Behind the Scenes of the IDBM 30th Anniversary Gala
- idbm00
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
It was Saturday, December 11th, 2024. During the annual IDBM Holiday Dinner, a seemingly innocent remark floated across the table, that the upcoming year would mark the 30th anniversary of IDBM. A few nods, some “Wow, really?” moments and then someone casually asked, “Hey, should we organize a gala to celebrate?”
And just like that, one semi-joke, a few glasses of wine, and several enthusiastic yeses later, a party committee was born. A group chat soon followed, marking the official start of what would become the anniversary gala journey.
The very first thing was to set a date for the celebration. Organizing the Anniversary Gala in the spring of 2025 would have felt rushed and it was also important that the incoming IDBM class of 2025, the 30th in the program’s history, could take part. With these considerations in mind, the Anniversary Gala was set for the latter half of the year.
Rough planning for the Gala kicked off right after the New Year. While most things were not urgent yet, tasks to be completed as soon as possible included booking venues for the main celebration as well as the afterparty. Poliisien kesäkoti was ultimately chosen as the main celebration venue due to the beautiful milieu, but also the degree of freedom the organizers were able to maintain over some practical arrangements. For the afterparty, the team landed on Gadeplan, a cozy wine bar in the center of Helsinki.
With the venues booked, things quieted down until summer. The organizers visited Poliisien kesäkoti for a little site check and headed to the shore, ice creams in hand. Important decisions were made about the event’s visuals, overall theme and, of course, the date for the team’s “southern Helsinki” excursion.
Site visit at Poliisien Kesäkoti by the seaside, followed by a stop at the afterparty venue, Gadeplan
To help guests know what to expect, an anniversary gala information booklet was prepared with all the key event details. It included information about a traditional academic party etiquette, the evening’s dress code, and practical tips for a smooth celebration.
Meanwhile, the team was deep in planning mode working on decorations, menus, drinks, workforce coordination, ticket sales, logistics… you know the drill. Sustainability was an important theme for us. We reused materials we already had, hunted for treasures in thrift stores, raided IDBM’s storage for some vintage Impact Gala posters, and crafted many of the decorations ourselves. Several late nights were spent DIY-ing at Design Factory and Central Library Oodi.
Handmade touches: from decorations to handwritten dinner name cards.
On the day of the celebration, October 18th 2025, the organizers arrived at the venue bright and early in the morning. The day mostly consisted of decorating the space and setting up the tables and bar. Everything from tying up the curtains with cute little ribbons, making flower arrangements for the tables, and setting everyone’s placement cards in their correct spots, were thought of.
By the evening, everything was ready. Guests began to arrive, glasses of sparkling wine in hand, catching up with friends as the celebration came to life.
Pictures by Heikki Tervanen.
When the gong sounded, it was time to take seats for a three-course dinner with drink pairings. The night was filled with singing, eating, drinking, and of course, speeches reflecting on the past, present and future of IDBM. The guests were also treated to a musical performance as well as a surprise catwalk which allowed guests to showcase their glam.
As the clock neared 11 pm, the final song Who is a fuksi? brought the evening to a heartfelt close, giving guests a chance to raise a glass to their fellow IDBMers. Traditionally, a verse of the song is sung for each year of new fuksis and this time, the singing reached all the way back to 1968, the year our oldest guest began their own student journey.
But of course, the night didn’t end there and the celebration continued at the official afterparty!
Pictures by Heikki Tervanen.
When we first started planning the anniversary gala, we honestly weren’t sure if anyone would even come. It was the first event of its kind for IDBM, and we didn’t know what to expect. But the response quickly proved us wrong, as tickets sold out fast, and the excitement around the event grew. Seeing so many people come together to celebrate IDBM was inspiring and heartwarming.
Because this was the program’s very first Anniversary Gala, there were no old traditions to follow, giving full freedom to shape the celebration in true IDBM style. In fact, we managed to deny the only request anyone made to us: the IDBM program director Ville Eloranta hoped the event would not be too stiff a.k.a. full of giving out standards. So naturally, we made and gave him one.
There were definitely some challenges on the way, but thanks to some previous experiences, support from others and good planning, we knew what to expect. The biggest challenge turned out to be finding an afterparty venue (most AYY spaces were already booked), but with a little help from a friend of a friend, we made it happen. Proof that the IDBM community really comes through.
What made the process truly special was our team. We were open about our time commitments, supported each other and had a lot of fun along the way. Seeing different generations of IDBMers come together made us prouder than ever to be part of this community. We hope future teams keep this tradition alive and continue celebrating IDBM. After all, annual parties are meant to be celebrated, well, annually.
Finally, a huge thank you to our amazing support network, both at the faculty and IDBM Klubi, for always being there when we needed help. This gala wouldn’t have been possible without you!
