Sustainable Naturecultures and Multispecies Future Symposium
Practical Information
Venue
The SuMu symposium takes place at the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi, Finland. The address of the university is Yliopistonkatu 8, 96300 Rovaniemi, Finland.
The symposium program, such as welcome reception, sessions, keynotes, lunches and coffee, takes place at the University of Lapland's main campus. The dinner on Wednesday evening takes place at the restaurant Pirtti (Lähteentie 1, 96300 Rovaniemi). The venues of the activities before and after the symposium are announced separately.
Please note that each stream – Naturecultures in practice, Multispecies knowing, Indigenous relational ontologies – can decide the format of their sessions themselves. This might include sessions held outdoors. Please wear outdoor clothes accordingly – more information can be found below.
Getting to Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi is the capital of Finnish Lapland. The best way to reach Rovaniemi is to take a train/bus or fly/drive. We encourage you to travel sustainably to Rovaniemi.
By train: There are multiple day and night trains from Helsinki and other cities in Finland to Rovaniemi daily, see VR for timetables. Travel time from Helsinki is around 8-12 hours depending on if it is a day or a night train. We recommend taking the night train, which is a comfortable and ecological choice. You can book different seating arrangements including different choices of sleeping cabins. There is a restaurant on the train.
By bus: You can reach Rovaniemi by a long-distance bus – see Matkahuolto for timetables.
By plane: You can fly to Rovaniemi from Helsinki, the capital of Finland. See Finnair and Norwegian for timetables, they operate year-round connections to Rovaniemi.
By car: Rovaniemi is located by the Arctic Circle, about 800 kilometers from Helsinki. Driving to Rovaniemi takes approximately 10 hours without breaks.
Getting around Rovaniemi
The train station is located in the city center, about 2,5 kilometers from the University of Lapland. You can walk or take a taxi for this distance. There is also public bus transport – see Linkkari for timetables.
The airport is located approximately 12 kilometers from the University of Lapland. You can take a taxi or airport bus for this distance. There are three local taxi companies: Taksi Rovaniemi, Lähitaksi, and Menevä.
How to prepare and what to bring with you
Rovaniemi is a city of 65,000 people. Many different stores and services can be found in the city center. Despite the variety in the selection, please take personal items and medicine needed with you.
September is an autumn month in Finland. The temperature in Rovaniemi can be anything between -2 degrees Celsius and +20 degrees Celsius. It may rain water, sleet or be sunny. You can check the weather forecast from the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s webpage.
The overall dress code for the conference is “Be yourself” – we just want you to be comfortable. Most of the program will be indoors at the University of Lapland. However, some parts of the program may take place outdoors so please bring proper shoes and outdoor gear.
We recommend you pack the following for the outdoor activities:
· multiple layers of clothing: long and short sleeve tops and pants depending on the weather,
· water- and windproof clothing,
· hat/cap and gloves,
· hiking boots or jogging/running shoes,
· a small backpack,
· a water bottle.
We want to make this symposium as sustainable as possible. Therefore, if you want to bring a name tag from a previous conference with you, feel free to do it! We also offer an opportunity to make your own during the welcome reception on Tuesday evening.
Time
Finland’s time zone is GMT + 2 hours (daylight saving time, GMT +3).
Currency, Banks and Credit Cards
The Euro (100 cents) is the national currency. All congress fees and rates in the programme are in euros. Hotels, stores, taxis and restaurants in Lapland accept all major credit cards. Automatic teller machines (ATMs) take most common cards.
Useful links
Your window to Finland
Lapland Finland
Rovaniemi - the Official Hometown of Santa Claus
