A merger between event planning company Tapahtumallinen and communications agency Telegraafi will create a new 20-person company, Idea Group, that provides professional services in various fields. Idea Group’s expertise is built on strong strategic understanding of communication and a holistic approach to event planning and organising. The merger will help Idea Group to grow into one of Finland’s most prominent event and communication companies.
Tapahtumallinen’s and Telegraafi’s corporate restructuring aims to accelerate growth, expand the combined selection of services, and to fully use the advantages that the expertise of two companies can provide.
– This is a winning combination. Our clients will get all their communication and event planning services from us, and if we find a good call for tenders, we can submit offers in larger projects than ever before. Our services are related to separate businesses which allows both companies to benefit from each other’s expertise and results. We’ll be sure to keep the flexibility and straightforwardness of two entrepreneur-led companies, tells Sanni Rostedt, CEO of Tapahtumallinen. In the future, Rostedt will also be the CEO of Idea Group and Telegraafi.
The merger will be carried out with a restructuring where the new parent company Idea Group acquires the stock from Tapahtumallinen Oy and Telegraafi Oy. Idea Group will be owned by ten shareholders.
EVENTS AS A PART OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
Tapahtumallinen plans and organises personnel, customer, consumer, and stakeholder events, while Telegraafi concentrates on strategic communication planning, change management communication, crisis communication, corporate sustainability communication, and content creation. The two companies have a long history of collaboration.
– We here at Telegraafi have been looking for a suitable partner to accelerate our growth, and the negotiations with Tapahtumallinen began a year ago. Events are an important part of strategic communication in companies and communities, and together, we can provide the customer with strategic expertise as well as a wide selection of communication services and event production from start to finish, says Marja-Terttu Rantanen, CEO of Telegraafi. Rantanen will continue as the development manager of Idea Group.
IDEA GROUP AIMS TO TRIPLE ITS TURNOVER
Merger between an event planning company and a communication agency is fairly unusual. Event companies usually merge with other similar companies, and the same applies to communication, advertisement, and digital companies.
– For us, this combination presents something completely new, even a game-changing new direction for the event industry. It also creates a good starting point for growth. Our goal is to triple our joint turnover to approximately five million euros in the next three years, says Rostedt.
Tapahtumallinen and Telegraafi will continue their work under separate brands for now, and the merger does not affect the staff in any manner. All of the approximately 20 employees will continue their work as before. The companies have offices in Turku and Helsinki, and their clients are from both the private and the public sector. The combined turnover of the companies is currently approximately €1.5M.
– On a larger scale, the turnover clearly shows how different the two industries are and how the two companies balance each other. Telegraafi’s turnover grew steadily despite the pandemic, whereas Tapahtumallinen’s turnover was halved, from approximately two million euros to one million euros. This year is looking brighter to the event sector. I strongly believe that next year’s turnover will be more like in the pre-Covid times, tells Rostedt.
COMPACT AND CAREFULLY PLANNED EVENTS
During the Covid-19 pandemic, many events have been arranged completely or partially online. Tapahtumallinen has also produced dozens of customer and personnel events both virtually and as hybrid events.
– Covid has changed the way events are planned. The participants put a high value on their time, and the event goals must be reached faster than ever before. The content must be carefully planned, and the message has to be crystal clear. The results of all events must also be measurable, Rostedt notes.
Strategic communication planning must also be present in digital communication.
– Virtual and hybrid events are often produced by thinking first about the technical solutions and visual planning. This can mean that not enough time is devoted to thinking about strategic communication and the content of the event, although both are the most important factors in corporate messaging, says Rantanen.
