“Succeed in Business” Closing Conference in Tampere!
The Closing Conference marked the final event of the “Succeed in Business” project and was organised in Tampere by the Finnish partner. The one-day conference brought participants together to present their final business ideas and Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), receive feedback, reflect on their learning journey, and celebrate their achievements.
The conference opened with welcoming words from Anne Jylhä, National Contact Point for Finland at the Central Baltic Programme. She highlighted the Programme’s role in supporting international cooperation and creating opportunities for young people, placing the participants’ learning experience within the wider context of cross-border cooperation.
The opening session continued with entrepreneur Eemeli Vottonen, who presented “Two Lessons on Entrepreneurship That I’ve Learned the Hard Way: Case Zennius Oy”. Drawing on his own business journey, he shared practical lessons and discussed entrepreneurship as a continuous process of development and adaptation. His presentation helped participants connect the knowledge and competences gained during the “Succeed in Business” project with the realities of entrepreneurship.
The main part of the conference was dedicated to the participants’ final business presentations. Teams demonstrated how their initial ideas had evolved throughout the “Succeed in Business” project into more structured and viable business solutions.
Participants were actively involved in recognising each other’s achievements through the People’s Choice Awards. They evaluated the team presentations and MVPs in four categories: best overall presentation, coolest MVP, project most likely to succeed, and team most likely to succeed. The activity encouraged participants to consider different aspects of entrepreneurship and business development, including what makes a business idea and presentation convincing, while also highlighting creativity, teamwork, progress, and entrepreneurial potential among peers.
The Certificate Ceremony marked the successful completion of the “Succeed in Business” training programme and celebrated the participants’ commitment and achievements. It provided an opportunity to recognise the progress they had made in developing their entrepreneurial competences and business ideas throughout the project.
The final part of the conference focused on collective reflection and discussion. During a boat trip on Lake Pyhäjärvi, participants looked back on their overall experience in the “Succeed in Business” project and recorded their thoughts on Post-it notes based on a set of guiding questions.
Participants considered what they had learned, how their skills and perspectives had developed, and what had changed since the beginning of the project. They also reflected on the main challenges they had faced and overcome, and whether they had achieved their original learning goals and expectations.
The reflection concluded by looking towards the future. Participants considered their possible next steps in entrepreneurship, leadership, teamwork, innovation, and further business development. Sharing their thoughts within the group made individual learning journeys visible and encouraged discussion of both shared experiences and different paths forward.
The Closing Conference brought together the key outcomes of the “Succeed in Business” learning journey, allowing participants to demonstrate their progress, celebrate their achievements, and reflect on how far they had come. It also created space to look ahead and consider how the knowledge, skills, and connections gained through the project could support their future plans.
As the “Succeed in Business” project approaches its end, we look back on a journey filled with ideas, challenges, discoveries, new connections, and achievements. What began as a training programme has become much more: an international learning experience that brought young people together, encouraged them to believe in their ideas, and gave them the confidence to take the next steps. The project partners are proud of everything our participants have achieved — and we hope that the end of the project will be the beginning of many new entrepreneurial journeys.
