Type evenement: Conference

Learn and Work Agreement Conference
Learn and Work Agreement

The Learn and Work Agreement (LWA) is a collaboration between education, business and local government in the Rotterdam-Rijnmond Labour market region. The agreement has a term of six years (2019-2024) and the partners invest money and are given a personal approach. The LWA Steering Group wants to organise a working conference to discuss the findings and recommendations of the Interim Evaluation LWA (2019-2021) with all partners in a more cross-over manner.  

Together with the project team, VKOZ is organised this conference with as many participants as possible, where we paid a lot of attention to the programme for different target groups. The conference took place in De Kuip and the Maasgebouw, where we set up the programme in a different way than usual. 

For example, we first had the kick-off with the registration of the participants where the improvisation actors, acting as wives of ambassadors, provided a fun  welcome. In addition, they supported the speakers and connected the participants. During the plenary opening, a dazzling opening film was played that looked back on successes to date. Day chairman Mark Beumer and two guest speakers Fabian Dekker and Aad van der Werf opened the event together with Peter Smit from LWA.  

During the first and second half, nine inspiring sessions took place in various original rooms, including the Feyenoord dressing rooms and the press room. During the transfer to halftime, we had delicious Feyenoord pastries to stay in the mood. There was also a fair with various stands.  

During the plenary closing, the Renewal of the Vows, the ladies in gowns asked all participants to fill in a ‘Yes, I do’ card. To conclude this, the net wool act took place, where balls of wool were thrown through the room so that all the participants were connected. During the reception we went to the third half, where drinks and food were served in the form of a walking dinner.  

During the day we collected a lot of content and the participants had an inspiring day due to the sessions, the fair and the information that was discussed during the opening and closing. By letting the participants get to work in an interactive way, they are now connected and new people got to know each other. The Netwol act has contributed a lot to this as well.  

For more inspiration, all participants received a magazine in which they can find a lot about the Learn and Work Agreement. The large location offered many opportunities for the sessions in special rooms. This conference was a good start to an annual collaboration between LWA and VKOZ.  

Innovation Forum 
Erasmus University

The name says it all, the Innovation Forum is concerned with innovation by professionalizing innovation management and new business development of medium and large companies.  The members become acquainted with the latest theoretical insights and the experiences of innovation managers of large corporations. They also exchange practical experience with peers. One person is important in setting up this initiative, namely Jan van den Ende. He is professor of Innovation and Technology Management at Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

At each event, the Innovation Forum deals with one topic, which is chosen by the participants and is the most topical. This time it was Innovation Strategy: what is it and how do I get it? This topic was addressed in the conference that took place in 2021. The live event was organised in the Inntel Utrecht, entirely in accordance with the measures in force at that time. VKOZ was responsible for the total approach for this event: thinking along with the programme, project management, communication with the participants and coordinating the conference.  

For the conference we used the rooms ‘Spoor 3’ and ‘Spoor 4’. The reception took place in ‘De Halte’ on the 11th floor with a view over the city and the drink was in the ‘U-bar’. Names that suit the hotel, as it conveniently located next to Utrecht Central Station.  

During the conference, Jan van den Ende was not only the initiator of the Innovation Forum, but also the academic speaker. Three speakers from the business community were invited from the following companies: Danone, Nutricia and Rabobank. The participants had discussions in working groups to discuss the information. 

Due to the measures, the second event of the Innovation Forum took place online in the form of a webinar in 2022. ‘A webinar is a combination of web and seminar, also known as an online seminar.’ The advantage of this webinar was that because of the smaller group, it was easier for the participants to ask questions and exchange experiences. In this way it almost seemed as if the participants received 1 on 1 advice. This was experienced as very positive by the participants. An optimal knowledge session was ensured using break-out sessions with virtual rooms and online networking.

FinTech Event
MK-The Subsidy Community

MK-The Subsidy Community has already had several events organised by VKOZ. This time it was a knowledge and networking event that has been summarized in a conference. Each time the event takes place at a unique location and has specific themes to share knowledge and network in a surprising way.

This evening’s theme was FinTech, a combination of the words financial and technology. Innovative financial products and services were central.

The Meeting House is located in a beautiful national monument in a unique location, in the heart of the historic centre of Dordrecht; a former bank building. The Meeting House is an inspiring meeting location consisting of various meeting rooms; each with its own unique look. We used this location for this event.

The event started with a tasting of Rutte Distillateurs. 13 types of gins, junipers and liqueurs were tasted here. They also took care of the giveaway: each participant received a bag with its own special tasting glass. And they arrived on location with their own cargo bike!

This was followed by an extensive dinner in the form of a buffet with various interactive presentations. The speakers of this evening were Michiel Stokman from RevenYou and Micheal Broijmans from Holland FinTech.

Surfing The New Economy
MK - The Subsidy Community

VKOZ organises a unique event at an inspiring location for every meeting of MK – The Subsidy Community. The subsidy advisers, partners and customers come together every quarter to share knowledge and network, among other things. This time it was in the form of a conference at the BlueCity location. This location is located in the old swimming pool Tropicana on the Maasboulevard, where sustainability was central. This is the ideal location for start-ups and small-scale initiatives that try to shape the city of the future trough a circular economy where nothing becomes waste.

During the conference we linked up with the week of the circular economy. That is why BlueCity was the ideal location. After a welcome drink, visitors were given a one-hour guided tour with an introduction to BlueCity and various circular business cases. They also visited the circular office wing. Afterwards, the participants enjoyed a circular buffet in the Balzaal. Here they had a magnificent view of the skyline of Rotterdam.

To make the participants more aware of the circular economy, we gave each participant the BlueCity SoepStarter kit upon departure. This way people will learn how to deal with the use of leftovers that are normally thrown away. Naturally the packaging has been optimised for as little waste as possible. Together with this unique location we created an unforgettable moment for the participants.