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is often less exciting. You can look back on that a day later. Interaction also works well, for example, dial-in, polls, quizzes, and submitting questions. It’s giving people access to something that’s not accessible to everyone. Content and image qua lity are also becoming increasingly important. Good visual storytelling keeps viewers captiva ted for longer.” No stereotypes Experience is not a sauce that you can pour over an event. In fact, these days, a personal approach will prevail. “More than ever, you have to look at the person instead of the target group as a whole. You can no longer stereotype by age. You need to segment and deepen more by looking at what someone already knows and doesn’t know. Otherwise, they won’t recognise themselves in what you offer. This requires continuously challenging ourselves and our clients. In other words, are we talking about or with the people? Are we really lis tening? Is the discussion censored or not? I see it as our task to propagate the importance of this and to make time for it”, says Patricia Vergeer, 29, Creative Lead and MT member at The Oval Office. A personal approach revolves around data. “We use various trend platforms, such as Foresight Factory and GWI, which allow you to zoom in very specifically on target groups and see how they behave and what their needs are. Social listening also helps, where you investigate what’s being said about a certain topic on social media. If you put those kinds of studies together, you can build a data-driven plan. Many clients actively manage using data, which is the only language they understand. To ensure that what we make works well, we have to do that, too. Really measuring matters, not just using a concept because it’s cool.”

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION FROM?

A UNIQUE INDUSTRIAL CONFERENCE VENUE Industrial look and feel • Countless floor plan possibilities • Big airplane hangar surrounded by 18 breakout rooms

“By following many creators, particularly people who are the best in their field, from music producers and AI artists to very good copywriters. For instance, lighting designer Nick Verstand opened ADE this year with Within Without II, an interactive voice and light installation with music and choreography. He doesn’t depend on just one art direction but provides a mix that makes it unique”, says Patricia Vergeer , 29, Creative Lead and MT Member at The Oval Office. “It’s good to regularly get your hands dirty as a manager. Don’t just sit at your laptop; physically help out on the floor. I always try to be aware of industry trends as well as what’s happening within my team. It’s also different as a younger person since we work much more digitally and make more use of digital technologies to have processes run even more efficiently without compromising the personal customer relationship”, says Kayleigh Heeregrave , 28, Manager Exhibitor Services, Hotel Services & Front Office at MECC Maastricht. “I visit other events, performances, exhibitions, and installations regularly. That includes things that don’t appeal to me at all, because you always come back more inspired. You can’t figure things out at home on the couch, which doesn’t change the fact that platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest can be inspiring in a different way, for example, by seeing animations of things that are not yet real. You want to translate that into the real world”, says Sandra Kommer , 31, Production Manager and Creative at event agency Fjuze. “By combining old and new things, new themes emerge”, says Bo Enthoven, 28, Senior Interior Stylist at Expo Flora. “It can really be anything. Since I’ve been working on events, I think much more in terms of possibilities and usually take pictures of things that would be cool for an event. Inspiration can be everywhere you are and wherever you look, from a tree to a cool LED display and even after-movies of event cases. I always get excited about the world of possibilities”, says Begüm Saker , 21, Event Manager at Aputure, an international developer and supplier of lighting technology for film productions and more. “There are more than 50 entrepreneurs in the building, so there’s always something happe ning here that I can draw inspiration from. I also find the biodesigners in BlueCity Lab very interesting, as they create textile paint made from fungi. And designers who work with living organisms. To avoid being in my own bubble too much, I also visit museums and walk in nature regularly. That always works out well in the Rotterdam Kunsthal, where they have a lot of varied modern art. I actively seek out new experiences that take me out of my comfort zone”, says Laura-Lynn Smit , 24, Marketing Communications at BlueCity.

WELCOME TO THE CITY THAT MATTERS THE HAGUE

Fokker Terminal - Binckhorstlaan 249 - The Hague - The Netherlands Information: 0031 (0)70 262 90 66

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