SHIFT 2021 to be organised 25-26 August – Aiming at an open-air event with the addition of virtual solutions

SHIFT took a digital leap in 2020 and organised the business festival fully virtually at virtual festival grounds of VirBELA. A fully virtual business event was a risky yet successful experiment with around 1000 attendees visiting the event platform during the course of two festival days. Festival attendees tuned in to talks about AI development, alternative business models and future foresight, among other topics.

Where for 2020, virtual was a necessity, SHIFT 2021 will build on the learnings and event concept of this year.

Where for 2020, virtual was a necessity, SHIFT 2021 will build on the learnings and event concept of this year. CEO Sini Toivonen reveals that for the 2021 festival, SHIFT hopes to return to its roots with a production that will take place on site in Turku and also make use of online content. “We want to bring back the face-to-face event, because that is still the best option for the exchange of thoughts and ideas. However, with the addition of virtual solutions, events become more diverse and accessible than ever, adding new possibilities for both attendees and speakers,” Toivonen says. She also reveals next year’s event dates: SHIFT 2021 will be held on 25–26 August.

SHIFT 2021 will be held on 25–26 August in Turku.

Chair of the SHIFT board Joonas Suominen has a similar view of the future: “While SHIFT is all about the new normal, we’re hopeful that next year will take us a step closer to the more conventional normal again. We have our sights on hosting an open-air, summertime event of the kind our community knows us for, in addition to the virtual possibilities that we have explored this year.”

The 2021 program is already being developed, with a focus on staying one step ahead: how to future-proof your business today. “Before rejoining the SHIFT crew as CEO, I had the opportunity to go on an amazing adventure in San Francisco. Now, I want to bring a piece of Silicon Valley to SHIFT,” Toivonen hints at the future program and reveals that SHIFT will feature speakers from international technology companies as well as from Stanford University.

Other speakers are to be confirmed, and SHIFT is looking for partners for the next year.