Business Tampere’s chief operating officer expects export activity to accelerate in the coming year. North America, the reconstruction of Ukraine, and our western neighbour Sweden are key focus areas. Pirkanmaa Export Day offered companies insights, contacts and training to support international growth. “Our key focus areas include the US and Canada, Ukraine’s reconstruction, and industrial market opportunities in Sweden, while some export programmes also extend to the Middle East and Southeast Asia,” says Pertti Aimonen, Chief Operating Officer of Business Tampere. Aimonen and a team of Business Tampere’s export experts shared their views on Wednesday (12 Nov) at Pirkanmaa Export Day. The annual event, organised by the Tampere Chamber of Commerce, took place at the Paja Congress Centre adjacent to Hotel Torni. The programme featured speakers from Business Tampere, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Confederation of Finnish Industries, Finnvera, and OP Corporate Bank. Business Tampere CEO Harri Ojala. Pia Sarivaara from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs delivered a session on sanctions, noting that much of the work currently focuses on Russia. Partner organisations hosted stands offering practical support for export initiatives. The Paja Congress Centre at Hotel Torni drew a full house of participants. Among upcoming events, Aimonen highlights the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, taking place shortly after Epiphany, and a business delegation visit to Linz, Austria in the second week of January. “We also have plans for Ukraine-focused market events later in spring, along with manufacturing industry business visits to Sweden, North America, Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, and Singapore,” Aimonen says. Event Date Contact person Email Ukraine: Market Entry ABC February 2026 (tentative) Minna Tihinen minna.tihinen@businesstampere.com International growth mentoring (kick-off) Q1 2026 Ari Lylynoja ari.lylynoja@businesstampere.com Northern Sweden market opportunities: info workshop Q1 2026 Jouni Myllymäki jouni.myllymaki@businesstampere.com Conexpo delegation, Las Vegas 3.3.–7.3.2026 Jarmo Tuorila jarmo.tuorila@businesstampere.com Leap 2026, Riyadh 13.4.–16.4.2026 Sami Puttonen sami.puttonen@businesstampere.com Singapore: Eco-Prosperity Week May 2026 Sami Puttonen sami.puttonen@businesstampere.com Business visit to Northern Sweden May 2026 Jouni Myllymäki jouni.myllymaki@businesstampere.com Business visits to Ukraine Spring 2026 Minna Tihinen minna.tihinen@businesstampere.com USA and Canada: market briefings and business event Spring 2026 Heini Salopelto heini.salopelto@businesstampere.com Recent success stories Business Tampere’s Industry Lead Heini Wallander highlighted encouraging recent export cases. “In mobile machinery, Spogen.ai and Valtra are progressing well internationally, and Softlandia’s North American AI breakthrough also stands out. I also encourage companies to explore opportunities in Linz, Austria,” Wallander says. In his opening remarks, Business Tampere CEO Harri Ojala urged companies to consider a presence in Ukraine. Business Tampere appointed Ukraine expert Minna Tihinen earlier this autumn. “Ukraine is a vast market with real growth potential. Entering it requires courage, but opportunities span multiple sectors. Construction, energy, civil protection, education, raw materials, and medical services are high priorities, and many more needs are emerging,” Tihinen says. Our early November event recap: Working hard to open pathways for businesses to Ukraine Business Tampere’s International Business Project Director and Key Account Manager Yi Tang highlighted Ylöjärvi-based Epse as a standout case. The company, which developed a heavy metal precipitation solution, recently closed major deals in Central Asia, including Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, with a total value currently approaching hundreds of millions of euros. Tang joined the Leap4Growth export promotion tour in Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City in October and November. “The Greater Bay Area, encompassing Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, leads the world in innovation and is a hotspot for technology development, health innovation and green manufacturing. Vietnam, meanwhile, is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, boosted by the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and a thriving startup ecosystem,” Tang says. The full programme and event details are available here: Pirkanmaa Export Day brings together export experts and operators (Tampere Chamber of Commerce, 22 October 2025) event export Internationalisation news