Type evenement: Congress

Day for Managers
De Rechtspraak

De Rechtspraak protects rights and freedoms. It stands up for the democratic rule of law, ensures proper application of the law and decisions by independent, impartial, honest and expert judges.  

The Day for Managers takes place every year, this year in Maarssen. A central and unique location has been chosen, taking sustainability into account. De Rechtspraak has asked VKOZ to organise the event from start to finish, including finding all speakers and compiling the substantive programme. The aim was to unburden them as much as possible.

It is important for De Rechtspraak to pay attention to sustainability: we have taken this into account by choosing the location, catering and the use of public transport with the use of shuttle buses. In addition, interactivity was important because in person contact had hardly taken place in two years due to Covid. Between both existing and new colleagues, we achieved this in a surprising way with a lot of humour. The lounge setting at the location also helped, which stimulates contact and also offered opportunities for outdoor activities. For example, fencing and the dragon boat race.  

The improvisational actors contributed to this to a large extent: in addition to a nice welcome, they provided people with a lot of humour. Inspirational topics were chosen during the eight workshops; six workshops took place indoors and two outdoors. The guest speaker of this day was Karim Benammar with the subject of his presentation ‘Radically different thinking’, which was not only very inspiring but also humorous and connecting. He did the opening and the closing together with the improvisational actors.  

During the opening in the plenary hall, participants filled in cards in response to questions from Karim. These were read through and hung outside for all to read. At the plenary closing, the cards were discussed, and inspiring answers were obtained. This was a nice way to get content.  

The participants thought it was a successful day with combination of workshops with a lot of information and sportsmanship. We were able to make optimal use of the location due to the beautiful weather: participants could have lunch outside and the two workshops took place outside. The improvisational actors were able to connect many participants and new people got to know each other. De Rechtspraak hopes to be able to organise the event annually at just as beautiful locations as InnStyle.  

CIS Global Forum Virtual
Council of International Schools

Council of International Schools, referred to as CIS, is a global membership organisation that works together to shape international education through services for schools, universities and individuals. To bring these members together, conferences are organised at different locations. This happens every year in a different city and we have been able to organise a number of them. At the beginning of 2020 this was converted to an online global forum due to Covid. We looked at various options for both an online and hybrid event.  

Due to the now approximately 1100 participant from more than 115 countries, the time difference during this online event was the big challenge. That is why CIS has opted for an entirely online event instead of hybrid.  During various brainstorming sessions we looked at software, where the focus in 2020 was mainly on the right form and which platforms were used for the extensive programme.  

In the end, the SpotMe platform was chosen, which is very similar to a Facebook experience. The same live program was converted to online, so really one on one. This means that for three days we had a plenary opening and closing, 50 sessions, 60 workshops, 2 fairs and an award ceremony.

During the evaluation, we asked for feedback on the online global forum, which showed that the virtual hangouts were popular among the participants.  

That is why in 2021 we focused more on content and interactivity, such as the possibility to make one-on-one appointments with other participants and there was more fun with virtual social activities.  

Congresses, seminars and webinars 
New Business Roundtable

The New Business Roundtable is a European network of executives in New Business Development and Innovation from companies such as Google, KPN, ING, Arcadis, Eneco, AkzoNobel, Achmea, IBM, Arcadis, Damen, Boskalis and Philips.  

Jan van den Ende, professor of Innovation and Technology Management at Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University, is the initiator of this. From 2018, VKOZ organises the events of the New Business Roundtable. Their conference takes place twice a year and a seminar three times a year.

The congress is organised every year in April and October, where we have been able to organise these congresses in a safe manner, even in times of Covid. Each time the congress has different topics, such as Agile portfolio management, Ecosystem innovation and Scaling up innovation projects. We often have our full day events at Karel V in Utrecht. This beautiful historic building is within walking distance of Utrecht Central station, but it looks like you are on an estate.  

The aim of each congress is to share ‘lessons learned’ related to the topics, regarding on in-depth discussions based on existing cases of the participants. The morning starts with a plenary session and guest speakers from (inter)national universities and large corporates. After lunch, the group is dived into several working groups in different rooms, facilitated by academics. The day ends with a reception in the beautiful courtyard.

