Conference Matters international
Jeroen van Hooff: ‘Our domestic business can’t do without international connections, because knowledge is global’
Energy transition pioneer Frits Verhoef: ‘Using stories to return to our foundations’
Frits Verhoef studied Applied Physics at Delft University of Technology and is regarded as a pioneer of the energy transition. In 2006 he founded a solar panel company and helped to build the energy transition. Today he is an impact entrepreneur, author and lecturer, and sits on the Supervisory Board of Follow This. Following Lef en moed (2018), his second book, Verhalen voorbij de toekomst (Stories Beyond the Future), was published this summer.
From disconnected tools to a single story: what event teams gain from connected data
Every edition brings a new destination, yet the same members and delegates. That is exactly why connecting event data pays off for associations. Alda Egurrola-Wienke of Cvent explains what leading teams do differently – and how to start tomorrow.
Growing together: why PINO chooses Libéma for ambitious congresses
Daylight, room to grow and one dedicated point of contact. For event agency PINO, these are the qualities that set a congress venue apart. Its founder and project manager share why Libéma has become a trusted partner, from 1931 Congrescentrum in ’s-Hertogenbosch to EXPO Greater Amsterdam.
How a small training company runs its travelling conference ‘It’s more about connection than recruitment’
With a core team of three and a network of freelance trainers, Radically Open takes a therapy method to psychologists and psychiatrists around the world. For registration, communication and accreditation across all its events – including a biennial international conference – the company relies on a single platform: Cvent. Co-founder Roelie Hempel talks about that choice, the lessons of a first hybrid conference and the move from Chicago to Barcelona.
How the Netherlands lands its summits
From the 2009 Afghanistan conference, organised in just three weeks, to the 2025 NATO summit with its €215 million price tag, the Netherlands has hosted its share of world leaders. Yet the decision to bring a summit here is rarely made by the people who have to organise it. A former diplomat, a venue director and the NBTC explain how government conferences really come about, and what it takes to pull them off.
Beyond the venue: what international organisers should expect from a true event partner
A conference hall, good rail connections and enough hotel rooms: for international organisers, the basics have to be right. But anyone organising an international congress in another city or country needs more than a suitable venue. Local knowledge, reliable partners and access to relevant networks can make the difference between an event that is well organised and one that makes a real impact. Corry Neggers sees the venue’s role steadily expanding.
Four venues, four characters, one partner
International congress organisers looking beyond Amsterdam soon discover how compact the Netherlands is, and how much it has to offer at its centre. In and around the Veluwe, the country’s largest nature area, Next Venue runs a portfolio of event venues that together cover almost every congress format. The range runs from a 2,500-person plenary with a full exhibition floor to a multi-day scientific congress where delegates sleep on site.
Medical congresses need to be more responsive to attendees’ needs
Organisers of medical congresses need to pay more attention to attendees and their opportunities to network with one another, and make it much easier for them to find sessions, posters and exhibition stands, according to a recent report by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). Five meeting professionals share their reactions to these findings.