Notes From Finland Regarding The AGM

Visit to Jyvaskyla

30th November – 2nd December 2009

1. Flew from London Heathrow to Helsinki, arriving at Helsinki at about 17h00. I then met Matti, we had some dinner, before we took a flight to Jyväskylä. The flight left at about 20h15 and arrived at 21h00 where Martti was there to meet us. He drove us to the Hotel Rantasipi in a district called Laajavuori. This is the conference hotel and the distance from the airport to the hotel was about 25 km.
2. The hotel has over 150 bedrooms and 41 Club are reserving 120. That should be adequate – I suggested that they might have about 200 people at the AGM.
3. The hotel has a bar close to the reception area. I was in room 311 which is on the first floor. The hotel also has a bowling alley or two, a gymnasium and a spa. There are copious meeting rooms and the main room, where the AGM is being held, is like an amphitheatre with more than adequate seating for our needs. There is a large dining area where the Gala Dinner is being held. All of the functions are in the hotel apart from the Friday night Welcome Party which is in the ‘London’ nightclub in the centre of Jyväskylä.
4. Jyväskylä has a population of 130,000 and the centre is approximately 4 kms from the hotel. There are no shops adjacent to the hotel. All delegates are going to receive free bus passes so that they can go to and from the centre of Jyväskylä. The bus stop is right outside the hotel and the bus station in the middle of Jyväskylä is only about 300 metres from the railway station.
5. I enquired if any arrangements were being made for the Thursday evening because there are likely to be a number of people appearing that day. The committee decided that they would approach the hotel to put on a special buffet meal.
6. I asked about the price of alcohol because I think I spent about €12 on just two bottles of beer the night before (one for Matti; one for me). The committee suggested that they will try to organise a ‘conference beer’, and a ‘conference red wine’ and a ‘conference white wine’ at a reduced price. The hotel has room service: that facility can be therefore be used if anybody arrives particularly late.
7. There is a train from Helsinki to Jyvaskyla as indeed there is a train from Tampere. I have already mentioned the flight from Helsinki to Jyväskylä. Anyone coming to Tampere (by Ryanair) would have to avail themselves of the frequent train service.
8. Coach transport will be arranged to and from the Welcome Party on the Friday evening.
9. I asked about an activity for delegates on the Friday and suggested that Jyväskylä has a lot of attractions. When I was in the town, I walked past the Old Brinks Inn which serves many different beverages including Irish and English beers, my colleague mentioned that his friend Harold runs the Viking Restaurant which might be a venue for lunch, there is a ski jump (which hopefully will not be in use when we are there), a chocolate factory and many attractive shops.
10. The bus between the hotel and the town centre is number 25. As already mentioned, it stops just outside the hotel and goes to stand 6 at the bus station. The dining room is more than adequate to cope with the numbers and that will also be the venue for breakfast and lunch. I believe there will be no brunch as such on the Sunday morning, delegates taking breakfast as part of the hotel deal in the normal way.
11. The bowling alley has five lanes and there is a swimming pool in the hotel plus of course a sauna.
12. The conference hotel is ideal for the purpose and has a large reception area with a bar where people can meet and renew acquaintances.
13. The International AGM will be held on Saturday morning 24th April and the OT Suomi Finland AGM in the afternoon.
14. There are no coffee/tea making facilities in the hotel room. Anyone wishing to complete their toilet with a bar of soap will have to bring their own as the hotel provides only liquid soap/shampoo – and no flannel.
15. If the organisers know that 41ers are arriving at Jyväskylä airport, transport might be arranged. Otherwise it is a taxi.
16. The Gala Dinner on Saturday evening is in the hotel dining room. There will be a seating plan and the Dinner will commence with the International Banner Exchange.
17. Hotels alternative to Hotel Rantasipi are located in Jyväskylä (4 kms distance).
18. Delegates arriving at Jyväskylä by train can take a taxi to the hotel (4 kms) or bus no. 25 from stand 6.
19. Information about the AGM, tours before and after the AGM, registration and accommodation can be found at www.otsf.fi à41 Int. AGM 2010.
20. Useful addresses are laajavuori.rantasipi@restel.fi to book accommodation (remember to mention ‘OTSF’), www.fc.fi to book internal flights and www.vr.fi for the trains. Remember that those of you who are over sixty years of age – O.K., O.K., I am too – travel on the trains at a reduced price.

JOHN BELLWOOD

29th January 2010