City of Lahti hospitality

The special annex to the City of Lahti administrative regulations, which governs the City Board and city corporate group, contains a table of competences which stipulates that the Mayor and the Chair of the City Board have the authority to, in the course of their work, decide on the organisation of informational, conference, and hospitality events and approve outlays related thereto as governed by the applicable budget and the criteria approved by the City Board.

• The event promotes the city’s strategic goals and is in conformity with the city’s values.
• The event has considerable regional, national, or international significance to the City of Lahti.
• The event is a major national conference, cultural or sporting event of general interest or international competition organised in Lahti.
• The event is a major anniversary of a significant Lahti or national entity.
• The provision of hospitality is intended to enrich events primarily intended for the participation of individuals other than employees or elected officials of the City of Lahti.
• The hospitality is granted based on a written application.
• The city provides one hospitality consideration per event, and only for one event per year per organising entity.
• The city will not grant hospitality to events in whose funding it participates through other channels, e.g. through an event grant or a contract-based collaborative relationship.

• Hospitality is applied for through an online form.
• The hospitality application must indicate the kind of hospitality consideration applied for, the contact details of the applying party, the name and purpose of the event, its date, time, and expected attendance, whether the event is international in nature, and, if applicable, a list of guests and the event programme.
• The Mayor makes the decision on whether to provide a hospitality consideration. Providing hospitality is considered on a case-by-case basis.

• The city organises a reception primarily at Lahti City Hall. The reception may also take place at a different location agreed separately, should the expected attendance of the event exceed that permitted for the City Hall or if the reception is more appropriate to organise in a location other than the City Hall.
• A city reception will, in the main, take place on weekdays starting no later than 7 pm.
• As a rule, no city reception will be organised on Sundays or on public holidays.
• The city reception has a duration of 60 to 90 minutes.
• The responsibility for organising such a reception always rests with the city. A city representative will receive the invitees, give a welcoming speech, and remain present throughout the event.
• A non-alcoholic welcoming toast or a coffee serving may be provided as part of the city reception.
• For events with massive attendance, a city reception will be organised only for a limited subset of invitees.
• The exact number of guests to attend a city reception must be confirmed no later than one week before the reception takes place.