JJJs monthly Nordic club nights.

GET CULTUREDUse your Finnair Plus points to pay for tickets from Lippupiste. Theres a great variety of events to choose from. lippu.fi/finnairplus

Jensen on perinteiks laatupatjojen valmistaja. Jensen Original -vyhykejrjestelm ja yksilllinen sdettvyys tarjoavat ainutlaatuisen nukkumismukavuuden. Nyt sinulla on mahdollisuus nauttia elmsi unista. Jensen Limited Edition Diplomat Dream -stvuode, norm. 5.040,- NYT 2.990,-. Vuoteen koko 180 x 200 cm. www.jensen.fi

www.vepsalainen.com

Elmsi unet Jensenilt.

Sdettv vuode TAVALLISEN VUOTEEN

HINNALLA!


TAKEOFFFOOD & DRINK

In rye we trust

COMPILED AND WRITTEN BY ANU PIIPPO

Send a group of young Finnish men into a sauna and they might just come out as busi-ness partners. This is how Miika Lipiinen and friends founded Kyr Distillery, pro-ducers of fine artisanal rye beverages. After only two years in business, their rye gin was selected as the worlds best at the UK International Wine & Spirit Competition. Their artisanal rye whisky has been very well received, and their real whisky, aged in American oak barrels for three years, will be available in 2017, just in time to cele-brate Finlands first centennial.

Lipiinen, the CEO, reveals the secret to their success. Everything we do we do with a personal twist. Weve spent a lot of time

finding the flavours we want. The key ingre-dients of our gin birch leaves, cranberry, sea-buckthorn and meadowsweet come straight from the Finnish wilds. When we had the products we wanted, it was time to build an honest brand and share it with the world, he says.

Though Finnish to the core, the company has had help from across the globe. Weve had advisers and mentors from as far afield as the US and Japan, some of whom we ran into in a place where true enthusiasts meet: a whisky store, says Lipiinen, with a laugh.

kyrodistillery.com

Museum mugshotsThe Ateneum Art Museum in the heart of Helsinki is home to Finlands most important art collection. A new arrival in the museum shop is the Ateneum Details collection, which features adorable kitchen-ware items from tea towels to coasters and mugs. Designed by Annamari Lahtinen, the prints are inspired by the museums wall reliefs, door handles and other architectural features.

museoshop.fi

STRESS-FREE SHOPPINGPre-order before your flight and have your purchases delivered to your seat. Finnairs web shop includes a wide range of design and gift items. www.finnairshop.com

CHOCOLATE

Autumn temptationsNothing beats the November blues like chocolate. The Blue Wings team share their top picks of delectable favourites from Finnairs inflight selection.

OreoOreo is quickly becom-ing the worlds favour-ite cookie. This playful gift box contains the original Oreo coated in milk chocolate. Available for pre-order and onboard European and intercontinental flights.Price: 8

Kyr Distillerys award-winning whisky is made in an old cheese factory.

Lindt, Diva CollierPamper your inner diva with these gold-dusted truffle pralines with creamy fillings. The package resembles a jewellery box, making it the perfect gift. Available for pre-order and onboard intercontinental flights.Price: 15

Godiva Mousse MeringueGodivas new limited edition Mousse Me-ringue collection combines delicious Belgian chocolate, light mousse and sweet meringue, all in one luxurious mouthful. There are six different flavours in the box. Available for pre-order.Price: 17

Finnair.fi

www.kia.fi

Koe tyylikkyyden ja taidokkuuden palkittu yhdistelm nyt entist paremmin varusteltuna. Pysyttvn komea Kia Sportage Active hertt taatusti intohimoja. Sen huippuluokan ajo-ominaisuudet ja innovatiivinen teknologia ovat suunniteltu hikisemn. Tietysti 7 vuoden takuulla.

Rajattu er huippuvarusteltuja katumaastureita alk. 25.390

Varuste-edun arvo 2.600

Kia Sportage 1.6 ISG Urban Active Ecodynamics autoveroton hinta 19.225,02 + arvioitu autovero 6.164,98 = kokonaishinta 25.390 . Vapaa autoetu alk. 585 /kk, kyttetu alk. 405 /kk. EU-yhd. kulutus 6,4 l/100 km, CO2-pstt 149 g/km. Kia-takuu 7 vuotta tai 150 000 km, kolme ensimmist vuotta ilman kilometrirajaa. Kia 24h tiepalvelu vuodeksi veloituksetta. Kuvan auto erikoisvarustein.

Kia Sportage ActiveDesign ja huippuvarustelu vangitsevat huomiosi.

Automaattinen kaksialueilmastointi 17 kevytmetallivanteet Lmmitettv ohjauspyr Automaattisesti himmentyv taustapeili 6 turvatyyny

Sportage Activen varusteina mm.: Pyskintitutka takana LED-pivajovalot Audiojrjestelmn stimet ohjauspyrss Vakionopeussdin ohjauspyrn stimin Bluetooth hands-free niohjauksella


TAKEOFFSTYLE

LIQUIDS RULEPassengers are allowed to bring liquids through security. These are limited to containers (max 100ml) that must be packed in a single, transparent and re-sealable one-litre plastic bag.

THE ART OF TRAVEL

COMPILED AND WRITTEN BY MATTIAS LINDSTRM

COMFORT AND STYLE BLEND WITH DESIGN INNOVATION IN THE

SMARTEST NEW TRAVEL ACCESSORIES. Go ballistic

A 75 to 80 litre suitcase is the ideal size for a longer trip. Fin-ished in durable ballistic nylon, TUMIs Alpha 2 line has two handy compartments: a main sec-tion and a top compartment for blazers and suits. Whats best, this clever case performs an added magic feat: its depth is expanda-ble by 5 cm. Dimensions: 66 cm x 48.5 cm x 33 cm. (875)

tumi.com

Backpacks are backMore comfortable and ergonomic than a shoulder bag, a good backpack makes an excellent travel companion. One of the most sophisticated backpacks available for grown-ups is Chapmans new Ribble. Manufactured in British dyed canvas, the bag is durable, waterproof and light-weight. Measuring 30 cm x 40 cm x 12.5 cm, it fits a 15-inch laptop plus folders and accessories. (390)

chapmanbags.com

Get organisedA good travel organiser is indis-pensable for holding boarding cards, passport, currency, credit cards and small items such as keys and SIM cards. Find them all in one place in the Montblanc organiser, a structured beauty in soft grain leather. Dimensions: 12 cm x 22 cm. (460)

montblanc.com

Kill the noiseMuffle unnecessary noise while you travel. Earplugs from Killnoise differ from traditional foam ear-plugs by filtering only the most damaging noise without fully blocking other sounds. (6)

killnoise.com

Foldable fitIts what we all hanker for: robust, completely foldable over-ear headphones that offer great sound quality. Crossfade M-100 from V-MODA ticks all the boxes. The earphones come with two cables: a regular audio cable and another with a microphone for phone calls and skyping. Personalise yours with customised logos and colours. (249 )

v-moda.com

STUART WOOD


TAKEOFFWORLD

DID YOU KNOW?The Finnair mobile app can be used to check in, select seats, purchase upgrades, receive news, and view point balances.

