Many expansion challenges are more operational, experiential and design-driven, rather than just strategic.
Expansion plans look good on paper yet fail when the complexities of real-life roll-out or scalability come into play. Each location is different. Concepts need to flex. Launches don’t behave the same way twice. Complexity builds with every new unit. Design is what holds it together and brings the needed traction.
On April 28, we’re bringing together a small group of selected business leaders at Aivan’s studio (Henry Fordin katu 6 B, 00150 Helsinki, Finland) for a breakfast conversation on how design enables companies to scale into new markets, categories, and segments – in practice, not theory.
The conversation moves through the full arc of expansion, from market research and concept development, through localization and launch, to building operations and scalable design that hold up as complexity grows.
We’ll walk through what actually happens in expansion and what role design plays in it. Understanding the context, launching properly, building something that scales, and keeping it consistent as things grow.
Schedule
8:30–8:45 – Breakfast & mingling
8:45–8:50 – Opening words
8:50-9:20 – Tea Tavio, Head of Brand & Design, SOK: Lessons from creating and leading new concepts
9:20-9:50 – Essi Miikkulainen, Manager, Expansion & Concept at Fazer Retail: interview on Fazer’s retail expansion
9:50-10:00 – Closing
Breakfast is on us. Good coffee, a small group of like-minded executives dealing with expansion, and time for a real conversation. Limited seats.