Delegation Visits, Think Tanks and Executive Hosting
Learn in a unique setting—where the local is global.
I design visits and learning processes that give you insight into what has happened here, while also helping you reflect on the opportunities and challenges in your own place.
For those working in community development, tourism, recruitment, destination development, politics, relocation services and related fields, I offer tailored study visits and delegation programs. These can be based in the Råne River Valley, cover Norrbotten more broadly, or be designed across Sweden depending on your interests and goals.
Over the past few years, this area has developed in a remarkable way. High-end nature tourism has grown through places such as Aurora Safari Camp, Arctic Retreat and Sörbyn Lodge. The cultural scene has expanded, and people from around the world have chosen to settle here. This has happened without large-scale industry on site. It has been driven by attraction, inclusion and the ability to build a place where people want to live, work and belong.
I usually host these visits myself. I have been part of building this development from the beginning and remain deeply involved in it today. I share both my own journey and the wider story of the area: how we work with inclusion, local knowledge, outdoor life, housing, accompanying partners, leisure, culture, industrial transition and entrepreneurship. Most visits also include meetings with inspiring local people, community leaders and entrepreneurs who are actively shaping this place.
Recent visitors who have come here to learn more about subarctic rural Sweden include:
-
National Geographic
-
Luleå University of Technology
-
Financial Times
-
The parliamentary leadership of the Swedish Social Democratic Party
-
Region Norrbotten
-
Foundations focused on social and community development
-
Visit Dalarna
-
Environmental advisors from the Obama administration
-
University of Arizona
-
County Administrative Board of Norrbotten
-
Umeå University
-
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
-
NBC New York
-
Svenska Dagbladet theme travel groups
-
EU delegations
-
Aamochodingmo Rural Municipality, Nepal
-
Several delegations from Kenya
We explore the area together—more adventurously if you like. In winter, that may mean travelling by snowmobile. In spring, summer and autumn, we might move by canoe, kayak, boat or on foot. We gather around campfires, stop at viewpoints, visit floating or frozen rafts, walk through villages and meet the people behind the development. This is a chance to experience attraction and inclusion in real life, in a place where it is happening here and now.
If you would like to combine the visit with your own internal process or a small on-site conference, that can also be arranged—for example at Sörbyn Lodge or Aurora Safari Camp.
Inclusion in an Arctic Lifestyle
What is an executive’s family worth to you?
If you are recruiting for a key leadership role, my network and I can also offer a deeper hosting experience for a prospective executive and their family. This gives them real insight into our Arctic lifestyle and helps them build a broader network from the very beginning. For many people, this way of life is exactly what attracts them to the north—but it can be difficult to access from the outside and takes time to understand. The right introduction can make all the difference, both in the decision to relocate and in the ability to stay long term and truly build a life here.
Through years of hosting guests at the destinations I have founded, as well as photography workshop participants here and in East Africa, I bring experience that includes:
-
Connecting with people from all walks of life
-
Hosting celebrities and public figures with ease
-
Extensive experience working with senior business leaders
-
Introducing people to outdoor life, local culture and everyday life in the north
-
Creating meaningful connections with both newcomers and local residents
-
Strong field experience in all seasons—because we go outdoors
Every visit is tailored in both length and content.
Here in the Råne River Valley, we have helped around fifty people from a wide range of nationalities settle into life here—several of them senior leaders in international roles. This has happened without industrial jobs on site, but through the strength of local culture, hospitality and the attraction created by small-scale nature tourism.
A strong first experience—or a visit before a final decision—is sometimes what determines whether someone chooses to stay for the long term, build a life in the north and become part of the wider transition of our society.