30th Birthday celebrations in Arvidsjaur, Swedish Lapland

We have finally had a chance to dust off the snow, catch up on email and reflect on our 30th Birthday celebrations with the Event tent customers, which were held in Arvidsjaur, Swedish Lapland, last month.

We were joined by many Tentipi Event customers and distributors from around the world, including customers from as far away as Australia, Mauritius and Japan, giving the celebrations a truly global feel.

  

The celebrations were launched with a warm welcome and presentation from our founder and CEO, Bengt Grahn. He told us the fascinating story of how he started Tentipi 30 years ago and how the company has developed in to what it is today. Looking ahead, Bengt also shared some insight into where Tentipi plans to head for the next 30 years. Bengt’s presentation was then followed by a short talk by Ed Wright, distributor of Tentipi UK & Ireland, Australia and the USA. Ed introduced us to the new Tentipi Authentic Nordic Tipi Association which will be launched in May.

Following a traditional Scandinavian Fika, it was then time for fun in the snow! Guests were treated to an exciting and diverse range of Nordic activities, including cross country skiing, dog sledding, snow-shoeing, ice-fishing and snow-mobiling.

For the REALLY brave we also offered guests a swim in the frozen lake, via a hole cut through the ice. We were surprised and delighted to discover how many of our guests were very brave indeed, with many accepting the challenge. Perhaps it says something about the spirit of tipi people!

 

The second day of the event involved a guided tour and visit to an old settlement of the Sami people. The tour focused on the cultural heritage of the Sami people, whose tipi structures inspired the design of Tentipi tents.

There was also a visit to Moskosel, involving a personal tour of the village with Bengt and a visit to the first Tentipi offices and manufacturing site, where many of the tipis are still made today. The tour included sewing lessons from the team, some of whom have been with Tentipi for over twenty years.

The celebrations were concluded with a grand 30th Birthday dinner in a wooden tipi by the lake in Arvidsjaur, which coincided beautifully with a celebration of Bengt’s 60th birthday. Much fun was had by all providing an ideal atmosphere for guests to share stories, talk tipis and make lasting friendships.
The event was a great success and we are very much looking forward to the next Tentipi get together.

Copyright video and all still footage: Felix Groteloh, Öventura