COMPILED AND WRITTEN BY MIRVA LEMPIINEN

SHANGHAI

Hard rain in ChinaTO DEC 31 The Random International art collective brings its Rain Room installation to Shanghai following a hit tour of London and New York. The experimental exhibit invites visitors to step into a torrential downpour of 1,800 litres of water per minute. No umbrella needed: the motion sensors stop the flow just in time.

yuzmshanghai.org/rain-room

SINGAPORE

Sentosa singsNOV 2022

National karaoke champions from 40 countries will be belting out their favourite tunes at the 13th annual Karaoke World Championships. Sponsored by the KWC parent organisation in Finland, the contest is the worlds biggest gathering of amateur singers. This grand celebration of friendship, music and community will be streamed online from Sentosa Island.

karaokeworldchampionships.com

OCT 30 NOV 23NAGOYA. The Yattokame Festival show-cases the culture and history of the Japa-nese industrial metropolis with 100 free and low-cost activities. On the agenda are theatre performances, lectures, tradi-tional dances, tea ceremonies, workshops and sightseeing tours.

yattokame.jp

NOV 2022VIENNA. While 15,000 entrepreneurs attend Slush, Helsinkis mammoth start-up event from Nov. 11 to 12, Austria hosts a more intimate creative gathering. Startup Live Vienna #12 aims to create new business concepts and present them to a panel.

startuplive.in/vienna

NOV 19 JAN 3, 2016CHICAGO. Continuing a tradition started in 1942, the Museum of Science and Industry puts up 50 trees decorated by members of Chicagos ethnic communi-ties. Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light also includes perfor-mances on the Holiday Stage.

msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/christmas-around-the-world

CALENDARNovember events

Asian

Tunti

tiimoilta voisi puhua pitknkin, mutta todetaan se, ett yh turbulentimmaksi muuttuvassa maailmassa olemme se varainhoitaja, jolta lytyy nkemyst niin

mikro- kuin makrotaloudestakin.

ei ole aika eik mikn silloin, kun puhutaan pitkaikaisesta varainhoidosta. Meidn tehtvnmme on olla selvill joka hetki siit, mit maailmalla tapahtuu. Sinkin voit olla siit kiinnostunut, mutta yht hyvin voit olla kiinnostumatta.

Trkeint sinulle on tiet, ett varasi ovat meill parhaissa ksiss.

tmn kaiken me toteutamme ylivertaisella nkemyksell. Posteljooniakin uutterammalla jalkatyll sijoituskohteissa. FIMilisell intohimolla.

Maailmallakin palkitulla osaamisella. Tervetuloa.

Ja

m.com Private banking & Instituutiot puh. (09) 6134 6250Palveluntarjoajat: FIM Sijoituspalvelut Oy ja FIM Varainhoito Oy


TAKEOFFFINLAND

VISIT SANTA CLAUSFinnair flies four times daily to Rovaniemi, the hometown of Santa Claus.

The Northern Lights also known as the Aurora Borealis have fascinated people throughout the ages. Many travel across the world for a glimpse of the dazzling light show which the Finns call revontulet (fox fire), as legend claims the coloured light is created by an arctic fox setting the sky on fire with its tail. Many believe the northern lights even bring good fortune its just that nobody can accurately predict when they will show up or how long the appearance will last.

Spotting the Aurora Borealis requires luck, but also darkness. The best time for Aurora-spotting is when most of us are asleep. When Arctic SnowHotel manager Ville Haavikko noticed that some of his guests were worried about going to sleep because they didnt want to forgo their chances of seeing the show, he came up with a novel solution. He hired two guards to stay up all night and notify visitors

when the magic happens. Our guests have been pleased with the service. If theyre staying in the glass igloo, all they have to do is open their eyes when the Aurora alarm goes off, Haavikko says.

To make the chase a little more pre-dictable, there is also a free mobile app called Ylls Aurora which allows users to notify each other when the northern lights appear in the Ylls area. The app shows the location on a map, inviting others to come and join in. Throughout the season which lasts from September until March travellers to Lapland can also join a guided Aurora Borealis Adventure arranged by Lapland Safaris, which includes a river-side walk and a hot cuppa by the campfire. With a little luck, the arctic fox will reward patient audiences by swishing its magical tail across the sky.

arcticsnowhotel.fi

LAPLAND

HELSINKI

Chasing the Northern Lights

NOV 15The Kids Fashion Fair is a new pop-up event held in the cosy Helsinki neighbourhood of Kum-pula. All items are designed and made in Finland. Open 10 am3 pm

lastenvaatekarnevaali.wordpress.com

NOV 728 Suomenlinna Island is a UNESCO World Heritage site with many secrets. Its tales of misery, mur-der, betrayal and restless souls are shared during a 90-minute walking tour around the island. For over 18s only.suomenlinna.fi/en/tapahtumat/

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November events

KAISU JO

UPPI

TANI SIM

BERG

VISIT FINLAND

COMPILED AND WRITTEN BY LAURA IISALO

At the Arctic Snow Hotel in Rovaniemi, an Aurora alarm lets guests know when the magic is starting.

NOV 1014 The Baltic Circle annual contem-porary theatre festival hosts the work of Japanese director and playwright Toshiki Okada and Swedish choreographer Mrten Spngberg.

balticcircle.fi

Events subject to chance


TAKEOFFDESIGN

DESIGN DEALSThis months inflight shopping offers on Finnair flights include an adorable Finlayson Moomin make-up bag. See page 99 for more details.

Home in the woods

Looking hot in the kitchenWhile highly functional, the uni-forms worn in the Finnish resto business arent usually praised as particularly stylish. Helsinki-based Touchpoint decided to change this by creating a new collection that infuses fashion savvy into the world of catering.

Touchpoints Rafla collection, unveiled this autumn, was cre-ated by two young designers, Sirpa Anundi and Piia Emilia, in cooperation with head chef of the Savoy, Kari Aihinen.

We wanted to bring the uni-forms closer to casualwear and create clothes that you could also wear in your free time, says Anundi.

Featuring a selection of jack-ets and aprons, the collection also includes less conventional garments such as boyfriend jeans.

Touchpoint is known for its creative use of ecological materi-als and the Rafla collection is made from surplus textiles, recy-cled SecondLife fabrics and organic cotton. Production hap-pens in Estonia.

Consisting of 50 comfort-promising, colourful and distinct pieces, the Rafla collection will be available in Touchpoints web store later this year.

touchpoint.fi

MIKKO AUERNIITTY

Vallila goes to townDesign lovers are in for a treat in downtown Helsinki with Vallila Interior opening its first brick-and-mortar store on Kluuvikatu street this autumn. This 80-year-old Finnish textile design institution is known for its playful prints available in many well-stocked stores around Finland and the world, but the new shop brings a wider offer-ing under one roof.

vallilainterior.fi

Finns have always had a way with wood, but new building regulations and technologies have widened the horizons of wooden con-struction way beyond the average log cabin.

