Everyone is welcome!

The month of September marks yet again an exciting month for internationals throughout Denmark. Our newest edition to our editorial team, Lasse, shares his insights about these exciting initiatives.

Photographs: Lasse Frimand Jensen

Text: Lasse Frimand Jensen

A national initiative, which includes more than 70 events across Denmark from late August to early October, is explicitly designed to welcome internationals to Denmark. You can find an event near you at lifeindenmark.dk/welcomeseptember.

August kicked off with the Tall Ship Races docking in Aalborg harbour, marking the end of the International Fleet's return to the North Sea. The Tall Ship Races started in Esbjerg in July, and around 40 of the world's most beautiful tall ships, visited Aalborg with 1,500 crewmembers and around 680.000 guests participating. These beautiful ships were the main attraction, but the event also included musical and cultural experiences for the whole family. The whole event had an international feeling with many nationalities mixing in with local internationals and Danes. Born and raised in Aalborg Municipality, events like these make me so proud. Our Municipality has around 155 different nationalities, which is a significant advantage for us when striving to be a more international Municipality. I met many of the people I know from the international community at the Tall Ship Races, and events like these not only attract the world to your local city but also connect the international community with their local city. Some of my clearest memories from being an international myself living abroad were the different events we participated in. These events showcase the local culture, and the local community's mindset is to be as hospitable and welcoming as possible. That's why our workplace, International House North Denmark, often tries to link events to Welcome September, where you feel part of something bigger in a local setting.

Gate to green

We also launched our GreenHopper at Tall Ship Races, the first emission-free and driverless boat bus in Denmark with the latest and most advanced technology. GreenHopper benefits the blue and green Denmark, which hopefully can inspire the world. In addition, 24 passengers will be able to cross the Limfjord in between 5 and 7 minutes every quarter, improving the logistical and transport opportunities in Aalborg. GreenHopper is a result of our work on making the maritime sector and our city greener. As Chairman of Port of Aalborg, we are a key in this, and knowledge and innovation are keywords for the Port of Aalborg. We are much more than a traditional port or transport hub. With a global perspective, we are the gateway to a new and better future, creating growth, new jobs, and opportunities for the benefit of both businesses and the community.

Our ambition is to have one of the largest business parks in Denmark, offering flexible and ideal locations for both commercial and industrial purposes. A business park where symbiosis and resource sharing are valued, and the green transition is applied to create new business opportunities. A global mindset must be a gate to green solutions and business development. By having a global mindset, our region of Northern Jutland (North Denmark) also strives to be an attractive career destination for international talent who want to be part of a commercial green transition. The foundation of this work is located in our GreenHub Denmark collaboration and our new project, CO2vision. CO2Vision has been selected as North Denmark's joint beacon of green growth in the entire region. Through CO2Vision, our region aims at becoming a frontrunner for carbon capture, utilisation, and storage. The future looks green and exciting in North Denmark.