Tampere and Microsoft are co-developing an innovation that can provide personalized guidance to event and city visitors

City Venue Assistant VIP Tampere is an innovation that leverages digital twins and Copilot AI, which in the future could enhance the visitor experience at Tampere’s key event locations. The pilot will start at Nokia Arena.

The service, currently in development, is designed to assist people as they move around the city through their phones and headphones. Users can ask about nearby landmarks, get lunch recommendations, or find out the best time to attend an event. The solution combines real-time location data with AI-driven suggestions.

– The pilot is part of a broader smart city vision, where we combine data and AI, improve mobility, and offer personalized, real-time guidance to residents and visitors. We want to utilize technology even better from the citizens’ perspective and offer new kinds of experiences, says Teppo Rantanen, Executive Director of Economic Policy, Competitiveness and Innovation at the City of Tampere.

International collaboration behind the developing innovation

Microsoft and Tampere are jointly developing the innovation. The project is a co-creation effort, with partners collaborating without billing each other.

Younite Oy has contributed 3D visualization work to the solution. Nokia Arena is also a partner in the project.

– Tampere is a forerunner in urban innovation, and this collaboration demonstrates how cities can serve as testbeds for solutions that utilize smart technology. This is not a product launch, but a joint innovation that allows us to further explore different use cases and opportunities, says Philippe Rogge, Worldwide Public Sector Leader at Microsoft.

The pilot will begin during the winter at Nokia Arena, but the aim is to explore its scalability to other parts of the city.

– Our goal is to develop predictive and personalized services for Tampere in line with the city’s digital vision. City Venue Assistant VIP Tampere is an interesting example of the opportunities that combining physical and digital urban spaces brings, and how the city can serve as an attractive collaboration platform, says Maria Nikkilä, Executive Director, Digitalisation and ICT at the City of Tampere.

The development of the innovation is part of the Data-Driven City for Citizens development program.