Fazer: new visitor centre opens in October

Helsinki / FI. (fg) Fazer Group’s new visitor centre in Vaarala opens for the public on 01 October 2016. With its raw material garden, cocoa plants in a green room, bow-shaped wooden ceilings, green roofs, glass walls and mosaic concrete floors, the Fazer Visitor Centre will become the architectonic signature of the area. Its exhibitions, Fazer Café, shop and meeting services will open new possibilities for fantastic visitor experiences as well as meetings and events. You can already book your visit for the autumn at the Fazer Visitor Centre web pages visitfazer.com.

Next September will mark 125 years since Karl Fazer opened his French-Russian café on Helsinki’s Kluuvikatu. The opening of Fazer’s new visitor centre will be the main event during the anniversary year.

For Fazer, it is important to have an active dialogue with consumers. The new visitor centre in Vaarala, Vantaa will open for the public in October. It will give visitors an even more comprehensive and inspiring exhibition experience and Fazer a chance to engage in continuous, direct interaction with consumers and get feedback and development ideas.

«The idea of the visitor centre is to create an inspiring, educational and unforgettable brand experience for Fazer’s visitors», says Ulrika Romantschuk, SVP, Communications + Branding, Fazer Group. «It will have a unique exhibition area, shop and Fazer Café. The exhibition will be fantastic with, for instance, a raw material garden, a candy forest and a bunny sculpture the size of a small car, made of thousands of Mignon eggs. Our own guides will lead visitors through inspiring tours where they can experience the exhibition», she continues.

New possibilities for visits and events

The new visitor centre can accommodate both individual visitors and groups. Individual visitors can buy a ticket and join one of the guided tours – or just drop in for a cup of coffee in the café or visit the shop, without entering the exhibition at all. Pre-booked tours will be available for groups. The centre will also offer meeting services and different kinds of events from cooking and bakery classes to children’s birthday parties and family gatherings.

«This opens new possibilities for inspiring meetings and events. Imagine a team building event that starts with a tour at the exhibition, continues with internal meeting programme and culminates in enjoying a meal created together in a cooking school – everything in Fazer’s state-of-the-art premises», says Anu Kokko, Director, Fazer Visitor Centre.

Finnish forces

Fazer’s new visitor centre is an investment in Finnish design and work. The centre was designed by the architect firm K2S, known for having designed the «Chapel of Silence» in Kamppi, Helsinki. The Finnish construction company SRV performs the construction work and Ateljé Sotamaa designs the visitor experience.

«New members of the Fazer Visitor Centre team are being recruited at the moment», says Anu Kokko. «We are all very excited about our new working environment, with all the possibilities it offers. Our stakeholders and the public have shown great interest in the new centre. Along with the opening of the pre-booking option at visitfazer.com , we have started to receive reservations and are really looking forward to the opening on 01 October 2016».