A thick decade of collaboration: the link between Reshift and Jaarbeurs

Reliability. That is what Anita de Jonge, project manager at Reshift, finds most valuable about working with Royal Jaarbeurs. The Haarlem-based company has been organising events in Utrecht for more than 15 years. And they continue to do so. They now organise a conference in Supernova three times a year and a biennial trade fair, IPON, in the halls. Eight questions to Reshift.

'Reshift is a media company and content specialist. We create, distribute and measure unique content for websites such as kieskeurig.nl, gamer.nl and ID.nl, publish magazines and organise webinars, trade fairs and events. At Jaarbeurs, we organise IPON, a trade fair for education professionals and ICT in education. IPON is a biennial trade fair in the halls. At Supernova, we organise events for IT professionals; Future Tech, J-Spring and Frontmania Conference.' We also organise TEQnation and J-Fall annually at other venues.'

'First of all, of course, because of its accessibility; it is in a prime location. In addition, the rooms are beautiful with good technology. But the biggest reason for us is the fine cooperation. Jaarbeurs can anticipate quickly. The event business is inherent to last-minute changes; for example, when you unexpectedly have to change the catering at the last minute or have 50 more registrations. You never hear, "You're already past the deadline, you should have requested this earlier". On the contrary, they are flexible and adaptable. Jaarbeurs thinks with you.'

Is Jaarbeurs also thinking along to make the event even more successful?
'Yes, definitely. IPON has grown rapidly in recent years and we really needed more space. It was time for an extra hall. We did not yet know exactly how that would take shape, so Jaarbeurs helped us. For example, about the floor plan, and whether we would need the whole hall or just part of it. We received good advice about that. It also helps that we don't have to reinvent the wheel together.

How do you mean?
'We've been coming here for so long, we know how it works and what the rules are. When you are new to a venue, you have to figure all that out first. That takes start-up time. Time you sometimes don't have or time you don't want to waste. You really need to have run some events with each other to become a collaboration partner.'

'There are not many locations like Jaarbeurs, certainly not in this format. Of course, we have looked at doing it in Amsterdam or Rotterdam at times, but our preference remains here. The cooperation, value for money and location make us come back here.'

Are there more common denominators between you?
'Yes, sustainability. That is a subject that we, and our target audience, find very important. We really like the fact that Jaarbeurs acts as a sustainable venue. For instance, even before the legislation came into force, they had already replaced plastic and cardboard cups with glasses. That's nice. Our target group also sees that. We also hear it back from surveys. Positive points as well as points for improvement. For instance, someone said there should be more bins to separate waste. If you point that out to Jaarbeurs, they take it seriously. You can see that this is an important issue for them.'

What does the target audience think of Jaarbeurs as a venue?
'They are very satisfied. They usually give Jaarbeurs 4 out of 5 points.'

'We find the reliability the most valuable thing about our cooperation. The people at Jaarbeurs keep their promises and there are no surprises. You really get the feeling that you are working with a reliable partner. You know what you get from each other, which makes you less likely to switch to someone else.'

Account and event manager Jannemarije

Do you have a cool idea for an event or trade fair? In our exhibition and conference centre, we have the space and passion for your event. Get in touch with me. I will be happy to tell you more about all the possibilities at our event location in Utrecht.

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