Annual report 2025
An active year for Vadsø Business Association
2025 marked a new chapter for Vadsø Business Association. With Per Ivar Harila as our new general manager from January, we went into the year with fresh energy and clear ambitions. We welcomed a record number of new members, ran a broad programme of events and took an active part in regional discussions about business, young people and the future.
- 81Members
- 14New members in 2025
- 2Breakfast meetings
- 4Courses
Activities and events
The colour shows our role:OrganiserCo-organiserParticipant
- 25 JanOrganiser
Meeting with Vadsø Municipality
Good cooperation with Vadsø Municipality matters a great deal to the Business Association. We had a good meeting with the municipality in January.
- 13 FebParticipant
Ideas evening at Qvænbrygg
A few photos from the ideas evening at Qvænbrygg on Thursday 13 February.
- 25 MarOrganiser
Breakfast meeting at Asvo
A well-attended breakfast meeting. Frode Fjerdingøy told us about Tundra (Varanger Asvo), which offers a wide range of services to both businesses and consumers. We also discussed the Business Association’s strategy, and there was broad agreement that Vadsø has a good foundation for growth. We have a thriving business community that works innovatively in many areas. Tundra served a fantastic breakfast.
- 28 MarOrganiser
Planning meeting with Varangerfestivalen
The Business Association met with Varangerfestivalen. We were looking forward to week 32 and a great atmosphere both in the town centre and at the festival site.
- 9 AprOrganiser
Open meeting on aquaculture
A big turnout and lots of engagement at the open meeting on possible fish farms in Vadsø. There were talks from Finnmark County Council, Lerøy Aurora, Åkerblå, Nofima, Øst-Finnmark Fiskarlag and the Vestre Jakobselv hunting and fishing association, followed by a panel debate with many questions from the audience. Mayor Wenche Pedersen and executive committee member Stein Mathisen were on the panel. More than 100 people came to the meeting in Kultursalen.
- 24 AprParticipant
Strategy: Kven, Finnish, Norwegian
A good turnout for an exciting meeting in Vadsø. Researchers, businesses, the Business Association and public support agencies talked about how history and cultural heritage can be used to develop local tourism.
- 27 MayParticipant
Ideas evening at Qvænbrygg
A new ideas evening at Qvænbrygg was planned.
- 27 MayOrganiser
Breakfast meeting with Serit Eltele
A very good presentation from Jonas at the breakfast meeting — a topic that really has to be taken seriously these days.
- 16–21 JunCo-organiser
Town days in Vadsø
Once again the shops held a prize draw among the customers who made the most of the good offers during these days.
21 Aug ★Organiser
“Næringslivsdagen i Varanger”
Vadsø Kultursal · 21 August 2025
Our business day, “Næringslivsdagen i Varanger”, took place on 21 August. Thank you to the 111 registered participants who made it a great day. Excellent speakers kept the audience engaged all day, and our politicians held a good panel debate. Guro Brandshaug hosted the day brilliantly.
Congratulations to the winners: Røberg Fisk og Kjøtt in Tana took the Service Award, and Gamst Shilova AS very deservedly won the Business Award.
- 111Participants
- 2Awards presented
“We want lots of good nominations. In principle, every business in the municipalities of Berlevåg, Tana, Nesseby, Vadsø, Båtsfjord and Vardø can be nominated.”
— Per Ivar Harila, general manager of Vadsø Business Association · iFinnmark 24.07.2025
Thank you to our supporters: Samfunnsløftet, SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge, Varanger Kraft, iFinnmark and Vadsø Municipality.
Photos from the day
- 17 JulParticipant
Vadsø Municipality visited businesses in Vestre Jakobselv
Vadsø Municipality visited businesses in Vestre Jakobselv. Good conversations about what is going well, the challenges and — not surprisingly — what businesses expect from the municipality.
- 11 SepCo-organiser
Næringsarena Nord
We welcomed business associations from all over Northern Norway to Varanger. The main aim was to highlight how important East Finnmark and Varanger are for Norway and Europe. Securing activity and stable settlement here is essential, and business and positive economic development are key to that. Together with Kirkenes Business Association we showed off many skilled businesses in our area.
- 18 SepCo-organiser
Town days in Vadsø
More town days in September. Handelsgruppa, the town’s retail group, had lots of good offers, and two gift cards worth NOK 3,000 each were up for grabs in two different shops.
- 8 OctParticipant
Lunch seminar: carbon accounting
More and more businesses need a carbon account — both to strengthen their market position and to raise awareness of their own emissions. The seminar included group work mapping and categorising participants’ own emissions. The speaker was Susanne Jorde Lunde from Energi AI. The seminar was part of the Om:Nord project, a collaboration between most of the business associations in Northern Norway.
- 16 OctCo-organiser
Course: handling conflict
Conflicts sometimes arise at work, and it pays to be prepared. Aurora Kompetanse ran a course in conflict management at Varangertunet in Vestre Jakobselv. Members of the Business Association got a discount on the fee.
- 28 OctCo-organiser
Course in sustainability communication
The Business Association invited people to a free seminar on sustainability communication, together with Om:Nord. Useful knowledge, whatever kind of business you are part of.
- 12 NovCo-organiser
Supplier course in public procurement
Finnut ran a course in public procurement.
- 13 NovOrganiser
Julebyen opens
Julebyen, Vadsø’s Christmas town, opened on 13 November. We served gingerbread and mulled wine in the square from 5 pm. The shops had lots of good offers, and there were competitions with great prizes — the biggest a gift card worth NOK 20,000.
- 10 DecParticipant
Finnmarksverten
The Business Association took part in Finnmarksverten in Alta, together with several representatives from Vadsø Municipality, including the youth council.
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