Møteplass Oslo went live mid-august with participants from the private sector, politics, and media. The events were organized as an alternative to the famous political week, Arendalsuka.

Over 3000 people participated – both physically and digitally. The program was full of relevant discourse and debates, where several businesses, sectors, and industries discussed important topics to put on the political agenda. It is crucial that we find good solutions together when Norway exits the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“It was incredibly fun, and the feedback was good. While we do hope that Arendalsuka goes as planned next year, we would definitely like to do something similar to Møteplass Oslo in the future. I hope it can become a supplement to Arendalsuka”, states Peter Gitmark, the chair of the public affairs department at Gambit H+K.

The construction industry was strongly represented
The construction industry was well represented in debates and discourses during the first day. Actors such as Statens Vegvesen (Norwegian Road Authority), Entrepørenørforeningen Bygg og Anlegg (EBA), Sweco, and Oslo Municipality were present to discuss the direction of the industry after the pandemic, as well as sustainability and diversity. Several prominent profiles in the sector such as road director Ingrid Dahl Hovland, the leader of the parliamentary transport group Helge Orten, Skanska CEO Ståle Rød, Ruter CEO Bernt Reitan Jenssen, the director of the climate department in Oslo Heidi Sørensen, and Nikolai Astrup, the minister for municipalities and digitalization, was included in the discussions. 

Technology, democracy, and the American election
Microsoft and NUPI discussed how we can protect our democracy in a time where cyber-attacks, fake news, and scams are increasingly frequent. This requires an increased focus and attention surrounding digital security. The panel included Berit Svendsen, international chair in Vipps, Roar Thon, the research chair for security culture in national security administration, NUPI scientist, Lars Gjesvik, and Casper Klynge, VP European Government Affairs in Microsoft.  

The American embassy was also engaged in the technology debates and discussed how fake news and wrong information influence our everyday lives. Additionally, the embassy cooperated with the Washington Seminar to hold an own session about the coming US election, and how the Covid-19 pandemic has made the election more digital. 

Finance and labour
Investinor kick-started the event on Thursday by discussing how public capital can mobilize private investors to invest in tomorrow’s labour market – also in times of crisis. The panel included Herbjørn Skjervold, partner in, ProVenture, Ivar Horneland Kristensen, CEO at Virke, Terje Lien Aasland (Ap-labour party) in the business committee at Parliament, and Kari Elisabeth Olrud Moen, state secretary at the department of finance. 

Technology provides both opportunities and challenges in the workplace. For Yrkestrafikkforbundet (YTF) it was important to discuss how much surveillance we should accept in the workplace. The discussion had participants such as Øystein Svendsen, CEO at Unibuss AS and vice president at NHO transport, Trude Valle, elected leader in Tide and vice president Yrkestrafikkforbundet; Ole A Hagen, communications- and marketing director at PostNord and vice president at NHO transport and logistics, and Marius Træland, lawyer at Yrkestrafikkforbundet.  

Fields of interest and politics by Gambit H+K
Gambit H+K participated in and organized several events and debates themselves. Among them was a debate about reaching younger segments and engaging them in discussions. The panel included Karen Brynildsen, field lead for young segments at Gambit H+K, Even Westerveld, lead director for people and branding at Vipps, Frida Marie Grande, advisor at Amnesty International Norway, Cecilie Victoria Jensen, digital media lead at Høyre (conservative party), and Anne-Sofie Åmodt, an analyst at Opinion. 

Jan Ottesen and Simen Johannesen, senior advisors at Gambit H+K discussed what people responsible for communication and the media learned during the Covid-19 pandemic together with Retriever and Medier24. Stein Kåre Kristiansjon and Jan Ottesen the day with a political debate at Park 29. Henrik Asheim (Minister of research and higher education, Høyre) and Bjørnar Skjæran (Vice president in the Labour party) were attending the event at Park 29 to discuss which political party were most suited to run a government, and Ketil Solvik Olsen (FrP) came almost directly from the United States to discuss the US election as well was future debates surrounding the leaders in FrP (Progress party). 

Thank you to all who cooperated and contributed to making Møteplass Oslo a great success. 

Contributors and partners in Møteplass Oslo 2020: