Helsinki
The capital and largest city in Finland, Helsinki is a neat, compact city gathered around its South Harbor. It's known for being clean, tidy and ordered, although recently the city's gulls have learned how to steal ice cream (signs tell people to shield their cones with a hand). Meeting venues in Helsinki share the town sense of tidiness and great design; and, thanks to the Gulf Stream, visitors will experience relatively clement temperatures.
Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport (HEL), 12 miles north of the city center, has excellent connections to North America and the rest of Europe. Finnair dominates, but American Airlines does have a direct flight from Chicago in the warmer months.
Chief among Helsinki convention venues is the Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Center, which has six exhibition halls and 43 meeting rooms, as well as a direct connection to the 244-room Holiday Inn Helsinki.
Hotel venues in Helsinki's city center include those with modern, old-world or practical styling. The 360-room Scandic Simonkentta has nine meeting rooms; the 270-room Sokos Hotel Vaakuna has seven meeting rooms and a ballroom able to cater to up to 700…