A great example is a new high-rise resi-dential building in the central Finnish town of Jyvskyl, which scooped the 2015 Fin-landia Prize for Architecture this Septem-ber. One of the tallest wooden buildings ever constructed in Finland, timber-framed Puukuokka is praised for combin-ing affordable housing with new, sustainable technologies.

The winner was chosen out of five final-ists by composer Kaija Saariaho.

I selected Puukuokka as it represents

things I value both in architecture and life. It is a bold and ambitious work that explores something new, combining ecological con-cepts with improved quality of life, says Saariaho.

Designed by OOPEAA Office for Periph-eral Architecture based in Seinjoki, Finland, the 58-unit block of flats was completed in 2014.

My goal was to create a clearly identifi-able design idiom for large-scale timber con-struction that combines comfort and cosi-ness with an exciting experience, says Anssi Lassila, the buildings chief architect.

arkkitehtuurinfinlandia.fi

VALLILA

Timber-framed Puukuokka building

won the 2015 Finlandia Prize for

Architecture.

COMPILED AND WRITTEN BY AMANDA SOILA

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Moscows Red October

TEXT BY SILJA KUDEL PHOTOS BY OLYA IVANOVA

As if thumbing its nose at the Kremlin across the river, the rebelliously named Red October arts factory is the place to rub shoulders with Moscows relaxed in-crowd. Smelling more like hipster spirit than con-fectionary, the former chocolate factory is now a clus-ter of cool watering holes, fancy restaurants, art gal-leries, studios and showrooms.

You can while the entire day away on this island of culture, starting with a workout at the boxing or yoga club, a visit to the Red October Exhibition Hall, or a concert in the amphitheatre. Catch an old-school Soviet elevator to the rooftop bars and enjoy a scenic meal at the Strelka Bar, followed by a wild night out at Gipsy, one of Moscows hottest clubbing spots.

The Lumire Brothers Photography Centre is not to be missed this November. Highlights include a four-decade retrospective featuring the wry wit of US docu-mentarist Elliott Erwitt, himself of Russian descent.

Lumiere Brothers Photography CentreElliott Erwitt on Colour To November 29, 2015

Above: Art-house films are screened in the Strelka Insti-tutes open-air cinema.

Top right: The buildings intriguing details hark back to its former life as a chocolate factory.

Strelka bookshop specialises in architecture and design.

The Lumire Brothers Centre is a must-see for photo buffs.

VISIT RUSSIAFinnair flies to Moscow once daily and offers additional flights two times a day with codeshare partner Aeroflot.

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TAKEOFFFAMILY

BABY BAGGAGERegardless of travel class, an infants baggage allowance includes one piece of baggage weighing a maximum of 23 kg, as well as a folding stroller and safety seat.

Melting the ice

COMPILED AND WRITTEN BY KATI HEIKINHEIMO

What can be done to reach out to boys at risk of becoming marginalised? Take them to an ice hockey rink, recom-mends Icehearts, a Finnish early inter-vention programme.

We become what our environ-ment makes us, says Ville Turkka, executive manager of Icehearts. This is also the founding principle behind the programme.

If a six-year-old is so emotionally damaged that he is no longer able to cry, it is very likely he will never learn the necessary skills for leading a healthy, responsible life.

This is where Icehearts comes to the rescue. Working together with munici-pal services, they identify kids at risk and offer them the opportunity to join a sports team ice hockey, football or

the like and receive intensive support at school.

Perhaps the most important thing is that Icehearts provides a long-term adult relationship for boys who might totally lack any kind of reliable father figure, says Turkka.

The sports team provides these kids with a long-standing support net for 12 years. A core team of ten youngsters is gradually expanded with ten to 15 more children with less severe socio-eco-nomic difficulties.

Launched in 1996, the programme can be easily modified for any other activity or country. There are currently 28 teams active at ten different locations across Finland. Public-funded Icehearts is also supported by private and corpo-rate partners, including Finnair.

Active tots

ADVENTURE@HOME Children these days dont get enough exercise. Gymi has designed a versatile furniture series that inspires kids to spend less time glued to screens and more time exploring their kinesthetic skills.

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FAIRYTALE TAKEOFFThis upcoming book compiled by Finnair crew members and customers features endearing tales about flying with imagi-nary and real wings. Part of the proceeds will be donated to the new childrens hos-pital under construction in Helsinki.

Lennokas (in Finnish) is pub-lished by Lasten Keskus and launches this month.

lastenkeskus.fi

SUSTAINABLE SANDBOXFinally! Parents can buy

their kids durable, weatherproof toys without adding to the worlds growing plastic problem.

Green Toys manufactures 100 per cent recycled and toxin-free play-things for kids aged 0 to 5 years.

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Icehearts helps disadvantaged kids become compassionate, self-reliant members of society.

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For those who go with the owand those in full swing

PUNTA CANAHAS IT

OOPS! I DROPPED THE LEMON TART

TEXT BY MIKKO TAKALA PHOTO BY TOMMI ANTTONEN

WORLDON YOUR PLATE

I taly is a very conservative country when it comes to food. Tradition dictates what you cook and how you cook it, says Massimo Bottura, chef-owner of the renowned Osteria Francescana. Bottura opened his restaurant in Modena in 1995, and the first few years were not easy. Influenced by elBulli chef Ferran Adrias avant-garde approach to cooking, Bottura started serving radically different food from what at the

time was considered proper. I didnt make any money and was about to

close many times but carried on regardless. Peo-ple called me crazy. Wheres the proper Italian food, Massimo? they complained. Back then, even one of my most famous and loved dishes five ages of Parmigiano Reggiano in five different textures and temperatures was blasphemy, says Bottura.

Eventually, the sceptics came around. In 2002, Osteria Francescana was awarded its first Michelin star, followed by a full three-star rating in 2012. Osteria Francescana now holds the number two spot on the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants list.

Bottura says he wanted and still wants to shake up Italian cuisine, drop it on the floor and put all the pieces together, rebuilding it from scratch. Botturas world-

famous dessert Oops, I dropped the lemon tart reflects this ideology, wonderfully. The

dish is indeed made to look like someone dropped it, literally served on a plate resem-

bling broken china. On the plate youll find small cubes of different jellies, foamy and lemony

limoncello zabaglione, or sorbet of lemongrass, and a broken biscuit... a perfectly imperfect and playful

dessert by a man who held his ground and dared to be different. l

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How to give a good speech

M y job is about speaking, listening and taking deci-sions. Some might argue that I do too much of the first, not enough of the second and make the wrong ones in the case of the third. Be that as it may, I do give a lot of speeches.

