Pre-inspection in the Netherlands
Last week, about 10 requests came into our MICE department all at once for destinations in the Netherlands, ranging from organising (one- or multi-day) meetings, a congress, two training sessions, and an evening party. Fantastic, of course!
Curious about some of the various possibilities in the Netherlands? Then be sure to check out one of our blogs below:
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South Limburg, a fairytale destination for your meeting or event
- International Business Club trip in the Netherlands
MICE: Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events
Our regular clients have been submitting these kinds of requests to us for years, but this time they were all new clients. Our goMICE department, which for years Meetings, Incentives, Concepts and Events is increasingly being found. A lot through word-of-mouth advertising. Satisfied customers come back, and furthermore they are time and again excellent ambassadors for us and we are very proud of that! Also our recently launched new website goMICE will make a very good contribution to that.
New assignments for goMICE
When we receive “new” assignments, we can often draw on our experience and knowledge of locations. This time it was once again time to go on an inspection in our own country. This in order to surprise the stream of new applicants, potentially with “other” locations than expected.
Today, my day (along with that of Nadia de Bruijn, one of our MICE consultants) was all about clocking up the miles, tight timings and appointments. Early this morning, I picked Nadia up in Rotterdam and we set course for Amsterdam. In Amsterdam we had four appointments, specifically at Hotel Mate Aitana, Hotel Vondel, Radisson Blu Hotel and the Ocean Diva. I would like to highlight two of them:
Hotel Room Mate Aitana & De Ocean Diva
- Hotel Room Mate Aitana, a remarkable hotel in a cosmopolitan style. We were greeted by two trendy hosts, who showed us around with great enthusiasm and pleasure. The hotel can be described as special and contemporary. For a major client in the recruitment sector, we were looking for precisely this kind of hotel: new, contemporary and different. Above all, the hotel could also prove inspiring given its style and the views. The views can be described as spectacular. We were almost certain that this venue would appeal to our client, and so it did. The 2-day meeting that followed later was a great success at this location. Our client was impressed not only by the venue, but also by our preparation and organisation.
Quote from our client: Fantastic find, choice and execution!
- The Ocean Diva. For a client in the cosmetics sector, we were looking for a special venue for a major product launch. Such Events we can take care of down to the last detail! We thought the Ocean Diva might be a good fit. The ship is modern, spacious and has a very contemporary look. Our client is currently considering this venue and we will soon know which location they are going to prefer. Besides the Ocean Diva, we have also suggested Hotel Huis ter Duin.
After visiting the four locations, we still had some time to spare before we were expected at hotel Kontakt der Kontinenten. Quickly grabbing a bite to eat on the way, we first drove over to Maarssen, the Glass House and Inn Style. Nadia didn't know these locations yet, so I thought we'd just pop in and check them out. Both the Glass House and Inn Style suit many different types Events.
Arrived at the former convent, I was once again surprised by the beautiful surroundings. Although the convent hotel is easy to reach by car, it is at the same time situated in a very wooded area, where the Randstad transitions into the Green Heart and the Veluwe.
Hotel Kontakt der Kontinenten
The hotel Kontakt der Kontinenten is therefore a former monastery. All authentic elements have been preserved as much as possible. You can even hold meetings in the former church.
We had this hotel and event venue in mind for a 2-day event, where team building and team challenges would be the main focus. Because of the outdoor grounds, the activities we had in mind (sheep herding and fencing) could be accommodated very well.
With a great deal of enthusiasm, we discussed the programme with the on-site manager, and the client was therefore completely fine with this choice of venue. However, a small problem arose. The venue had no availability at all for the rest of this year for such a 2-day event! Fortunately, we were able to find another suitable venue. Naturally, I will also be writing a blog about that 2-day meeting (including the fantastic sheep herding)!
Our pre-inspection was continued in the direction of Geofort
Once finished at the monastery, we continued our route towards Herwijnen, to the Geofort. We also regularly use the Geofort, especially for the more ‘secret meetings’. Companies can really hide away here and the location can be hired exclusively.
This time we were looking for an “out of the ordinary” venue, so the location was bound to go down well, but we didn't know whether we'd be able to fit everything within the budget. We had a meeting with the venue manager about this.
A “recruits” lunch was ready for us, consisting of honest food. Together with the manager, we started including the desired elements in the programme. Calculating and planning, we came to the conclusion that we were going to make it fit. We would still have to negotiate a bit with the manager of Geofort, but that would turn out fine. Satisfied, we said goodbye with the agreement that she would do some more calculations so that we could present it to Geofort. And that is how it went. We were able to include Geofort in the quote, along with a few other locations. I will report on this event at the end of November and of course you will then read whether the location did indeed turn out to be Geofort!
After feeling like we'd seen half of the Netherlands, it was time to head south, with Eindhoven as our destination. We had our last appointment there, and then our “buying trip” would be over.
Purchasing is more important than sales!
Purchasing is even more important than sales. By keeping our procurement in our own hands, we are able to save a lot of money for our clients. Moreover, we are in charge for the entire journey, a Full Service system you could say, because we not only buy and sell, we are also personally present during the events. This way, our connections don't have to worry about anything other than their guests for that day. Soon you can read more about all the fun events we are organising on the goMICE blog! Would you also like to brainstorm about organising an event? Then email us via Hello@goMICE.nl or call us on 088-202-30-40.