A few weeks after the revamped Helsinki International Horse Show, CEO Valtteri Gundersby offers his first summary of the event. Held at a new venue, on a new date, and four times larger than before, the 40-year-old World Cup leg proved its worth both internationally and domestically.
The feedback received by the organizers has been mostly positive, although there is still room for improvement. Gundersby has just received an important summary and evaluation from the owner and organizer of the World Cup series, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI). Its key message can be summed up as “the event exceeded expectations.”
“The changes went well. The only factor that lowers our overall rating is the low amount of prize money relative to the level of the competition. We were aware of that, and it’s difficult to do anything about it,” says Valtteri Gundersby.
New facilities in the spacious halls of the Messukeskus, two competition arenas, a base, international show jumping courses and equipment, stables, and horse accommodations all received even higher ratings than before in the ECS scoring system issued by the FEI.
“The feedback we’ve received from international riders has been really good. Of course, after the first year, there are always little things that can be improved.”
A total of 150 Finnish riders also competed at the Helsinki Horse Show, most of them at the new Kultajousi Arena. We have received valuable feedback from them as well regarding the changes.
“About 90 percent of the Finnish participants were very satisfied with the conditions, the atmosphere, and the size of the audience.”
The Horse Expo exhibition area, which had tripled in size, delighted the public with its spacious layout and diverse offerings. Exhibitors were also very pleased with the move from an ice rink to functional exhibition spaces, as well as with the number of visitors.
“We had 53,947 visitors over the course of four days, and the initial feedback from them has also been positive. We’ll publish a comprehensive visitor survey in April. We’ll also soon have a clearer picture of how the new, more affordable trade show ticket was received and how our marketing communications reached residents of the Helsinki metropolitan area in particular.”
“At first glance, it seems that on Thursday, the price difference between exhibition and show tickets was small enough that the audience opted for the show tickets. This was clearly evident in the stands on the first day. Saturday and Sunday also saw strong ticket sales; the stands were sold out for the World Cup events.”
The OP Uusimaa Hobby Horse Arena and the Equestrian Sports RATSASTUS program stage were popular new additions that featured clear highlights, such as the bingo game hosted by Katja Ståhland the arena open to hobby riders, complete with hobby horse obstacles.
“Now we’re wrapping things up, and after that, it’s time to ‘clear our heads’ for a moment. All in all, we can be satisfied. There were just the right amount of challenges for a first time, and we managed to avoid any major surprises. According to current information, we were able to prevent herpes virus infections in the horses through strict precautionary measures.”
After conducting the analyses, it is time to outline the necessary changes and areas for improvement.
“It would be easy to make improvements and changes if the event were held, say, every month. Now we have to wait until next year,” Gundersby laughs.
This year’s program outline followed that of previous years, but Gundersby has already begun to sketch out some completely new ideas in his mind. Time will tell what Finland’s largest annual indoor arena and equestrian event, taking place March 4–7, 2027, at Messukeskus, has in store for us.
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For more information:
CEO Valtteri Gundersby, +358 40 5798961, valtteri.gundersby@helsinkihorseshow.fi
