SHIFT Business Festival

What SHIFT Business Festival does

SHIFT Business Festival is an annual one-day B2B event held at Turku Science Park in Finland, operating under the legal entity SHIFT Events Oy. Founded in 2015 as an association (SHIFT ry) by Junior Chambers of Commerce in the Turku region alongside the Turku Chamber of Commerce and Turku Entrepreneurs, the festival debuted in May 2016 at Turku Castle with over 1,000 participants and has been held annually since, reaching its 11th edition in 2025. The 2027 edition is scheduled for May 27. The festival positions itself as a 'Ruisrock of business events,' combining business programming with a festival atmosphere and drawing on cross-sector themes spanning health, learning, and energy.

The core offering is a tiered ticketed event (SHIFT PASS €144, VIP PASS €386, EXECUTIVE PASS €892) complemented by sponsorship and partnership packages sold to 100+ organizations including corporates (Sandvik, Lindström), regional development bodies (City of Turku, Business Turku, Turku AMK, Turku Science Park), startups, and public sector organizations. Supporting products include a mobile networking application built on the Brella matchmaking platform that enables 15-minute one-to-one meeting booking and personalized participant recommendations, a DIY social media image creation tool, and an email newsletter. The technology stack is deliberately outsourced: Brella handles networking/matchmaking, and Lyyti handles ticketing, allowing the small core team (1–10 employees) to focus on programming and partnerships.

Revenue is generated through one-time ticket sales and recurring annual partnership/sponsorship contracts; financial figures are not publicly disclosed. Turku Technology Properties acquired approximately 70% ownership of SHIFT Events Oy in 2023, with the SHIFT ry association retaining the balance — a structure that ties the festival's growth trajectory to regional public-private development objectives and a single majority owner. The event serves growth-minded companies, forward-looking professionals, startups, and public sector organizations primarily across the Nordic region, with the Executive tier explicitly targeting C-level decision-makers.

Name

SHIFT Business Festival

Legal name

SHIFT Events Oy

Website

https://theshift.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SHIFT Business Festival is an annual one-day B2B event in Turku, Finland, serving growth-minded companies, executives, startups, and public sector organizations through tiered ticketed access and a 100+ partner sponsorship network, supported by Brella-powered matchmaking technology and majority-owned by Turku Technology Properties since 2023.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Events & Conferences

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Incentive Travel Programs & Retreat Events (Offsites) (MPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cultural & Community Festivals (Ticketed) (THAJAFAI)

Keywords

• Business event festival
• B2B networking conference
• Corporate partnership events
• Professional matchmaking events
• Annual business summit

Headquarters

HQ city

Turku

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: SHIFT generates revenue primarily through ticket sales at multiple price tiers: SHIFT PASS (144€), VIP PASS (386€), and EXECUTIVE PASS (892€). Tickets grant access to the festival including speakers, activities, networking events, and after-parties. VIP and Executive tiers include additional amenities such as food/beverage service and exclusive networking areas.
2. Partnership and Sponsorship: Corporate partners pay for visibility and engagement opportunities at the festival. Partner benefits include website presence, newsletter exposure, social media mentions, access to pre-event networking events, stage visibility during the event, booth/exhibition space, and ongoing marketing collaboration throughout the year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SHIFT Business Festival operates an annual one-day B2B business event held at Turku Science Park in Finland. The core offering consists of three tiered ticket products (SHIFT PASS at €144, SHIFT VIP PASS at €386, and SHIFT EXECUTIVE PASS at €892) granting access to keynote speakers, curated programming, a Brella-powered matchmaking mobile app for one-to-one networking meetings, and after-party events. The festival is complemented by corporate partnership and sponsorship packages that provide year-round visibility, stage presence, booth space, and pre-event networking access.

