Case Study: SLUSH

SLUSH is a student-driven, not-for-profit movement with a mission to create and help the next generation of groundbreaking entrepreneurs. Slush has grown from a single gathering in Helsinki to a series of events organized in Japan, China, USA and Singapore.

The Client

SLUSH is a student-driven, not-for-profit movement with a mission to create and help the next generation of groundbreaking entrepreneurs. Slush has grown from a single gathering in Helsinki to a series of events organized in Japan, China, USA and Singapore.

The Challenge

The largest gathering of investors in the world takes place in SLUSH’s technology conference held in Finland with 25,000 attendees, including 4,000 startups and 2,000 investors. The event itself is run by 2000+ volunteers from over 50 countries. The staff’s biggest challenge is to train and equip volunteers with the necessary skills and knowledge to make the event a success.

The Challenge

The largest gathering of investors in the world takes place in SLUSH’s technology conference held in Finland with 25,000 attendees, including 4,000 startups and 2,000 investors. The event itself is run by 2000+ volunteers from over 50 countries. The staff’s biggest challenge is to train and equip volunteers with the necessary skills and knowledge to make the event a success.

The Approach

To support the training of such a large and global volunteer team, SLUSH has partnered with CanopyLAB to create a series of pre-boarding courses. In the past, SLUSH volunteers arrive to Helsinki (often visiting the country for the very first time) only a couple of days before the actual event. Their first experience is going through hours of rigorous in-person training in preparation for the big event. By engaging on the platform 6 weeks before the event, volunteers are able to learn more about the vision of SLUSH, Finland’s startup ecosystem as well as crucial information about their roles and responsibilities. Furthermore, they connect with their future colleagues and have a space where they can ask questions as well as share their experiences before and after the conference.

The Results

2.316 slush volunteers from over 50 countries enrolled in their online pre-boarding courses on the “Slush Way” before the SLUSH 2019 event that took place on November 21-22. Here’s what our client and their users had to say:

The Results

2.316 slush volunteers from over 50 countries enrolled in their online pre-boarding courses on the “Slush Way” before the SLUSH 2019 event that took place on November 21-22. Here’s what our client and their users had to say:

Testimonials

“With the platform we aim to enable our volunteers to make the most of the experience at SLUSH and give this information at a pace best suited for each individual...Collaboration with the staff has been incredibly smooth and easy. The most engaging part is co-creating both the goals and the content: building a shared understanding of how to reach the desired goals. Would recommend!”

~Antti Poikolainen | Head of Recruitment, SLUSH

"I like the interactive approach of this course to get people already ahead of the event itself into the Slush mindset of communicating with each other as well as sharing ideas for a better future we would all like to be part of!”

~Susanne Schick, Volunteer, SLUSH

"Really great and insightful as I got to know more about Heslinki's startup ecosystem and see how ambitious the sector is in general. Useful information and good food for thought!"

~Oleksiy Kovalenko, Volunteer, SLUSH