Kantasatama Goes SMART
Kotka’s Kantasatama is developing into a smart and vibrant center that combines learning, expertise and entertainment. The Kantasatama Goes SMART project strengthens the area’s event business with digital solutions that improve customer experience, increase efficiency and bring competitive advantage to companies. The project brings together business, event operators and the University of Applied Sciences to develop Kantasatama into a modern, sustainable and attractive event district on the Baltic Sea coast.
What does the project aim to achieve?
The Kantasatama Goes SMART project aims to develop the event ecosystem in the Kotka Kantasatama area by utilizing new technologies and digitalization. The project creates innovative, digital and virtual solution-based services that support event organizers at all stages of the customer journey – from providing and booking facilities to the implementation of events.
The project brings together key players in the Kotka Kantasatama area, such as the South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (Xamk), the Maritime Centre Vellamo, Event Centre Satama and the City of Kotka, to strengthen business, cooperation and expertise in the event industry. The goal is to utilize the area’s extensive network of players – education, culture, research and business – more effectively and create new forms of co-development.
The project supports the objectives of the Kymenlaakso Regional Programme and the Smart Specialisation Strategy by developing expertise, cooperation and infrastructure, and by accelerating service and product development. Special emphasis is placed on exploiting the opportunities of the digital and data economy, such as data management, the application of artificial intelligence, gamification and virtual reality solutions in event production.
The aim is to strengthen the vitality of the region, increase the number of events and event tourists, and support the structural change of the tourism and event industry. As a result of the project, the aim is to develop the Kotka Kantasatama into an intelligent, attractive and sustainable event and innovation hub, which will serve as an example of the development of digital business and event technology at the provincial level.
Key measures of the project
- Piloting and implementing new technologies:
- Testing and implementing digital and virtual solutions to support event productions in the Kantasatama area.
- Utilizing technology in event planning, implementation, marketing, and customer relationship processes.
2. Virtual tools and 3D models:
- Using game technologies, virtual 3D models of the main event spaces of the Kantasatama area (including the Event Centre Satama and the Maritime Centre Vellamo) will be developed.
- Browser-based planning and sales tools will be built, allowing event organizers to test the suitability of the spaces for different uses and plan events virtually.
3. Virtual security training environment:
- A virtual training platform for event security planning and simulation will be implemented.
- Joint security exercises between different authorities and actors will be enabled in a virtual environment.
4. Development of the Kantasatamakotka.fi website:
- The city-maintained kantasatamakotka.fi website will be updated and developed to support the operations and marketing of the event ecosystem.
5. Utilizing data and leading with knowledge:
- We are building tools for decision-making based on event data, sales management and customer experience development.
- We are utilizing data analytics and visualization in the development of event production and tourism.