Leap day conference @ Tampere

Once a year Rotaractors from all over Finland come together to do networking, have fun and to decide important things. This year, we gathered in Tampere, and what a better date than leap day February 29th.

Friday evening we gathered in Saunaravintola Kuuma, a fairly new restaurant and bar with a sauna possibility in the Laukontori square, overlooking the water. A nice, relaxing evening with casual conversation, while people were arriving to the city at different times.

The whole gang!

Saturday morning found us at Tampere University, where we kicked the day off with some Free Intelligent Conversation. The conversation starters provided by #FreeIC had our brains working first thing in the morning and warmed us up for the day. The remainder of the morning we spent going through some official stuff, the annual meeting and so forth, before a lunch at the university cafeteria.

Selfie with Moomin

For the afternoon the members of Tampere Rotaract Club, who were in charge of hosting the conference this year, had planned for us a fun activity: a city bingo. On the bingo sheets were clues to places around Tampere city centre where we had to go and do some activities, as well as some discussion activities to do as we walked. We got to visit some sights, talk to locals and taste some pretty good chocolate.

Spotting a local ferry

For the evening we had a grand celebration: the 40th anniversary of Tampere Rotaract. The venue was the amazing and cozy restaurant Heinätori, serving the most delicious seasonal food. And what was really noticeable was the pride towards the food they served. The evening was really enjoyable, as all the rotaractors were joined by rotarians to celebrate the incredible milestone of Tampere Rotaract. We were entertained with multiple speeches, one of them detailing some of the history of Rotaract in Finland. Can you believe it - at one point in time there have been as many as almost 20 Rotaract clubs in Finland! The evening ended with us aquainting ourselves with Tampere night life.

Finding the cutest love locks

A great big thank you to Tampere Rotaract and Rotaract Finland for organizing a great conference! And thank you to all rotaractors who joined us, it's always great to get to see you and share thoughts and experiences. Hope to see you next year in Vaasa! And once again, congratulations Rotaract Tampere for your 40 years of action! May the future bring at least 40 years more!

Our handsome crew