This spring, World Village festival will feature dozens of perspectives on the courage to change the world. In addition to music, speeches, children’s program, and art, the festival will host organization booths and a sustainable development trade fair, where hundreds of exhibitors and vendors will showcase their efforts for a better world and, sell ethically produced goods and food from around the globe.
In this page, we will provide information and instructions regarding the exhibitor spaces. We will also provide you with more guidelines concerning you participation at the exhibitor info event at the latest. The info event will be organised at 17.00 on 7 May as a remote event to which we will send you an invitation and a link at a later date. The event will cover practical issues relating to participating at the festival.
Practical issues relevant to food vendors will be discussed at the Food Vendor info on 2 May at Fingo’s office in Helsinki. We warmly recommend that all selected food vendors attend the event. You will receive a separate invitation to the event.
We recommend that all those working at your exhibitor stand will study the guidelines before the festival.
Table of contents:
• Location of your exhibitor space & festival site map
• Social-media
• How to set up your tent and exhibitor stand
• Vehicle and other access to the festival site
• Vehicle access passes & exhibitor passes
• Night-time security guarding
• Consequences for breaking rules
• Participation terms and invoicing
• Information on food tickets
• Internet access on the site
• Networking Space Magito
• Discrimination-free festival
• Prohibited Items and Substances
Location of your exhibitor space & festival site map
We have published the World Village Festival site maps on our website https://maailmakylassa.fi/en/map/
We will also publish a list of all the participating exhibitors here: Word PDF
Please check that your exhibitor space can be found on the map listing.
We will publish the site map and the participating exhibitors in the World Village Festival magazine. The magazine will be published on Saturday 18 May as an insert in the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper and will also be distributed at the festival event sites.
Social media
We have created online banners that program partners and exhibitors can use to announce their participation in the festival. These banners can be placed on websites, social media, or even in print publications. You can also utilize the festival logo in your event-related communications. Banners and logos can be downloaded from here: MK Banners and Logos for Stakeholders
How to set up your tent and exhibitor stand
As event organizers, we take the safety of the audience seriously and adhere to the guidelines and regulations provided by authorities. As event organizers, we require exhibitors and food vendors to comply with its content.
Suvilahti can be a windy place, and there will be thousands of people on the festival grounds simultaneously. Thank you for caring about the safety of others. We have compiled some safety guidelines that apply to all exhibitors and food vendors.
Large and small tents ordered through the festival as well as furniture ordered will be available for exhibitors on Friday at 18.00. Please note that if you will be using your own tent, you will be allowed to set up your own tent only:
- on Friday between 18.00 and 20.00.
Please note that those using their own tent will need to have set up and appropriately secured their tent on Friday by 20.00. We will check the tents of all those using their own tent on Friday at 20.00.
Please see our website for important guidelines on sufficient securing and weights for your tent. In contrast to previous years, we will no longer allow the setting up of your own tent on Saturday morning. Instead, those using their own tent must set up their space on Friday.
- The tent must be suitable for the event.
Only tents suitable for public events and intended for such use should be used at the festival. Tents intended for consumer use (such as garden canopies or other lightweight structures) are not allowed on the premises. The four legs of the tent and the roof structure must be securely attached to the tent frame. For example, a tarpaulin rigged as a canopy is not suitable for the festival. An exhibitor participating with their own tent is responsible for ensuring the suitability of their tent for public events. The exhibitor is obliged to confirm the purpose and classifications of their tent from the manufacturer’s instructions. - Weights
We require that each exhibitor reserves a sufficient number of weights to ensure the safe anchoring of their tent in all conditions (if the tent is ordered through the festival, the festival will take care of the necessary weights). The required weight depends on the wind surface area of the tent, which is dependent on the number of wall elements and the prevailing wind conditions. Generally, for tents under 3m x 3m, a recommendation is 15kg/foot, and for 4m x 4m tents, the weight should be doubled. However, the final required weight depends on the prevailing conditions. The use of ground pegs to secure tents in Suvilahti is prohibited according to the landowner’s conditions. The used weights must also be properly secured. - Securing weights
The safety of the tent is greatly influenced by how the weights are secured to the tent. An exhibitor participating with their own tent is responsible for the tent’s adequately secure anchoring in all conditions. The weights used in the tent must be intended for securing the tent and in accordance with the tent manufacturer’s instructions. Natural stones or water canisters, for example, cannot be used as weights. The weights must be structurally lockable or, for example, tied to the tent with a load strap and shackle. Open loops, S-hooks, or knots may come loose and are not a sufficient means of securely fastening structures. See examples of weight placement here. - Other decorations for the booth
The structures, decorations, or furnishings of the booth must not jeopardize or hinder the movement of the audience. The festival may instruct to remove items such as balloons, banners, and other lightweight structures if, for example, strong winds pose safety risks. Please also consider during the night that you do not leave loose decorations at the mercy of the wind. - Safety of the audience, artists, other exhibitors, and festival staff is paramount
Users of tents are responsible for ensuring that their use does not pose a danger to those working in the tent, those visiting the tent, or bystanders. Fingo or their representative has the right to prohibit the use of a dangerous or unsuitable structure, decoration, or device. The festival has the right to interrupt presentation, sales, or similar activities on the festival grounds and unilaterally remove the exhibitor if it poses a danger to other parties. The festival monitors prevailing conditions and informs participants of any necessary changes.
