Here is some practical information for the upcoming days. You will also receive practical information via a mobile web/event app that will be sent to you on Monday, May 20 via SMS. Unfortunately, it will only be in Swedish, but contact Anna.erikols.wetterfall@helasverige.se if you have any questions. When you are at the venue, you can always contact the reception.
Conference Venue The Rural Parliament 2024 will be held at Nyköpings Arenor Rosvalla. Address: Idrottsvägen 12, 611 62 Nyköping
Registration/Name Badge In the mobile web/event app, there is also a name badge ticket that you can scan when you arrive at registration to print your name badge.
It is important that you always carry your name badge with you, as you will be denied entry without it. This is partly for security reasons, as we need to know who is in the venue.
Secretariat/Reception/Registration The secretariat is open at the following times: Friday, May 24: 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM at Rosvalla, and 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Nyköpingshus Saturday, May 25: 7:30 AM – 7:00 PM at Rosvalla Sunday, May 26: 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM at Rosvalla
For questions about your registration/booking before the Rural Parliament, please email: congress.se@reedmackay.com
The entrance doors at Rosvalla are open at the following times: Friday, May 24: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM Saturday, May 25: 7:00 AM – midnight Sunday, May 26: 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Important Due to increased security on Sunday, May 26, there will be limited space for outerwear and bags inside Rosvalla. We therefore ask you not to bring more than necessary into Rosvalla. For those who cannot leave their bags at their accommodation, there will be a cloakroom directly adjacent to the entrance/exhibition area.
Activities In the mobile web/event app, as well as in your confirmation letter, you can see the activities you have chosen when you registered (or at a later time). It is only in Swedish unfortunately.
Shuttle Bus Service There will be shuttle buses during the Rural Parliament. More information will be available in the mobile web/event app (in Swedish).
Welcome to the opening ceremony at Nyköpingshus with entertainment and flavors from Sörmland! Doors open at 6:30 PM. The opening starts with mingling food. At 7:00 PM, the stage program with speeches, entertainment, and music begins.
Please note that the opening ceremony will be held in the courtyard at Nyköpingshus, outdoors. Dress according to the weather and bring a rain poncho/umbrella if needed. Comfortable shoes are also recommended as the ground is uneven.
Address: Vallgatan 12, 611 32 Nyköping
Banquet with a three-course dinner at Rosvalla. In addition to entertainment, there will be award ceremonies. Official mingling among the exhibitors starts at 6:30 PM, but for those who want to talk more or not leave Rosvalla before the banquet, the bar in the exhibition area will be open from 5:00 PM. We ask that you be seated in the banquet hall by 7:15 PM.
For those who have pre-booked a drinks package, tickets can be collected at the conference secretariat on Friday or Saturday. See the secretariat’s opening hours above. It is no longer possible to book a drinks package.
Special Diets For those who indicated special dietary requirements (allergies or vegetarian/vegan diets) in your registration, the following applies:
Tips! Local food will be available for purchase to take home, so don’t forget your cooler bag!
Hotel Booking If you booked a hotel through Reed & Mackay/registration, it is sufficient to check in with your name and mention that you are attending the Rural Parliament. You do not need a voucher; the hotels have name lists from us. We ask that you check your confirmation letter to ensure your hotel booking is as requested (you should have received it via email).
Please note that any additional costs, such as for parking or restaurant bills, must be paid directly to the hotel before checking out. If you have any questions, please contact Reed & Mackay at: congress.se@reedmackay.com
A warm welcome to Sörmland and the Rural Parliament 2024!
Contacts for international visitors: Anna Erikols Wetterfall, for all kind of practical matters: anna.erikols.wetterfall@helasverige.se +46104797743
Josefin Heed josefin.heed@helasverige.se +46727068860
Richard Granberg richard.granberg@helasverige.se +46708306550
The Sörmland County Division offers inspirational trips where you can see good examples of local development. You will spend the day with local guides who will show you their areas. All trips depart from and return to Rosvalla. The trips depart at 8:00 AM. All trips are expected to return no later than 5:00 PM. The buses for the inspirational trips will drop off at the pre-booked hotels first, and then finish at Rosvalla.
We ask that you register, i.e., print your name badge, before boarding the bus. The guides will be speaking swedish, but all non-swedish speaking guests should have been offered interpretation. Contact sigrid.larsson@helasverige.se if you need interpretation.
On Saturday morning, together with Fredrik Lindström, we will be joined by professors Sverker Sörlin, Seema Arora-Jonsson, and Gissur Erlingsson, as well as Katarina Graffman, Ph.D. in anthropology, to address perspectives on some of today’s major challenges. We will delve into questions about sustainable development in times of transition, the need for collective knowledge, political polarization, and human behavior – to better understand how these issues affect rural areas in Sweden. We will also be visited by the Minister for Rural Affairs, Peter Kullgren, and our conference poet, Linnea Huhta.
After lunch, it’s time for seminars – where you have chosen three out of nearly forty options. These seminars are usually appreciated because, in most cases, there is room for dialogue, co-creation, and knowledge sharing. Overall, the seminars reflect both the many crises of the new era and long-standing issues.
08:30–09:50 Morning Program Part 1
09:50–10:20 Coffee break in the exhibition area
10:20–12:00 Morning Program Part 2
12:00–13:00 Lunch
13:00–14:00 Seminars Part 1
14:00–14:30 Coffee break in the exhibition
14:30–15:30 Seminars Part 2
15:45–16:45 Seminars Part 3
08:30–09:30 Morning Program Part 1
Terese Bengard will guide us through the morning and the two overarching program points.
During the first program point, we will highlight highly relevant surveys and their significance for Swedish rural policy.
Josefin Heed from Hela Sverige ska leva will present the Rural Barometer, where people in rural areas have responded to questions about life, politics, and their own role in the development of their locality.
Stephan Barthel and Thomas Hahn from the Fairtrans research program will present up-to-date results from the work with the National Citizens’ Council for Climate and a survey on Swedes’ attitudes towards climate – from a rural perspective.
In connection with this, we will also have a panel discussion with participants including Erik Berg from Egnahemsfabriken and Ph.D. student Sara Löwgren.
We will continue with rural policy at the EU level. It is two weeks until the election, and with the help of experts and politicians, we will dissect the EU’s role in addressing societal challenges that heavily impact local communities.
We gather top names from the parties for a discussion that takes a comprehensive look at the EU – viewed from a rural perspective. Participants include Kai Böhme, expert on EU cohesion policy, Pascale Van Doren from the Rural Pact office, and Teresa Küchler, Brussels correspondent for Svenska Dagbladet. Finally, we will analyze the politicians’ discussion together with editorial writers Lovisa Arvidsson from Länstidningen Östersund and Olof Jonmyren from Södermanlands Nyheter.
Our conference poet Linnea Huhta will summarize the days with a poetic reflection/poem.
12:00–13:00 Lunch and departure