- If we are to continue to create development, we must cooperate more
July 7 th 2021 - 12:51
Three actors with international ambitions, and anchored in Northern Norway, the Park Festival, the Arctic Race of Norway and Mack, are now starting a unique collaboration to strengthen Northern Norway's position as an attractive and creative region.
Common ambitions
In connection with Mack entering into a cooperation agreement with the Arctic Race of Norway this year, both parties wanted to expand the cooperation. Mack and Parkenfestivalen have this year continued a long-term collaboration agreement, and it quickly became clear that there are many opportunities in a collaboration between all three.
- When we through our joint collaboration with Mack started talking together, it became obvious that our ambitions are quite similar. We all want to contribute to developing Northern Norway, bringing Northern Norway out into the world, and the world to Northern Norway, says general manager Knut-Eirik Dybdal in Arctic Race of Norway.
Roger Karlsen, CEO of Mack, believes that the collaboration with the Arctic Race of Norway is also an opportunity for international attention.
- Arctic Race of Norway is distributed to 190 countries. Among other things, we want to take advantage of this opportunity to reach out to the world with our brand, says Karlsen.
Collaboration is crucial to success
Arctic Race of Norway ambassador Thor Hushovd, uses his experience as a practitioner when he describes the importance of the measure.
- As a top-level athlete, you have to put together a team around you with different skills. This collaboration is something of the same. Three strong players in different areas choose to work together to achieve something bigger, says Hushovd.
Festival director Gøran Aamodt in the Parken Festival is sure that you miss out on many opportunities by working separately, and that collaboration is absolutely crucial for success.
- In an international context, we are very small individually. If we are to achieve something bigger, we must use all good forces, share knowledge, and collaborate more. It is not least about building up organizer competence also for the biggest events, says Aamodt.
Attractive region Among other things, CEO Roger Karlsen highlights the business community's need to attract expertise, as a motivation to enter into this collaboration.
- For many companies, it is a challenge to recruit people with the right skills. Cooperation to make the region visible as an attractive region is important for the business community.
Karlsen believes that there are many opportunities for stronger collaboration between culture, sports and business.
- People must have. both something to live on and to live for. We must therefore see a connection between work, culture and sports, says Karlsen.
Together, the three partners will look to 2024, when Bodø will be an European Capital of Culture.
- When big things happen in the region, we must all contribute to making it as big as possible, says Karlsen.
- The Bodø region will, among other things, have a key role in the Arctic Race of Norway in 2024. What other measures we will jointly implement, we must return to, but we have already discussed several exciting ideas, says Dybdal.
Program director Henrik Sand Dagfinrud in Bodø2024 believes that this initiative is another example of good initiatives in the region, and that Bodø2024 can be a golden opportunity to trigger more such initiatives.
- We have defined "more cooperation" as one of our strategic goals. If we succeed in establishing lasting partnerships in the coming years, Northern Norway can reap the benefits of the project long after the celebration in 2024. We will do everything we can to help bring actors together, says Dagfinrud.