The seminars are held throughout the year at various locations such as CIC in Rotterdam, Media Plaza, Creative Valley and Jaarbeurs in Utrecht. Each time the topic differs with a an appropiate cademic guest speaker. Names such as Professor Frank Piller from Germany, Erkko Autio from England and Professor Ashish Sood from California, United States have come over. The aim of the seminars is to exchange experience in an interactive way. The participants do assignments in which confidential information is discussed, of course in a safe place. The meeting is concluded with a networking drink, so that participants can talk to each other in an informal way.

Congress Stop Undermining!
Municipality Rotterdam

Undermining is an increasing theme in politics and the media. Many colleagues within the Municipality of Rotterdam have to deal with this and in order to draw more attention to this subject, the city of Rotterdam, in collaboration with VKOZ, organised a congress with the theme: ‘Stop Undermining!’.

This was done by sharing knowledge for and by colleagues in various workshops. The aim of the Municipality of Rotterdam was to connect the clusters by means of informative and interactive workshops. Plus Henny Schilders as guest speaker during the plenary opening.

VKOZ contributed to this by using its own developed app during the event: the OndermijningsTour. The participants earned points by answering questions and contributing to the wall of Complaint & Jubilee. With this they could win nice Rotterdam prizes. The programme, floor plan and personal workshop schedule could also be found in the app and it was an ideal tool for retrieving data.  

Mayor Aboutaleb opened the congress and launched an internal app in his speech. To make the event more fun, the Improvsiatieacteurs Michel and Mascha were present. Among other things, they provided interaction, supported the chairman of the day Ernst Pols (of the DA) and assisted with the opening and closing.  

The congress took place in a typical Rotterdam location: De Kuip. The 11 workshops, lunch, drinks and the plenary part took place in the rooms of the Maasgebouw. However, this was not enough, so we had to be creative and decided to organise some workshops even in the guest dressing room and in the press room! There was also plenty to do outside. For example, there was a hemp container and scan bus.  

The congress was closed by André Vervooren. There was an award ceremony where Hedone sweatshirts where awarded; the clothing brand founded by Marco den Dunnen. All workshops givers received a beautiful canvas bag from the same brand

The event was very successful and based on a video report and evaluation from the game, the event is planned to be held every two years. This will lead to several great collaborations between the city of Rotterdam and VKOZ.  

International Roundtable
Erasmus University

International Roundtable is an initiative of Professor Jan van den Ende, which he set up together with VKOZ in 2019. This congress was a merger of The New Business Roundtable and the RWTH Aachen, Germany. Innovation managers from companies such as KPN, Eneco, Google, Ford, Vodafone, Bayer and Miele were invited here. By combining these two groups, it was interesting for the participants to spar with other companies.

New Business Developers from various industries came together at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven to share knowledge and experiences. Collaboration for Innovation in Times of Industry 4.0 was the subject of this conference. External speakers from companies and academics such as Frank Piller, Micheal Bösinger and Artistedis Katsiorchis shared their stories with the participants.

In addition to the various presentations and breakout sessions, the participants speed dated in a business-like manner. In this way they got to know each other in a very short time in the business field. There was also an extensive lunch on campus, where the participants could choose where they wanted to eat. The day ended with a reception.

The Conference Center offers a unique, innovative and sustainable location on the smartest square kilometre in Europe. The ideal location for this event. The participants were also shown around the campus by Cees Admiraal. It has various halls and lobbies, an in-house Starbucks and various restaurants.  

The programme offered plenty of networking opportunities during this congress, so that the participants had the opportunity to get in touch with new companies. Due to the great success, we will organise this congress every two years. In 2021, VKOZ has translated the programme into an interactive online conference.

After translating the International Roundtable conference into an online program in 2021, the conference took place again on September 26, 2023 at the High Tech Campus Eindhoven with the theme of Ecosystem Innovation.

During this day, the invited innovation managers from large companies such as Boskalis, Damen Shipyards, Rabobank and NXP Semiconductors were able to spar with each other. This was possible during business speed dating and during the various assignments of the speakers Prof. Frank Piller, Prof. Murat Tarakci, Wendy van Buren and Wouter Leten. There was also a visit to NXP on the High Tech Campus. An ideal opportunity to gain a lot of information!