The art of giving a good speech is not easy. I was reminded of this when reading Juhana Torkkis latest book on how to pre-pare a good speech (Available in Finnish only: Puhevalta kyttn! Nin valmiste-let elmsi parhaan puheen, Otava 2015). Torkki, who holds a PhD in Theol-ogy, is one of the most respected speech-coaches in

Finland.The book is

written in the form of a Socratic dialogue, a format which brought me back to my uni-versity years in the US. Thats where I learned the basics on how to give a speech. And thats where I fell in love with ancient Greek philosophy, espe-cially Aristotle.

As an academic, civil servant and politician I have given several thou-

sand speeches over the years. My two cents worth are simple: have a clear

structure (preferably three points), never read a speech (speak freely) and try to avoid PowerPoint (do I need to say why?). But a good speech is naturally much more than that.

In Rhetoric, Aristotle reminds us of the power of persuasion. It has three elements: logos, pathos and ethos. Logos is an appeal to logic. It is the way you persuade the audience by reason. Pathos is an appeal to emotion, and is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response.

Ethos is an appeal to ethics. In

other words, its a means of convincing someone of your character or credibil-ity as a speaker. This, according to Aristo-tle is the most important part. If the audi-ence does not trust you, they wont listen to what you have to say. And trust me...as a politician I can relate to Aristotles thesis.

In preparing a speech you need to take all of these three things into account. You should appeal to rationality, emotion and character. To put it simply, you need to be personal. Too many speeches are mechan-ical slide shows.

Torkkis book gives you good advice on how to prepare a speech on all three

accounts. His advice is to use the following nine questions as a prep tool.

On logos ask the follow-ing: What is the

one thing you want your audience to remember? How can you make your mes-sage understandable, crystal clear? What kind of a personal story can you tell the audience?

On ethos ask this: What has excited you lately? What are you afraid of? How will your speech improve the world, or at least the life of your audience?

And on pathos: What should you be thankful for in your audience? What is your audience afraid of? What is your audience proud of?

So, the next time you have to give a speech remember to start preparing on time. It just takes a few minutes here and there. You do not have to do it in one go. Try the nine questions above and remem-ber the most important thing: every speech needs to have an aim, a key mes-sage and a clear structure. l

EUROPEAN VOICES

IN PREPARING A SPEECH YOU SHOULD APPEAL TO

RATIONALITY, EMOTION AND CHARACTER.

AlexAnder Stubb is Finlands Finance Minister. twitter.com/alexstubb

BY ALEXANDER STUBB


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Helsinki-based Slush has quickly grown into one of the worlds largest startups events. We follow up with three entrepreneurs from last years event: Did they reach their goals?

PITCHING PERFECT

TEXT BY MINNA TAKKUNEN PHOTOS BY PIVI RISTELL


Camilla Tuominen knows that identi-fying your emo-tions leads to a more balanced life.


Helsinki in November is a dark, cold, dreary place, but the tem-perature is definitely rising inside the Helsinki Exhibition & Con-vention Centre. Hopeful startup found-ers are sweating it out, feverishly pitching their business ideas to investors.

For Camilla Tuominen, CEO of Emo-tion Tracker, Slush is all about mingling you never know who might end up spread-ing the word to about your business.

Tuominen and her team have cre-ated a mobile app called Emotion Tracker that helps you identify, track and analyse your emotions. Before taking the leap she worked at Accenture.

Today at Slush, she has experienced a whole gamut of emotions from raw fear to pure elation.

Another startup entrepreneur asked me whether Im mind-numbingly scared. Im trying to remind myself that everyone here, including the investors, are ordinary people with human emotions, she says.

Her company has already won the hearts of six angel investors. Recent fund-ing has enabled the company to employ two people. But theres still a long way to go before Tuominens grand vision becomes a reality: people and organisa-tions feeling and performing better thanks to a deepened awareness of emotions.

At times, developing the software is painfully slow.

Tuominen is surrounded by a flurry of media attention on her first day at Slush. Around 9 pm, she is interviewed live by a national current affairs television programme side by side with Slush CEO Miki Kuusi.

The second day brings an emotional hangover.

I feel like a nobody today. Im compar-ing myself to others who look so dazzling on stage, says Tuominen.

Some startups follow a strict linear plan at Slush, but Tuominen prefers to stay true to her own bubbly, spontaneous ways.

At the beginning of an investor meet-

ing, she offered her listeners a choice: she could either give her presentation in the average 10-point font consultant style familiar from her previous life at Accen-ture, or she could rock the stage with all she has. And rock it she did.

At the end of Slush, Tuominen comes up with a great new idea. At next years Slush, she plans to have the app available to all participants. Their tracked emotions could be anonymously projected onto a big screen in real time. We could see the whole wide spectrum of their emotions. This event isnt all about euphoria, she says.

HOW IS EMOTION TRACKER DOING IN NOVEMBER 2015? A renewed version of the app is being tested, with plans to develop emotion tracking for new tech platforms such as watches. The team is also launching emo-tion-related training for companies. Tuominens book on emotions, which she has illustrated, will be published in April.

TRACKING EMOTIONS

Jaakko Lehtonen is keen on shaping the property business into a more sustain-able direction.


Jaakko Lehtonen, geography graduate and startup entrepreneur, is not your typical Slush attendee.Just a stones throw from Slush, there is an old railway yard where Lehtonen has been working for years on an urban gardening project. What started as activism has grown into a fully-fledged business.

Now hes the CEO of Hukkatila, a two-year-old property development startup whose name translates roughly as waste of space. Hukkatilas founders have a background in architecture and energy-efficient solutions.

The idea behind the company is to create sustain-able business around under-used urban spaces in both new and old properties. Any space can offer commer-cial and non-commercial potential for energy-efficient reuse.

Hukkatila has already launched projects together with companies such as Nokia, with whom they cre-ated roof gardens for employees to enjoy.

At Slush, the company is looking for socially ori-ented investors that would be interested in funding the initial stages of a startup. Its the second day of the event, and Lehtonen has one more meeting arranged with an interested investor.

Hukkatilas radar is focused on resource-smart companies keen on shaping real estate and online companies within the sharing economy.

So are there potential investors around at Slush for a property startup like Hukkatila?

There is competition in this type of business, but the field is much more scattered than for instance the gaming industry, Lehtonen says.

There are a few cleantech startups at Slush, but there could easily be more, given how important the sector is in Finland, notes Lehtonen.

Currently, Hukkatila is developing a prototype for a ready-to-assemble office space, utilising temporary elements or renovating existing spaces based on users needs.

What we need most right now is strategies for setting up well-organised teams. A good team is the most important thing for a startup, says Lehtonen.

HOW IS HUKKATILA DOING IN NOVEMBER 2015? The company has received funding for their office space concept. They are planning to test the proto-type in downtown Helsinki early in 2016, with an eye to begin manufacturing later in 2016.

RETHINKING SPACES


Mikko Petj brings wellbeing to peoples daily lives through a live online yoga service.


Mikko Petj confesses to being slightly nervous, as he doesnt have a background in business or international commerce yet these are his main focus at Slush. Petjs startup Yoogaia enhances every-day wellbeing by bringing live online yoga classes to peoples living rooms.