Exhibitors taking part in the Market of Possibilities, the Book World and the Recycling World will get to set up their stand indoors from 18.00 on Friday onwards. The Market of Possibilities space rent includes a table and a chair, which will be delivered to the exhibitor spaces in Kattilahalli hall by 18.00. Other furniture ordered through us will also be delivered to the exhibitor spaces by 18.00.
Vehicle and other access to the festival site
The event’s security organisation and traffic guides will organise vehicle access to the site. We hope that everyone will allow them to work in peace, everyone driving to the site will be patient and everyone will be respectful to others. There will be periods with high congestion levels.
One of the biggest accident risks at the event is driving a vehicle among the festivalgoers. This is why on Saturday and Sunday vehicle access to the site will not be permitted until a minimum of 15 minutes after the end of the event. Vehicle access to the festival site is only permitted with the festival’s official vehicle access pass and only during the below maintenance access periods.
Please note that vehicle access to the site for deliveries and pickups will only be permitted during the following periods:
• on Friday from 18.00 to 22.00
• on Saturday from 8.00 to 10.15 and 21.15 to 22.00
• on Sunday from 8.00 to 10.15 and 19.15 to 21.00
Parking on the festival site is strictly forbidden – it is only permitted to quickly load and unload a vehicle. Please note that in areas such as in front of the Kattilahalli hall and Maneesi it is not permitted to stop any vehicles even temporarily. The festival is unable to offer any exhibitor parking spaces and will not cover any exhibitor parking fees.
We recommend that you use public transport, shared vehicles and taxis for your goods transport needs. Never leave your vehicle in another exhibitor’s space when loading or unloading it.
Vehicle access passes & exhibitor passes
Vehicle access passes required for access to the festival site during the maintenance periods as well as exhibitor passes (2 passes per organisation) reserved for exhibitors as well as any food vouchers ordered in advance can be picked up from the festival office lobby at Lintulahdenkuja 10, 00500 Helsinki, on Monday 13 May between 12.00 and 16.00 or on Tuesday 14 May between 12.00 and 16.00. Passes can also be picked up from the Suvilahti festival site info point on Friday 24 May between 17.30 and 20.30. If you wish to arrange pickup on another day, please contact our Production Assistant at johanna.suokas@maailmakylassa.fi.
The exhibitor pass must be displayed on request, so remember to bring your passes to the festival site. It is enough that one member of a group carries the pass.
Night-time security guarding
There will be professional night-time guarding on the festival site from Friday to Sunday. Fingo’s insurance policy will not, however, cover any exhibitor or vendor property left on the site against theft or malicious damage. You should therefore take any valuable items to a safe place or take out insurance to cover it.
Overnight storage intended for exhibitors will be located at the info point of the Market of Possibilities in the Kattilahalli hall.You may store a small amount of items in the overnight storage facility at your own risk. The organiser will not be liable for any damage to or loss of items stored.
The indoor spaces of the Market of Possibilities as well as the Book World and the Recycling World will be locked overnight, so the exhibitor spaces will not need to be emptied between the festival days.
Consequences for breaking rules
This year, we will pay particular attention at our event to exhibitor conduct and compliance with the common rules. Please remember that all activities must take place within your own space (inside the tent), which means you will not be allowed to, for example, hand out flyers anywhere else on the festival site.
We will use a system of written caution notices and, under the Terms and Conditions for Exhibitors and Participants, the organiser has the right to discontinue the activity of and remove from the festival site any exhibitor that, regardless of a caution notice issued by the organiser, fails to comply with the common rules.
If we have to caution a participant about, for example, defects or shortcomings at the exhibitor space, inappropriate conduct or any other violation of the rules, we will provide the violator with a specific time limit within which the matter must be rectified. If, once this time limit has expired, the exhibitor has not demonstrated the rectification of the situation or conduct, we will have to remove the exhibitor from the festival site and close the activity at the space.
