Active Life HUB
Wellbeing Industry Ecosystem to South Savo
We build a wellbeing industry ecosystem in the South Savo region, create new product and service concepts, and enhance marketing and sales.
A diverse ecosystem is the key to success.
The Ecosystem Provides Added Value
The Active Life HUB project activates wellbeing organizations to innovate, grow, and renew themselves.
The ecosystem forming around the development activities gathers various stakeholders under the umbrella of wellbeing, with the scope e.g. in culture, nature, tourism, and technology. It is built on the foundation made from knowledge and experience sharing, mutual learning, and co-development. The goal is to create good operating conditions for continuous, cluster-like, and international collaboration.
As a result of the Active Life HUB project, we expect at least 20 new wellbeing companies to take part in the development activities. We aim to productize at least an equivalent number of product and service concepts, targeted to both permanent and seasonal residents, as well as tourists.
Within the project framework, we establish a multi-disciplinary Active Life HUB ecosystem and a digital collaboration model for it. By enhancing sales and marketing efforts, we expect to increase the number of customers and revenue in the industry. One of the outcomes will be the launch of an experiential and learning-supportive Wellbeing Event.
The short- and long-term impacts of the project will be reflected in the increased awareness of wellbeing development activities available ,and the growth of knowledge-intensive, scalable wellbeing services in the South Savo. We believe the ecosystem created through the project will enhance the vitality of wellbeing industry companies, creating new jobs and enabling the emergence of new innovations, business growth, and internationalization.
Trust increases interaction, and learning enhances its quality and quantity.
Perrine Bulgheroni, Trainer in agroecology and permaculture
According to a report by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (2022), participation in ecosystems is linked to successful innovation activities in companies. Ecosystems are more than the sum of their parts: at their best, they can respond to significant societal changes and challenges. They emphasize interaction and learning refined through trust. These open up opportunities for open innovation and the creation of new solutions.
Key Activities
The Active Life HUB project is structured into four work packages, which we run simultaneously and iteratively. We apply the double diamond process model of service design and its methods in the development work.
Work Package 1: We promote our development expertise to wellbeing industry actors with systematic sales and marketing. Especially, we aim to reach wellbeing companies that have not previously participated in our development activities.
Work Package 2: We form a comprehensive ecosystem by reshaping and combining local wellbeing industry hubs, covering the entire South Savo region and creating a time- and location-independent digital cooperation model for the emerging ecosystem.
Work Package 3: We ideate and design new product and service concepts for permanent and seasonal residents and tourists. Simultaneously, we enhance sales and marketing efforts to increase the amount of customers and revenue in the wellbeing industry.
Work Package 4: The project culminates in collaborative planning and implementation of an experiential and learning-supportive wellbeing event.
We Welcome You to Join
In the South Savo region, the Active Life HUB project is intended for
- Wellbeing industry companies
- Career changers and seasonal workers
- Personnel responsible for the development of wellbeing and business conditions in cities and municipalities.
Indirectly, we reach for all user groups of wellbeing services, including permanent and seasonal residents of the region, and tourists.
Do you want to become a part of the top of the wellbeing industry in the South Savo? Let us know – you can show your interest by filling a short questionnaire (in Finnish):
We Turn Regional Challenges into Opportunities
The vitality of South Savo is notably challenged by aging population, small youth cohorts, high morbidity, and sparse population. On the other hand, satisfaction with the living conditions has remained high, and the increase in remote work has extended the seasonal residency and increased the multi-locality.
The population in the region increases seasonally by up to 100 000 people, and it is known that nearly 60 000 foreigners stay overnight there annually. Responsible visitors value local, nature, and wellness tourism destinations and conscious consumption. Uniqueness and experiential offerings represent a new kind of luxury for tourists.
In addition to public services, the availability and provision of private wellbeing services are key issues for the attractiveness and retention of the region in all population groups. For the South Savo, the co-development, smart concept design, and targeted wellbeing service offerings represent a winning card worth playing.
Permanent and seasonal residents, and tourists – there is much growth potential for private wellbeing services.
Katja Kiukas, RDI Specialist and Project Manager,
Active Life Lab