In international markets, the impact of the sports sector is acknowledged more extensively than in Finland, says Laura Andelin, entrepreneur, and CEO of Onit Sport, a company specialising in psychological coaching for children and young people in sport. Together with seven other Finnish companies, Andelin participated in a delegation trip to the World Football Summit in Seville, organised by the Sport Finland network. The trip resulted in a lot of interesting leads - and an invaluable lesson for future trips: it's a smart idea to wear trainers for a long day.
According to Andelin, one key difference between the Finnish and Spanish markets is that in Finland, the sports sector is primarily focused on sports culture, while internationally, the sector is also recognized as a significant social factor, with a much broader impact beyond just sports. Football is the world's biggest sport, both in terms of fans and economic indicators, and the football industry is thriving with a wide range of products and services.
- In the football world, for instance, there are major sponsoring companies with vast international networks. This makes the sports sector a potential springboard for various forms of collaboration," says Andelin.
"We also picked up leads for each other"
Eight Finnish companies from various sectors traveled to Seville with Sport Finland. Andelin commended the strong spirit of collaboration among them, stating, "The focus was on teamwork, with everyone working together to showcase Finnish expertise as effectively as possible.
- The companies on the trip connected with potential customers who, while not a perfect fit for their own business, could still benefit others. All participants also actively advocated for each other in all respects. We all know that Finland is a small country, and we need cooperation across national borders. I firmly believe that collaboration and supporting others ultimately benefits everyone.
Several companies represented Finland on Sport Finland's trip, which Andelin believes has attracted interest. She says she heard many times in Seville that Finnish companies have a strong reputation Praise was given to the modesty, honesty, and quality of Finnish products, as well as the fact that Finns don’t boast unnecessarily.
After the event, Andelin has focused on processing the leads gathered from the trip. Communication with Spain has been buzzing, both through phone calls and frequent email exchanges. The coming months will reveal how many potential customers ultimately become actual clients.
International success requires a sense of healthy pride
Andelin knows that in the international market you must be bold.
- You must confidently articulate what you contribute to the global solution, to capture the interest of major players. This requires both resilience and humility, which can only be cultivated through experience and action.
Days at the fair are also long and physical.
- On day one, I wore cute little pumps for twelve hours. On the second day, I switched to trainers. So my practical tip for other participants in events like this is to remember to wear good shoes, laughs Andelin.
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The business delegation trip to World Football Summit Europe in Seville was organized on September 18–19, 2024, as part of the Sport Finland network's activities. The network is based on a joint project led by the cities of Jyväskylä, Lahti, and Kuopio, supported by the European Regional Development Fund, and implemented between April 1, 2023, and December 31, 2024. The companies participating in the trip were eWatt, Awesome Crowd, Kuitu Media, Northern Sports Insight and Intelligence (ACT Head Impact Tracker), ONIT Sport, Nordic Rack and Office (nro.one), Dribla and Appis.