For him, Slush is above all about net-working. The timing of the event is handy, as Yoogaia is currently recruiting soft-ware engineers. The CEO has two inves-tor meetings booked for today, but he also wants to leave room for spontaneous encounters.

Yoogaia was born one morning in 2013 when Petj was driving to yet another early morning yoga class. The marketing professional and father of three took up regular yoga to help relieve serious back problems.

Stuck in traffic, he wondered whether there was a way to attend a live yoga class

without spending all that stressful time in rush hour traffic. When it turned out there wasnt, he decided to create one himself.

The uniqueness of the startup has been noted. One year after its launch, in November 2014, Yoogaia has 5,000 users and their Hong Kong location is opening next month.

After angel investors gave the green light, the four-person Yoogaia team has worked long hours. Hungry for ideas, they are willing to grow and grow fast. There are so many things going on at any given moment that Petj tries to follow the advice he recently heard: stop starting and start finishing.

We need to gain understanding on how an international service like this func-tions. As well as technological expertise, we also need help with recruiting, presen-tations and pitching. Inspiring investors help us build Yoogaia into what we want it to become, says Petj.

ONLINE OMMMMS

WHAT THE SLUSH?Slush is not your ordinary tech conference. The enthusiasm, energy and tech fairyland atmosphere of the event is contagious. There are product launches, demos, talks and breaking news on four large stages not forgetting the parties. What started out as a get-together for a couple of hundred attendees in 2008 has grown into a huge event bringing together 14,000 attendees, 3,500 companies, 750 investors and 700 journalists. Carefully organised matchmak-ing meetings ensure that 1,400 startups from 74 countries get friendly with potential investors. And its all set to get even bigger in 2015.

Slush 2015: November 1112 in Helsinkislush.org

BEHIND THE SCENESMinna TakkunenHelsinki-based freelance journalist Minna Takkunen is excited to see the inspiring chain reactions Slush causes. I was posi-tively surprised by how well organised the event is. And the magnetic atmosphere lingers.

And to find such investors, Petj finds it crucial to get to know people personally. During his three-min-ute pitch on the open stage at Slush, he tries to keep it simple.

Pitching is a bit of a handicap for us Finns, says Petj. But he must have done something right, as a new investor tapped him on the shoulder right after he left the stage.

HOW IS YOOGAIA DOING IN NOVEMBER 2015?The users of the service have increased tenfold to 50,000 and the Yoogaia team has grown from four to 15. The company received 3 million euros in seed funding in the summer. An iOS application launch was featured on the front page of Apple in over 100 countries. CEO Mikko Petj has moved to London with his family to support the companys interna-tional growth. l

BEHIND THE SCENESPivi RistellHelsinki-based photographer Pivi Anita Ristell had never heard of Slush before she was assigned to take pictures for this Blue Wings article. I found the atmosphere very excit-ing and electrifying. The fair centre was trans-formed from its normal setting.

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M r. Jussi Haverinen, CEO of IT outsourcing company Javerdel, observes that the trend is such that IT solution providers have assumed the role of strategic partners for many aspiring companies.

More often than not, IT development teams find themselves

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Through visionary moves and hard work Javerdel and IT solution provider

Vincit have shown impressive growth figures over many consecutive years.

In August, a merger was announced between the two.

The merger has spirited forward a company more intensely geared

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The new company combines the agility of a smaller business to the

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Pulau Redang and neighbouring Pulau Pinang islands have Tereng-ganus prettiest beaches. Most visitors combine sunbathing with snorkelling or scuba diving.

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Authentic Malay culture, a glimpse of Islam and some of the worlds best diving the proverbial

mixed bag is offered by Terengganu state on the east coast of Malaysia.

TERENGGANU TRULY MALAYSIA

TEXT AND PHOTOS VILLE PALONEN


Looms click frantically as two women weave fine threads into a length of silk brocade. Weaving traditions are alive and well at the Nur Zahirah handicraft centre on the outskirts of Kuala Terangganu, the largest city on Malaysias east coast. Besides being a popular tourist attraction, the centre is also a foundation preserving indigenous crafts and improving the livelihood of weavers and artisans from rural areas.

The women are working on a songket, a ceremonial two-metre silk sarong embroidered with fine metal-lic threads. Once a royal tradition, songketweaving is still practiced with great patience and diligence. Two trained and experienced weavers average only a cou-ple of inches of cloth per day.

It takes a month to finish a two-metre piece, explains one of the weavers, Siti Zurina binti Rozak, 28.

Malay heritage is strong in Terengganu, a state proud of its traditions: dances and silat martial art, top spinning and kite flying, and handicrafts like painted batik fabrics and ornate kriss daggers.

Songket-weaving is among the most famous tradi-tional handicrafts. This particular type of brocade is distinguished by the gold and silver threads that are hand-woven into silk (or sometimes cotton) yarns, forming intricate patterns. Typical motifs are leaves and flowers.

Songkets are traditionally womens attire: In Mus-lim culture, only women wear silk. Indeed Islam has a strong influence on everyday life in Terengganu. Strict hudud laws allow harsh punishments and alcohol can be purchased only in Chinese restaurants. While the rest of Malaysia follows a regular workweek, the weekend in Terengganu falls on Friday and Saturday.

ISLAM MEETS DISNEY?One of Malaysias somewhat bizarre tourist attrac-tions is the Islamic Civilization Park. Located on an island just a 20-minute taxi ride from Kuala Tereng-ganus centre, the place is like an amusement park only without the rides.

Part of the island, Monument Park, is crammed with samples of the finest Islamic architecture from around the world, complete with two dozen miniature mosques, a restaurant and a souvenir shop. Visitors can stroll the grounds or bike it, but in the 35-degree Celsius heat a sightseeing tour on a tram that looks like a toy train seems a more welcoming option.

One of the attractions is a copy of the Taj Mahal, Indias world-famous monument of love minus the usual hordes of camera-touting tourists. Another world-class landmark, Al-Haram Mosque of Mecca, is just a stones throw down the road. It, too, is com-pletely deserted.

Visitors wanting to catch a glimpse of Terengganus authentic Islamic heritage should visit a real mosque,

Left: Nurul Atirah Abdul Samad, 22, paints batik fab-rics at the Noor Afra Craft Com-plex. Visitors can also watch batik pressing and song-ket-weaving.

Right: Despite its showy exterior, Crystal Mosque is surprisingly calm and traditional inside. Non-Mus-lims can enter the mosque if they cover their arms and legs.


not a religious amusement park. Near Monument Park lies Crystal Mosque, a futuristic-looking building made of steel and glass. At the door visitors remove their shoes and borrow a jubah, a light brown robe to cover bare legs and arms.

The hall is almost empty. Near the front a lone man bows his head towards Mecca in earnest, silent prayer. After he has finished praying he breaks into a wide smile as he pauses for a chat outside.

