A lot of invisible work also needed for successful visitation
Visits to Olkiluoto are not only high in number but apparently also rewarding. This conclusion can be drawn from the surveys sent to all the more than 17,000 annual visitors as well as participants in basic group visits. Last year, the overall score given to the visits was a tremendous 4.57 on a scale of 1–5. Such attractive figures require a lot of invisible organising efforts as well, in addition to hosting and the overall setup. In Olkiluoto, these efforts are coordinated by Elina Lehtonen and Sini Mattila.
- We organise visits for schools and other official entities interested in a visit to learn about Olkiluoto, for example, Elina and Sini begin. With several hundred groups of different types every year, there is plenty to do. About one third of them are visitors from abroad.
- Last year, the total number was approximately 350 group visits, the two organisers say.
But first, let us go back in time a bit.
Visits are part of chosen Company policy
Transparency has been a focal point for TVO ever since the plant was built, and also written down as one of the Company’s values. For industrial companies building nuclear power, the logic adopted was to provide as much information as possible to everyone interested due to the novel nature of the industry in Finland. They also wanted to give answers to any concerns people might have. They have remained steadfast to this logic. Transparency remains the leading guideline in all communication. Visitor access to the plant, then, is a very concrete example of implementing this value.
In Olkiluoto, the flag ship of visitation is the Olkiluoto Visitor Centre opened in 2006 and celebrating its twenty years of operation this year. The Centre is completely free of charge with open doors every day between 10 am and 8 pm. In other words, everybody is welcome to the Visitor Centre to enjoy the science exhibition on display. Whenever suits you best, no preplanning required.
However, group visits are not quite as simple. Almost without exception, they include tours inside the main gate, and that is something not possible on a whim. This is where the efficient duo Elina & Sini enter the picture.
- All participants are required to provide detailed personal information at least two weeks prior to the visit. The information is needed for the official visitor permit, which is a strict requirement to access the plant area, Sini explains.
New horizons
Both Sini and Elina were previously unfamiliar with the nuclear power plant environment and the energy sector as a whole. The visitation side, on the other hand, was something they knew well. Elina had about a decade’s worth of experience from Turku Castle and Sini had worked in the hospitality business about the same number of years. They both spotted the job in Olkiluoto career openings, Elina one year before Sini.
Both started in Olkiluoto only after the Covid pandemic which put a complete stop to visits for a while. Since then, interest in Olkiluoto has been on a high level and visitor numbers on a steady increase.
- This has been thanks to the completion of OL3 as well as the global pioneering work carried out by Posiva on the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. These are topics of interest both in Finland and abroad, Sini says.
At present, Sini and Elina handle the arrangements for visits by themselves, but initially they were introduced to the task by Sirkka Haapasalo, a seasoned professional in Olkiluoto.
Constantly seeking to improve
Arranging a group visit typically starts with an enquiry received by email. This leads to conversations with either Elina or Sini to agree on suitable dates for the visit. The work is very much in future tense. As an example, the visitation calendar for the latter part of the year is filled in at the beginning of summer.
The purpose of Elina and Sini’s work is to make the background work related to visits as effortless as possible for the customer. To this end, the visitation process is constantly being developed to make it more rational and easier. Digitalisation has played a key role in this.
- Whereas previously the contact person for the group gathered and manually filled out personal data on up to hundreds of participants in an Excel file, today the information can be provided online. This not only reduced the possibility of errors but also improves information security, Elina tells.
Overall, significantly less time is spent talking on the telephone. Sini mentions the popular Summer Wednesdays as an example, organised already over several summers.
Previously, we received some 800 telephone calls during the summer concerning the Summer Wednesdays, now we only need to answer the phone twenty or so times about them, thanks to the online registration link, she explains.
No such thing as typical visitor group
Group visits to Olkiluoto can be divided into three types. In addition to basic visits, such as school year-groups and various associations, the Olkiluoto visitor service also caters to so-called VIP groups. These include, for example, TVO’s shareholders, different embassies and delegations from the International Atomic Energy Agency. The third category comprises fee-based visits, organised in practice by TVO’s subsidiaries TVO Nuclear Services and Posiva Solutions which specialise in consulting services. The latter two groups also give the visitation activities an international dimension as the language of communication is English from the very start.
Summers are a low season for group visits but they pick up as soon as schools start again. Another low season is the holiday season at the end of December and beginning of January.
Impressive figures and best parts of job
The success rate of the visits is measured on a regular basis. A feedback questionnaire is sent to all basic groups and the responses have without exception been good. In the most recent one, for example, the overall score given to the visits was 4.57/5.00 And that is not an exceptionally high figure but rather an average score post Covid. Positive feedback is received consistently for the presentations of the hosts as well as for the place itself and the arrangements.
- Of course, it is gratifying that people find the visit a positive experience. After all, that is why we do this job, Sini smiles.
Listening to the two visitation professionals, the question actually feels futile – the communication between them makes it so obvious. And it is no surprise that they both name their colleague as number one when listing the best parts of their job.
We certainly have team spirit at its best and always support one another, the duo says, pretty much with one voice.
Another good thing about the job is that it is never boring. There is always plenty to do and the diversity of the groups as well as the coordination of many different schedules ensure that the job is suitably challenging.
- When you manage to fit all the pieces together, you feel really good about it, Elina says.
Text: Ville Kulmala
Photos: Tapani Karjanlahti