Support for tourism events innovation with small-scale grants

In the situation where large festivals and events had to be cancelled, support for pop-up events creation and innovation was provided in the summers 2020-2021 in order to compensate for the cancellation of large-scale events such as the Savonlinna Opera Festival and create in the destination an atmosphere of a lively city with a rich cultural offer. Support for small-scale events was provided through a public procurement procedure in an ERDF project and a grand from the city of Savonlinna (2021). Tenderers were required to present innovative ideas with strict selection criteria. A bidding process for events and activities support was prepared in early June and opened by mid-June via a structured online submission form for proposals. Proposals were evaluated at regular intervals throughout the tourism season, which gave the organizers the possibility for the preparation of the proposals. This also supported the goal of extending the tourism season beyond July in accordance to observed consumer behavior and increased demand. Pilots were selected quantitative and qualitative criteria including the estimate of the future development potential of the idea. Implemented events were evaluated, and monitoring data was used to select promising pilots for further development.