House of Sweden - the first 18 months

Six themes

The inauguration of the Embassy marked the start of the Embassy's major promotion initiative "Sweden on the Potomac". Under six different themes, it has presented Swedish culture, science, politics and business for a large American and international audience.
The six themes of the initiative were:

• Architecture and Design (Oct - Dec 2006)
• Cars and Transportation (Jan - March 2007)
• Water and Environment (April - July 2007)
• Children First! (Sept - Nov 2007)
• Innovation and Technology (Jan - March 2008)
• Discover Sweden (March - June 2008)

Which theme attracted the most attention in Washington?

In connection with the six themes, over 100 seminars, political discussions and workshops were held, along with some thirty concerts and other stage performances, including a singer-songwriter festival on the terrace outside of House of Sweden.
Activities connected to each theme were carried out for a period of about ten weeks and received a tremendous amount of attention, both in the press and through the number of visitors. The theme that drew the largest number of visitors, and also perhaps the greatest amount of attention, was "Children First!" with over 15 000 visitors, closely followed by "Water and Environment" and "Discover Sweden", both with over 13 000 visitors. Over the last 18 months, a total of over 65 000 people visited House of Sweden and took part in many of the events.

Which ancillary activity received the most attention?

Quite a few seminars and cultural events, such as concerts, were very popular, drawing full houses and a great deal of media attention. The Alfred Nobel Hall conference room has a maximum seating capacity of 150 people, and it was standing room only on a number of occasions with many people lined up along the wall, for example at the concerts by Ane Brun and José Gonzáles.
The huge blocks of ice and the ice sculptures that were shipped here from the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi during the "Water and Environment" theme for display inside and outside of House of Sweden attracted an enormous amount of attention. So did the interactive exhibitions during "Children First!". The seminars on trafficking, held in cooperation with the World Childhood Foundation and the Council of Baltic Sea States and attended by Princess Madeleine, were some of the best-attended seminars.

Have the results been worth the costs?

"Sweden on the Potomac" was a venture that cost several million Swedish kroner, with contributions coming from both the business sector and the Government Offices. Its considerable value lies in its vigorous enhancement of Sweden's visibility in the world's political power centre and in the numerous contacts and interests that, through the programme activities, have been continuously established between Swedish and American stakeholders in politics, business, the field of culture and the academic world. House of Sweden has quickly become a meeting place for these interests with its unique position as the only embassy on Washington's waterfront and with its award-winning, world-class architectural design.

A programme with a political focus gets underway in the autumn

The successful concept with integrated promotion will get off to a new start on 25 September, when the Embassy will present a new programme at House of Sweden called "Voices in a Changing World", with an emphasis on politics. Music will also be a major feature of the programme, with focus on the voice as an instrument. Three large exhibitions - photo, ceramics and sound - will be displayed under the new theme, which will continue until 1 December.
The idea is to have one theme every six months, divided into ten-week periods. In the spring of 2009, we will lay the foundation for what will perhaps be the most important issue during the Swedish EU Presidency - climate and energy. The planned name of that theme is "Green Living".