Global Forum Vienna
Council of International Schools

VKOZ organised the annual Global Forum on International Admission & Guidance for and together with the Council of International Schools. In 2018 we organised this in the Austrian capital Vienna. We rented the Austria Center Vienna for this. From November 7 to 9, 900 international schools and universities from 116 countries around the world gathered.

In order to offer the participants a diverse programme, we organised the following, among other things: a musical opening, 42 several workshops, two fairs, three award ceremonies and three networking receptions. We organised one of these receptions in Das Rathaus. This beautiful monument was built between 1872 and 1883. Visitors were transported here by bus from the Austria Center Vienna. The opening reception was held in the Festival Hall, which is 71 meters long and almost 20 meters high. Michaela Rabitisch’s band also performed: singer, composer and best female jazz trumpeter in Austria! 

We had contracts with several hotels throughout the city. The ACV is near a metro station. When the participants got off here, it immediately became clear which way they had to go because of the LED screens at the station and the stickers on the street in event branding by CIS.

We had developed an app for this event so that participants had an overview of the extensive programme and the map. Participants could also connect and chat with each other in the app. It was also possible to share photos on social media, which were shown at the event. Participants also received various notifications from the app. In addition, data could be retrieved with which the ROI could be determined after the event.  

We paid a lot of attention to communication: before, during and after the event. The online communication was shown on a large screen that also featured the timeline of Facebook and Twitter. When participants posted a photo, it was shown on the screen. The communications staff were actively working to make use of this by sharing content on social media. We also asked people to take nice pictures with the shoebag, which we gave away as a gadget to all participants. We at VKOZ are proud to have been able to organise this grand event for CIS.

CIS Forum Barcelona
Council of International Schools

VKOZ organised the CIS Forum Barcelona: an annual international event for visitors to meet, exchange ideas and learn about the current trends. CIS, Council of International Schools, is a global membership organisation that works together to shape international education through services for schools, universities, and individuals. The event lasted three days for which we had developed a special programme.  For example, we organised two trade fairs, 50 workshops, two networking drinks and an award ceremony. We also had several contracts with hotels in the city.

We organised the congress in the conference center in the Fira Barcelona Montjuic. It was built in 1929 for the EXPO and is located in the center, near the famous Magic Fountains. The location has since been rebuilt and is used as a conference center. A major challenge was dividing the largest hall into two parts. The participants first had an extensive seated lunch here, followed immediately by the exhibition with at least 400 exhibitors. Not every location is suitable for a conference like this, as we also needed a large hall and ten break-out rooms in addition to the plenary room. Fortunately, thanks to our event design plan, everything fit. We were already putting a number of cold dishes on the table by taking account different distribution points at lunch.

During the event we paid a lot of attention to communication, such as the branding. Outside, the visitors already saw the entire facade was in the forum’s special event branding.  

With a special event app for the first time that year, we paid a lot of attention to interactivity. In addition, we paid a lot of attention to newsletters, social media and a message board. This board was in the middle of the central hall and everyone could respond to statements or leave messages here. The communication staff were busy on social media to activate visitors. In addition, we had a large digital board in the entrance on which we displayed all kinds of messages during three event days.

CIS Forum Edinburgh
Council of International Schools

Council of International Schools, referred to CIS, is a global membership organisation that works together to shape international education through services for schools, universities, and individuals. To bring these members together, conferences are organised at different locations. This time in Edinburgh, Scotland. This edition in 2015 was organised for the first time by VKOZ. We were given the assignment to keep the existing event recognizable, but to add innovative elements. With this we have set our blueprint for organising future forums.

The annual, international event aims to meet, exchange ideas, and learn about current trends and lasts a total of three days. During the event we had two fairs, 50 workshops, a networking drink and an award ceremony. The programme was first available in the event app during this forum. In addition, we still had the existing programme booklet, entirely in the event branding.

Communication during this event was very important, for which we worked together with the communication department of the CIS. This was therefore part of our event design plan, in which we looked at the various elements that are important for the experience and clarity on location for the visitor.

The location of the conference centre was in the middle of the city, which is unique. We spread the registration by having exhibition holders put their things down the day before the event and by registering people who were closely involved earlier. The familiar, but innovative conference went smoothly due to the facilities and the CIS was so satisfied that the forum was repeated in Edinburgh in 2017.

During the event, extensive use was made of the information desk of the city. With the information and discount coupons obtained, people could combine the event with a city trip.