Zuherry bin Zulkifli, 24, is a devoted Muslim who prays five times every day. He has come to Tereng-ganu for a holiday with his family of nine.

Every year we spend our holiday in a new place in Malaysia, says bin Zulkifli. My grandma insisted on visiting Islamic Park. Of course I wanted to pray at Crystal Mosque, its such a beautiful building. I always feel more excited when I pray in a mosque. A couple of days ago we spent the night at Pulau Perhentian, where we had to pray in our bungalow, he says.

SNORKEL WITH SHARKSTerengganus top tourist attractions include Perhen-tian and Redang Islands, less than a couple of hours boat ride from the coast.

One of the most popular current tourist magnets is Pulau Pinang, at least judging by the overcrowded beach packed with hundreds of tourists wearing bright yellow life jackets.

Pinang and its Marine Park are just a kilometre

Rush hour at Pulau Pinang beach.

Fish for sale at Kuala Terengganus wet market.

Malay heritage is strong in Terengganu, a state proud of its traditions.


from Pulau Redang, a larger island recently made overwhelmingly popular by the Hong Kong film Summer Holiday (Ha yat dik mo mo cha), which was set on Redangs dazzling beaches. After the release of the romantic comedy in 2000, thousands of Chinese tourists started pouring in.

Eventually the crowds grew too massive for such a small island, and especially for its marine life.

Since then, Redang has gradually resumed its for-mer quiet existence as the tropical paradise it must have been before the tourist invasion.

The life-jacketed crowd seems to enjoy wading in knee-deep water, but those preferring an underwater adventure are advised to rent snorkelling or diving equipment. Only a hundred metres from shore, the reef drops to a sandy depth of 20 metres.

Hard corals and fishes are abundant around the rocky outcrops of the reef: parrot fish, clown fish, titan trigger fish, trumpetfish, and even a small grey reef shark. Clearly Redang and Pinang deserve their reputation as two of Malaysias best diving and snor-kelling destinations.

After exploring the waters, its time to head back to shore. But not before an elusive creature glides by.

Slowly, almost majestically, a huge green turtle passes just a couple of metres away and then disap-pears into the depths like a ghost. l

HOW TO GET THERETerengganus capital, Kuala Terengganu, is easy to reach from Singapore where Finnair flies six times weekly, or from Kuala Lumpur where Finnair flies in co-operation with Malaysia Airlines via Bangkok or Singapore.

A SLICE OF CHINAThe local Chinatown centres on Jalan Bandar Street, which has a Taoist temple, several small shops and a couple of restaurants selling Tiger beer.

ISLAND LIFEPerhentian and Redang Islands are a short boat ride from the coast. They offer accommodation for all budg-ets, along with restaurants and bars. Diving and snorkel-ling around the islands is highly recommended. The best time to visit is from March to October almost all hotels are closed between November and late January.

DARE TO TRY DURIAN Kuala Terengganus wet mar-ket is a great place to try Malay specialties like teh tarik, a milky pulled tea, and durian. Some people cant stand the smell of the peculiar, spiny fruit, but most locals consider durian to be a delicacy.

SONGKETS AND BATIKVisit a handicraft centre to see artisans working on traditional Malay crafts. Yayasan Tuanku Nur Zahirah specialises in songkets, while Noor Afra is famous for its batik printing. Both have shops.

www.yayasantnz.org

www.noor-arfa.com.my

ELEPHANT CAMPKenyir Lake is part of Taman Negara National Park, one of the oldest rainforests in the world. The lake has an ele-phant camp where you can swim in waterfalls or go fish-ing, trekking, and paddling.

www.kenyir.com.my

Clown fish is a common find on snorkelling and diving trips around Pulau Redang.

Spiky durian fruit has an acquired taste: its strong smell makes many foreigners feel sick, but most Malays love it.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Ville Palonenis a photojournalist who loves adventures and the great outdoors. His most memorable expe-riences in Malaysia include climbing Mount Kinabalu the highest mountain of Borneo.


For 20 years Qvantel has helped European operators to thrive, and recently the company has begun to expand also to South America. Chief Executive Offi-cer Liisa Grant believes strongly in the companys success.

- We focus strongly on people-centered service design, which sets us apart from our competitors and at the same time produces good customer experiences to our custom-ers, summarizes Grant. In addition, our unique technolo-gy differs from the traditional companies solutions in the industry. Qvantel implements effective Business Support Solutions (BSS) as a secure private cloud service, in which Qvantel is the industry pioneer and leader.

- We help our customers to understand how business can be changed so that they are able to focus on the es-sentials and become more efficient than their compet-itors. First, we analyze our customers needs and in a second phase, we convert the requirements to our private cloud solution to enable efficient and flexible operations, clarifies Grant. Customers business transformations are also implemented swiftly, because every customer is as-signed a dedicated Qvantel task force.

Qvantel has a strong track record of successful operator business transformations, where the number of different information systems used by the customer for business support solutions have been reduced drastically. Trans-formations happen on the fly, as the operators service for millions of customers needs to operate uninterrupted, when data has been transferred from the legacy systems to the Qvantel private cloud.

Once the cloud based solution is taken into use, Qvan-tels customers reach a new level of speed and flexibility. Grant shares two examples that operators value. In retail environment, user centered design helps in getting oper-ators customer service employees up to speed with the system. An intuitive system makes it possible for a new employee to learn the ropes and start working with only a short brief instead of lengthy system training. In the back office, operators business management will benefit of the speed and flexibility when designing service offering and campaigns. What previously took weeks or months can now be rolled out to consumers in a matter of days. These kinds of game changing capabilities Qvantels op-erator customers are using to their advantage.

- We are totally committed to our customers success. When our customers succeed, we succeed. Our busi-ness model is designed so that we can share the risk with our customers. We are radical, reliable Finns and we will change the game for our customers in order to succeed, assures Grant. www.qvantel.com TEXT: Maija-Liisa Saksa

With 20 years of experience, Qvantel helps operators and communication service providers focus on the essentials, to provide a pleasant user experience to their customers. Our BSS Private Cloud maintains the agreed service level in all situations, says Chief Executive Officer Liisa Grant.

Qvantels values are trust, commitment, care and competence.

These days, its Internet rules for telecommunication operators. Con-sumers choose to use their preferred Internet services over mobile data, which has become the pivotal point for operators business. This is where Qvantel Ltd from Finland steps in. This company changes the game for telecommunication operators with a unique cloud service strategy.

Advertisement produced by Editor Helsinki Oy

Photo: Qvantel

Qvantel changes the game For operators



Oula Vlipakka, Petri Nyknen and Oliver Hussey

from Tredea. You also find us from the www.tredea.fi

personnel page.

THE LARGEST INLAND CITY OF THE NORDIC COUNTRIES, CENTRALLY LOCATED TAMPERE OFFERS

A VIBRANT ENVIRONMENT FOR ASPIRING NEW BUSINESSES.