Please make sure that you will comply with and respect the festival rules, production staff and co-participants throughout the festival!
Participation terms and invoicing
Festival opening hours:
Saturday, May 25, 2024, from 11 am to 9 pm
Sunday, May 26, 2024, from 11 am to 7 pm
Exhibitors must keep their stand open during the festival opening hours: on Saturday from 11.00 to 21.00 and on Sunday from 11.00 to 19.00; the Kattilahalli Market of Possibilities on Saturday from 11.00 to 21.00 and on Sunday from 11.00 to 19.00; Maneesi Book World and Recycling World on Saturday from 11.00 to 21.00 and on Sunday from 11.00 to 19.00. The opening hours must be adhered to, as any setup and takedown of exhibitor stands will disturb festivalgoers and the adjacent stands. Exhibitors may not assign their space to a third party and may not allow a third party to use their space (unless otherwise agreed in writing).
Exhibitors must ensure the safe securing of their tent during the event and also during the night between the festival days. Tent decorations such as flags or bunting must not be left up anywhere where they might be caught by the wind for the night or for any other period.
You have read and accepted the terms and Conditions for Exhibitors and Participants during the registration process. However, we recommend carefully reviewing the participation terms once again. You have the right to cancel your participation free of charge within seven (7) days of receiving the confirmation message. Confirmation messages for small spaces will be sent in March. Cancellations must always be made in writing in accordance with the cancellation conditions specified in the participation terms. Failure to pay the invoice is not a sufficient measure for cancellation.
The invoice must be paid before entering the festival. Paid space fees will be verified before the start of the festival. Invoicing will commence in April at the latest.
Food may only be sold at points designated for food sales. However, at exhibitor points not designated for food sales, it is possible to serve coffee, tea, and individually packaged food items such as cookies and candies. As a sustainable development festival, please note that all coffee cups and serving containers must be biodegradable.
Every sold item requires the exhibitor to provide a receipt to the customer if needed. If receipts are not generated directly from the cash register or payment terminal, hand-written receipt books are available at most office supply and bookstores.
With over 200 exhibitors on the premises, fundraising, material distribution, and all other activities must occur within the boundaries of your designated presentation area (unless otherwise agreed in writing). Any program or presentation at your designated space must not disturb neighbors; therefore, audio equipment and performing groups should be left at home.
The allocated space at the Kattilahalli – Market of Possibilities includes one table and one chair (table size approximately 180cmx80cm or 183cmx75cm).
Information about food tickets
The exhibitors at the World Village festival, as well as other partners, are offered the opportunity to pre-order food tickets for the festival weekend. These tickets can be distributed to employees, volunteers, or collaborators. The food tickets are valid at approximately 30 food sales points throughout the festival area. Tickets are sold in sets of 10, and one set costs €110. You can order tickets here, 8th of May the latest.
Internet access on the site
There will be no internet access provided separately by the festival on the site. Open networks such as the City of Helsinki and Kattilahalli open access will, however, be available on the site. The festival will not be liable for the functioning of the connections.
Networking space Magito
Magito Networking Space is a new meeting point in the heart of the festival. Magito provides an excellent venue for meetings, coffee breaks, and relaxation during the festival buzz. Access to Magito is granted to the festival’s main partners, content and program collaborators, entities with large exhibition spaces, representatives of Fingo member organizations, festival performers, and invited guests.
If you are interested in organizing meetings for your partners in the Magito space during the festival, please contact Sara Levänen at sara.levanen@fingo.fi.
Discrimination-free festival
World Village Festival is a discrimination-free zone committed to promoting principles of equality, justice, and fairness. Everyone is welcome to the festival as their authentic selves, and we do not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment. As exhibitors play a significant role in the festival, we expect exhibitors to also uphold these values. For more information about the discrimination-free festival, please visit the festival’s website.
Information about the accessibility of the festival area can be found on our website.
Prohibited Items & substances
To ensure the general safety of World Village Festival, it is important to note that it is strictly prohibited to distribute, sell, or display alcohol, narcotics, tobacco, weapons, paraphernalia related to substance use, and other illegal or illicitly produced substances or items on the festival grounds. In accordance with the festival’s ecological principles, it is also prohibited to distribute, sell, or raffle plastic or similar “trinkets.”
We will be happy to help you with any questions regarding your participation in the festival. If you have any questions, please contact our Production Assistant Johanna Suokas Johanna.suokas@maailmakylassa.fi.
The contact person for food vendors is Anu Wiik anu.wiik@maailmakylassa.fi.