Product overview

SHIFT Business Festival is an annual business festival held at Turku Science Park, combining business and culture. The core offering includes three ticket tiers: SHIFT PASS (standard), SHIFT VIP PASS (enhanced with catering and VIP areas), and SHIFT EXE PASS (Executive-level with dedicated program track). Supporting products include a mobile networking application powered by Brella platform for matchmaking and meeting scheduling, a DIY social media image creation tool, and an email newsletter. The festival focuses on themes of data-driven leadership, community, and internationalization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SHIFT PASS 2027 Standard one-day admission ticket (€144, VAT 0%) to the SHIFT Business Festival, providing access to speakers, festival activities, the Brella-powered matchmaking application for connecting with attendees and companies, and the SHIFT after-party. Targeted at growth-minded professionals and companies attending the festival.
• SHIFT VIP PASS 2027 Enhanced VIP admission ticket (€386, VAT 0%) to the SHIFT Business Festival, including all PASS benefits plus comprehensive food and beverage service, access to VIP areas, premium networking experience, and the after-party. Targeted at professionals seeking a more exclusive festival experience.
• SHIFT EXECUTIVE PASS 2027 Executive-level admission ticket (€892, VAT 0%) to the SHIFT Business Festival, including all PASS benefits, exclusive Executive program track, comprehensive catering, and matchmaking application access for connecting with leaders, decision-makers, and companies. Targeted at C-level executives and senior leadership.
• Corporate Partnership & Sponsorship Packages Year-round corporate sponsorship packages offered to companies seeking visibility and engagement at the SHIFT Business Festival. Benefits include website presence, newsletter exposure, social media mentions, access to pre-event networking events, stage visibility during the event, booth/exhibition space, and ongoing marketing collaboration. Targeted at corporations (e.g., Lindström, Sandvik), regional development organizations (City of Turku, Business Turku, Turku AMK, Turku Science Park), and other businesses.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered main partner, partner and technology partner.

• Turku (City of Turku)main partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Turku is a main partner of SHIFT Business Festival. The city supports the event as part of regional development and business promotion efforts in Turku.
• Turku Science Park (TTK)main partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerTurku Science Park (Turun Tiedepuisto) is the venue host and main partner for SHIFT Business Festival. The 2027 event will be held at Turku Science Park.
• Turku University of Applied Sciences (Turku AMK)main partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerTurku AMK is a main partner providing academic perspective and student involvement in the festival.
• Business Turkumain partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness Turku is a main partner focused on business development and growth company support in the region.
• SandvikpartnerGTM or Marketing PartnerSandvik participated as a partner in SHIFT 2026 for employer branding purposes. The company showcased its Turku operations manufacturing underground loading and transport equipment.
• LindströmpartnerGTM or Marketing PartnerLindström participated as partner in SHIFT 2025 with sustainability focus, showcasing textile rental services and exchange mats.
• Brellatechnology partnerTechnology or IntegrationBrella provides the official networking/matching application platform for SHIFT, enabling participants to book meetings and network effectively at the festival.
• Lyytitechnology partnerTechnology or IntegrationLyyti provides the ticketing platform for SHIFT ticket sales (lyyti.in and lyyti.fi).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Web Summit: Global B2B tech conference and the dominant incumbent in the space SHIFT operates in. Comparable event-driven business model with tiered tickets, sponsorship, and matchmaking; much larger scale and broader international reach.
• SXSW: Global business, music, and technology festival in Austin. Comparable 'business + festival' positioning, multi-tier ticketing, and partnership-driven revenue, though at vastly larger scale and broader scope.
• Money 20/20: Large global B2B fintech conference with tiered tickets and major sponsorship packages. Comparable business model (annual event + sponsorships + matchmaking) but focused on the financial services vertical.
• The Next Web (TNW Conference): Amsterdam-based B2B tech conference with a strong matchmaking and partner program. Comparable in mixing enterprise sponsorship with tiered attendee tickets and a focus on innovation/leadership content.

Others

• Brella: Networking and matchmaking platform provider that is the technology partner powering SHIFT's 1-to-1 meeting booking. Relevant as an ecosystem participant and adjacent platform whose product roadmap shapes SHIFT's networking capability.

Direct peers

• SaaStock: B2B SaaS conference targeting founders, executives, and investors with tiered tickets and sponsorships. Comparable in attendee profile (growth-minded companies, decision-makers) and event-driven monetization.
• Arctic15: Helsinki-based startup and investor conference with a matchmaking-driven format and similar Nordic B2B audience. Direct overlap in attendee target (growth-minded companies, startups) and partner model.
• Slush: Helsinki-based annual B2B startup and tech conference that is the most direct comparable to SHIFT: same Finnish/ Nordic geography, similar attendee mix of founders, investors, and corporates, and a comparable ticket + sponsorship revenue model.
• TechBBQ: Copenhagen-based B2B startup and tech community event with a community/festival-like atmosphere and tiered sponsorship. Comparable as a regional Nordic event blending conference content with experiential networking.
• Nordic Business Forum: Large-scale Nordic B2B leadership conference focused on executive audiences. Comparable in targeting forward-looking professionals and decision-makers with premium ticket tiers and enterprise sponsorship, though larger in scale than SHIFT.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theshiftfi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SHIFT Business Festival