Genuine buzz, real opportunities

Theres a genuine buzz in the high tech sector in the Tampere region, and it offers real opportunities for new business, ventures Mr Petri Nyknen, in charge of business development and investment promotion in the Tampere Region Economic Development Agency, Tredea.

Mr Nyknen lays down compelling figures to back the case for Tampere. The

population of the city is expected to grow 20 per cent by 2030. Tampere attracts ample

development investments from both public and private sector, second only to the

Finnish capital Helsinki.

The city is home to three internationally competitive university-level institutions.

One in five people in Tampere is a student, which directly reflects on the availability of

highly skilled work force.

Due to Microsofts recent changes in their mobile phone business, there are now

intact teams of high-level professionals available, capable of developing products

and services for example in automotive industry, entertainment industry, industrial

automation, wearables, and health technology.

Latest era of re-invention creates the buzz

The entrepreneurs in Tampere region testify to Nyknens views on the growing

number of opportunities in Tampere region.

The atmosphere is very positive for startups. There is a lot of collaboration between

the network of companies, which is mostly due to the legacy of Nokia. The region has a

very significant industrial history, the first GSM phone call was made in Tampere!, says

Risto Kivipuro from PiceaSoft.

Also Teppo Hemi, CEO of Wirepas, praises Tampere region. The Tampere startup

scene is still quite young, and in that sense it is easy to stand out. The location of

Tampere is excellent for companies aspiring for internationalization; from Tampere-

Pirkkala airport you can get anywhere in the world, and even Helsinki-Vantaa is only 90

minutes away, he says.

Tampere grows and innovates

According to Veli-Pekka Vatula, Manager, Ideation & Innovation and Site Manager

for Intel Tampere, there is a very positive environment for startups. The region has a

positive determination to grow and innovate, and the environment is very diverse.

Mariina Hallikainen from Colossal Order points out the development of Tampere

region. As the news of the Tampere startup scence spreads, also recruiting a skilled

work force from abroad becomes much easier. There is actually nothing missing from

Tampere, and everything is located in a very compact area, she says.

The region has a very significant industrial history, the first GSM phone call was made in

Tampere!

BlueWings_Nro9_layout.indd 6 08/10/15 10:44

1 STEAM WHILE YOU WAITA good sauna relaxes both muscles and mind. A visit to the steam room in the Fin-nair Premium Lounge at Helsinki Airport (In between Gate 36 & 37) is a great way to cure any pre-flight jitters. The Scandina-vian-style main lounge designed by Helsinki-based dSign Vertti Kivi & Co. features special mood lighting, iMacs, comfy recliners and Finnish gourmet snack specialities. Access is reserved for oneworld Emerald and Sapphire cardholders and Finnair Plus Platinum and Gold members on oneworld flights.Finnair Premium Lounge in Helsinki

Finnair.com

For the love of lounging

TOP5


2 TAKE CARE OF NUMBER ONETime flies almost too quickly in the No. 1 Traveller Lounge at Heath-row (T3) and three other UK airports. In addition to plush couches, a ten-seat cinema, bil-liards, foosball and spa services, there are also quiet nooks for napping, with private en-suite bedrooms available for 27 per hour. The entry fee (41 online, 47 at the door) includes alco-holic drinks, an unlimited salad buffet and a hot la carte meal. No. 1 Traveller Lounge at London

No1traveller.com

3 LIVE LIKE A SHEIKHAccommodating up to 1,000 guests, Qatar Airways latest flagship facility at Hamad International Airport in Doha is the worlds largest lounge though only oneworld business and first-class flyers are invited. The Al Mourjan Business Lounge (Level 3)screams extravagance: a four-tiered chandelier suspended over an infinity pool lights up the spiral staircase between the two levels. There are la carte gourmet and buffet dining options, private quiet rooms, and game rooms with PlayStation pods and a F1 driving simulator.Qatar Airways Lounge in Doha

Qatarairways.com

4 TANDOORI OR WHISKY?Oozing warm Indian vibes with chandeliers, Jali screens and a glass peacock, the new GVK Lounge at Mumbais Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (T2) is dubbed the worlds first non-airline affiliated true luxury lounge. The gold-themed pay-per-use Premium Lounge comes with Tandoori kitchen, juice bar and whisky lounge. A 30-min-ute free massage is among the goodies offered in the quaint Business Lounge and silver-themed First Class Lounge. Designed by award-winning architect Alfaz Miller, the two-level lounge accommodates 440 guests. GVK Lounge in Mumbai

Csia.in/atcsia/gvk-lounge.aspx

5 MOVE IN TOP-DRAW CIRCLESEverything is high-end, yet nothing is flashy in Cathay Pacifics newly renovated Pier First Class Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport (Gate 63). Brown is the dominant colour, with accents of bronze, wood and lime-stone. The dining room imitates a European bistro, and the bar could be in any fancy London hotel. The spa offers a free 30-minute foot mas-sage and a food cart makes rounds serving snacks. There are also eight private day suites with beds. The Pier welcomes oneworld Emer-ald members, First Class passengers and Marco Polo Club Diamond members.The Pier First Class Lounge in Hong Kong

Cathaypacific.com

Looking for a fun antidote to boredom as you wait for your flight to board? Here are five spectacular lounges that will make you actually look forward to spending time at the airport.

TEXT BY MIRVA LEMPIINEN PHOTOS BY TANJA MIKKOLA, MIRVA LEMPIINEN AND THE LOUNGES


TUT started operating in the form of a foundation in 2010. The capital campaign conducted in 20092012 raised a total of 137 million euros. Income from the capital investment goes towards supporting TUTs work for the benefit of Finnish industry, business and the broader society now and in the future.

TUT contributes to the worlds most ambitious neuroscience project

Revenue from the Foundations capital has supported the ground-breaking research carried out by the Computational Neuroscience Laboratory at TUT. The group participates in Europes multidisciplinary Human Brain

Project (HBP) that aims to improve our understanding of the structure and functions of the brain and unravel the underlying biology of neurological and psychiatric disorders.

First test site for mobile machines in Europe

The TTY Foundation awarded 500,000 euros to fund the construction of a unique new test site for mobile machines. The site operated by the Department of Intelligent Hydraulics and Automation allows researchers to test the properties and control systems of heavy-duty vehicles and analyse their fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. A similar test site is not found in any other university in Europe.

Join us in developing tomorrows technology!

TUT welcomes both private and corporate donations. The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture supports the fundraising efforts by matching all donations made to the TTY Foundation. Donations ranging from 850 to 250,000 euros are tax-deductible for communities and corporations.

Further information:www.tut.fi/fundraisingwww.tut.fi/varainhankinta

For the benefit of people and the environment

The 50-year old Tampere University of Technology (TUT) is at the leading edge of technology development and enjoys a reputation as a sought-after collaboration partner among the scientific and business communities.

Our leading-edge fields of research are signal processing, optics and photonics, intelligent machines, biomodelling, and the built environment.

Whether its a 17th century Italian ar-chitectural masterpiece or a modern cruise vessel carrying 8,000 passen-gers and crew, the technology of Finlands Evac is behind them both.

