Leonie van Helten and Christa van den Hurk, event coordinator and portfolio manager respectively, would never have imagined that the coronavirus measures could also enrich their jobs. With around 160 live events, masterclasses and conferences a year, the switch to digital events was a huge challenge for their employer, Bohn Stafleu van Loghum .
The great thing about Jaarbeurs is the variety of spaces, each with a different setting. The lights can be adjusted in various ways to add depth and atmosphere to your production. At Jaarbeurs , everything just falls into place.Leonie van Helten, Events Project Manager at Bohn Stafleu van Loghum
'In the beginning it seemed impossible to run everything digitally, now we don't turn our hand to it.'
An event, masterclass or conference? At Bohn Stafleu van Loghum, these used to take place in person. The coronavirus pandemic changed all that. Leonie van Helten, senior event coordinator: ‘Initially, we simply rescheduled all our events. When it became clear that this would last longer than expected, the whole team threw themselves into organising online events in January.’ Christa van den Hurk, senior portfolio manager, adds: ‘I wouldn’t dare give a specific figure, but I believe we’ve already run around 60 digital events this year. We’ve certainly got the hang of it now.’
Catering at your desk
The online events organised by the largest media company in the Dutch healthcare sector are receiving rave reviews. According to the ladies, managing expectations plays a part in this. Van Helten: ‘We show participants (because they’re more than just viewers) the benefits. For instance, there’s no travel time and they also receive their accreditation points at online events. To make the event more impactful, we send out a packed lunch, a notepad, biscuits or other conference-related items in advance.’
Expanding the platform
Van den Hurk recently organised an online event at Jaarbeurs: Leading Speakers in Elderly Care. Four speakers on stage, 250 participants joining from home. It was a real success, with a high rating of 8.3. According to Van den Hurk, Jaarbeurs certainly played a part in this: ‘The team really thinks along with us. For example, we had Professor Erik Scherder as a speaker on the brain and music, accompanied by pianist Cor Bakker. Naturally, you need a grand piano for that, but that wasn’t a problem at all. Jaarbeurs said: ‘The grand piano is ready, and the stage has been enlarged.’
Online networking
Van Helten is also full of praise for the event venue. ‘The great thing about Jaarbeurs is the variety of spaces, each with a different setting. The lighting can be adjusted in various ways to add depth and atmosphere to your production. At Jaarbeurs , everything just falls into place.’ Van Helten’s event – ‘From Integrated Care to Networked Care’ – was also a great success. The conference, which focuses on networking among other things, was able to go ahead online without any issues. Jaarbeurs ensured a stable connection so that participants could network with one another online via a networking carousel. They found themselves in a virtual living room where they struck up conversations with one another.
Professional and fast
Technology behind the scenes is something new for the event coordinator and portfolio manager. As Van den Hurk says: 'We don't operate the buttons, so we really have to let someone else handle the technology. Jaarbeurs has advised experts who design and work out everything. Other venues do that too, but it is often not on such a professional basis as at Jaarbeurs.' Van Helten adds: 'As for technology: you can't escape the fact that something goes wrong. For example, I once had a faltering speaker. That could be down to the connection, or to the system. Within no time something is done about it. Jaarbeurs handles it well and we are very satisfied with our cooperation'.
Bas Sterrenburg - Account manager online and hybrid events
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