The Power of Togetherness: Exploring Strategies and Tools for Building and Sustaining a Sense of Community in International Accommodation Operator

Abstract

Objectives of this thesis was to create community event calendar for the commissioner Noli Studios. Noli Studios is an international accommodation operator that offers guests shorter-term and longer-term accommodations. Noli Studios wants to enhance the shared economy and make individuals feel at home when staying with them. One of the ways they conceive both objectives is by sustaining community through community events. In the past year, Noli Studios has grown from having three sites in Finland to having six sites in Finland and one in Poland. Due to the current growth of the company and the recent need for a combined way of building and sustaining community at each site, there is a development need for a clear community event calendar. The purpose of the community event calendar is to divide into event categories to make it easy to build each month’s events based on the categories. This material can be used as an orientation material for new opening sites. This thesis used a literature review as a theoretical base for building community event calendar. The literature review is based on academic books and online articles from the topics of community building and event management. The study was executed with qualitative online survey which was used to gather information about the satisfaction of community events. The online survey was held to Noli Studios guests and employees. The satisfaction survey used open, multiple-choice and likert scale questions. The final product, community event calendar was based on the literature review, community event satisfaction survey, and information gathered by the author through free discussion with the host and other stakeholders. The results from community events satisfaction survey showed how important of community events are to build community. Community events give guest opportunity to do activities together with other guests and get to know people in the community which help guest feel less lonely. The results revealed how much guests appreciate events where hosts are present. Based on the result it is vital for listen members of the community to make the community grow. In conclusion thesis produced community event calendar for Noli Studios to help employees monthly community events planning process. The key outcomes gave tools and practical principles to plan and construct each moths community events. The outcomes can be further developed into more detailed handbook on how community events are planned at Noli Studios.