Maritime independence, architectural wondersEvacs advanced wastewater treatment technol-ogies match municipal wastewater treatment systems for effluent quality, making large mari-time vessels sustainable operations, giving them freedom to operate totally independently of port facilities.

On land, the compactness of Evac technol-ogy makes it ideal for the preservation of his-toric structures, as well as enabling maximum flexibility in the design and construction of lightweight modern architectural wonders. Evac products serve Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italys oldest bridge, yet they are also found in ultra-modern, energy-efficient structures like Sydney, Australias new Cbus Property flagship office.

Evac products are currently utilized on more than 20,000 marine projects and in more than 2,000 land-based projects.

Pioneers in waste treatmentEvac, a 40-year-old, Finland-based international cleantech company with a presence on four continents and over 100 patents or patents pending, is a pioneer of vacuum technology and total waste management.

Evac is an innovative cleantech solutions provider, says Mika Karjalainen, Evacs COO,

We develop and provide the best technologies and engineer them to meet our customers de-mands for marine vessels or special buildings.

Membrane Bio Reactor (MBR), and Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR), are two key com-ponents of Evac technology. When one of these is employed on a maritime vessel, it enables the purification of 99 percent of all wastewater gen-erated on a cruise ship, the rest treated by Evacs wet waste system, making a vessel truly sustain-able. Evac also offers fresh water generation sys-tems, vacuum systems (vacuum toilets, vacuum food waste systems, gray water- and condensa-tion collection), waste recycling systems, incin-erators and waste system automation.

We enable sustainableOur mission, says Karjalainen, is to have the broadest product offering, cover all environ-mental needs in one single package, and offer the largest international service base with great after-sales service.

As environmental legislation to protect the oceans becomes stricter, and as the building industry seeks new possibilities in lightweight construction, Evac expects to see even more growth.

Order backlog is three times bigger than a year ago, says Evac Group CEO Tomi Gardemeister, and the company is approaching 100 million euros in turnover.

Gardemeister says the growth speaks to the fact that Evac is serving a critical market need. But more than that, he adds, Im pleased that our technology serves the environment and con-tributes to a truly sustainable future.

Leading the World in Waste LogisticsThe worlds most innovative solutions provider in waste logistics calls Finland home.

Evac CEO Tomi Gardemeister and Oasis of the Seas. Evacs total waste management system can be found aboard the worlds largest cruise vessels like the Oasis. The systems include vacuum systems, wastewater treatment, dry- and wet waste treatment, fresh water production, and automation systems.

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Evac on land and sea: Architectural treasures and modern cruise ships alike use Evac waste disposal technologies from Finland.

DESTINATIONLAS VEGAS

Las Vegas is bright, brash and can be brutish on your wallet, but its never boring.

Sensory overload on

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY TIM BIRD

The Strip NOVEMBER 2015 BLUE WINGS 55

WORLD PARTYWhat happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Or Paris. Or Venice. Or New York. Mini repli-cas of all three are landmarks on The Strip. A faux Manhattan skyline, complete with Statue of Liberty and Empire State Build-ing, distinguishes New York. A half-scale Eiffel Tower soars over Paris, rivalling the Bellagios fountains for attention. The Venetian comes complete with a Grand Canal and gondola rides. The splendidly tacky Caesars Palace is supplemented by The Forum Shops mall, sheltering Vuitton, Versace, Dior, Gucci and a variety of Italian eateries. Who needs Europe when youve got Vegas?

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Considering the reputation of the place, the compact layout of Las Vegas comes as a surprise. Most hotels are barely a 15-to 20-min-ute drive from the airport and visitors are unlikely to wander far from Las Vegas Boulevard, com-monly known as The Strip, a couple of miles from end to end.

Just the same The Strip is lined with immense hotels, each designed to out-do its neighbour in kitschy in-your-face brash modernity, Disney references or mock-classi-cal colonnades. This is over-the-top America where everything is several times larger than life, yet irresistibly good-humoured and wel-coming. A bottomless wallet helps, of course.

If you tire of the glitz, the natural wonders of the Nevada desert are within easy reach with Death Valley National Park to the west, Mojave National Preserve to the south, and Grand Canyon National Park to the east. In typically ostentatious Vegas style, you can head out for an outing to the Grand Canyon by helicopter and still be back in plenty of time for Black Jack and dinner. l

Statue of Liberty reproduced to scale in Vegas.56 BLUE WINGS NOVEMBER 2015

FUN FOUNTAINSHotel isnt an adequate word for the mini-cities dotted along The Strip. In Vegas, a 30-year-old building is consid-ered ancient and ripe for demolition, and the Bellagio resort is an institution at just 16. In addition to a dazzling glass flower installation gracing the ceiling in the reception area, the Fiori de Como by Dale Chihuly, the Bellagio boasts about 30,000 square metres of gam-bling floor with 2,400 slot machines; many of them fed 24/7 by guests stay-ing in its nearly 4,000 rooms. It also has one of the more innocent attractions on The Strip, in the form of an absorb-ing fountain show, set to music and repeated in the evenings with variations every 15 minutes. Enjoy a brunch at the Jasmine restaurant for a lakeside view of the show on Sundays when the fountain action starts at 11 am. STRIP POKER

Las Vegas the meadows in Spanish boomed in the 1930s with the building of the nearby Hoover Dam, and the gambling tradition followed on the heels of the largely male population seeking enter-tainment. An unlikely combination of Mormon and Mafia money laid the foundations for a gaming industry that continues to thrive on the occasional fortune, and more common misfortune, of the throngs that flock to the tables. If you can unravel the mysteries of Roulette, Baccarat, Let it Ride, Craps and Poker, youll be on a roll in Vegas.

The Bellagio foun-tains: spectacular views are free in Vegas.


DEADLY DININGIt has to be admitted Las Vegas is a veritable beacon of overconsumption. One unverified but often-quoted statistic puts the total of shrimp consumed daily at about 30,000 kilos. Like everything else, the rumours are exaggerated in Vegas, but an awful lot of food is both consumed and wasted, thats for sure. All tastes are catered for, but for an all-American steak fest, head for Strip House in the Planet Hollywood resort. Its just one of many steakhouses but typical in terms of high quality fare and attentive service. Theres even something for the veggies: try Slice of Vegas vegan pizzas at Mandalay Bay Place.

SHOW TIMEElvis Presley, Cline Dion, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior, Donny and Marie Osmond, Rod Stewart All are synonymous with Las Vegas and youll still stand a chance of being able to check out the last two. Crooners and balladeers have always made themselves at home here, but more offbeat options are also available. Check out the fabulous and flamboy-ant Cirque de Soleil productions, including Love, based on The Beatles catalogue, at The Mirage, or the aquatic spectacle O in the specially built theatre at the Bellagio. And be sure to check out Liberaces rhinestone-encrusted car in the lobby at The Cosmopolitan.



P auli Rautiainen, Operative Director for

blue wings november 2015

Documents