Uutinen
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A place to relax amid the buzz – Laurea students designed a lounge area for the Assembly Gaming Festival
The Premium Lounge has been part of Assembly for a decade, and it has previously been run by volunteers. Now, for the first time, responsibility for the lounge was handed over to Laurea and its business students.
Laurea students had the opportunity to develop the Premium Lounge at Assembly, Finland’s largest gaming festival. The purpose of the lounge is to provide a moment of relaxation in the middle of the hectic gaming world.
The Premium Lounge has been part of Assembly for over ten years, and its implementation has previously been handled by a group of volunteers. Now, for the first time, responsibility for the lounge was transferred to Laurea and its business administration students, who created an atmospheric space within the busy exhibition hall.
A hall of thousands of gamers
The project team, consisting of eight Laurea business students, aimed to develop the lounge concept beyond what had been done in previous years. The students were given free rein over the design and execution, says Assembly’s representative, Petri Hämälä.
“The only promise we make to our customers is that the lounge offers space to relax, coffee, and light snacks,” Hämälä explains.
Assembly Winter was held in the halls of the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre. The venue accommodates thousands of gamers, so the noise level remained consistently high throughout the event. This is why there has always been demand for a quiet space like the lounge.
Development of visual design and catering
The team had about a month to prepare the lounge, so the plan had to be created efficiently, say students Rosa-Maria Järvinen and Aki Kärkkäinen. Within that month, they needed to secure partners and design the visual concept.
In the end, the lounge adopted a stylish 1980s Miami-inspired look, reminiscent of Miami Vice. The layout and appearance were significantly revamped compared to previous years, for example by designing themed lighting and dividing the space into distinct areas. More focus was put on aesthetics and comfort than before.
“The goal was for the lounge to feel like a separate space from the Expo Centre. Visitors said this is exactly what they expect when they pay for a premium ticket,” Järvinen says.
The students also decided to improve the lounge’s food offerings. Previously, the lounge served coffee and light snacks, but now they aimed to provide more substantial options, such as porridge and smoothies for breakfast.
“Visitors liked it, and we received a lot of positive feedback. In the future, we’ll continue to serve porridge whenever possible,” Kärkkäinen says.
Bigger Team for Summer Assembly
In addition to visitors, Assembly organizers were also pleased with the result.
“One of the organizers said it would be hard to improve on this,” Järvinen notes.
Still, the team aims to build on the excellent work. For the next event, Assembly Summer, Laurea students will once again design the Premium Lounge—this time with an even larger team.
“The plan is to involve Laurea hospitality management students as well. We don’t yet know exactly how they will participate, but the idea is to make use of their expertise in food services or catering,” says Assembly’s Petri Hämälä.
Hämälä is pleased that the next student team will be able to continue developing the lounge based on previous work. At the same time, he encourages other organizations to boldly involve students in their own projects and long-term development.
“Students’ expertise is well suited to a wide range of areas. It’s worth exploring how collaboration with students could work for your own organization,” Hämälä says.
