Marcel van Marrewijk's Blog, page 60

Takecarebnb maakt matches voor het leven

Abdul vierde zijn allereerste Sinterklaas bij Meike en Richard in huis. ‘Het was een bijzondere en gezellige avond’, vertelt Abdul. ‘Richard had een gedicht voor me geschreven, wat ik voor mocht lezen. Het raakte mijn hart. Mijn tijd bij hen betekende veel voor mij. Ik ben in hun gezin opgenomen niet uit medelijden maar uit vriendelijkheid, omdat ze voor me wilden zorgen.’

Takecarebnb maakt het sinds 2015 mogelijk voor statushouders om in contact te komen met Nederlandse gastgezinnen. Zo kunnen ze het azc verlaten en komen ze in aanraking met de taal, cultuur en het echte leven in Nederland, terwijl ze wachten op een eigen stek. Als een match geslaagd is ontstaat er vaak een band voor het leven, zoals bij Abdul en zijn gastgezin.

Na een erbarmelijke reis, waarbij hij zijn gezin achterliet, kwam liet Abdul terecht in het AZC van Harderwijk. Ambitieus en enthousiast als hij is, melde hij zich aan bij de universiteit van Utrecht voor de master ‘Smart Cities’ en werd toegelaten. ‘Via het internet kwam ik in aanraking met Takecarebnb. Ik viel als een blok voor het idee om bij Nederlanders in huis te wonen en de taal te leren. Het deed me ook erg denken aan mijn couchsurf-ervaring in Rusland en Georgië tijdens mijn reis naar Nederland’, vertelt Abdul. Hij was onder de indruk dat matchmaker Sylvia naar Harderwijk toe kwam en hem gerichte en gedetailleerde vragen stelde, vanuit zowel zijn perspectief als die van het gastgezin. ‘Het ging niet zomaar om een slaapplek, er moest een klik zijn tussen beide partijen. Er werden mij onder meer vragen gesteld over roken, drinken, eten en ook of ik het erg zou vinden om met twee mannen samen te wonen’, vertelt hij lachend. ‘Ik sprak mijn wens uit om zo dicht mogelijk bij Utrecht te wonen. Dat ze een gastgezin hadden gevonden dat ook daadwerkelijk in Utrecht woonde en dan ook nog eens vegetarisch is, dat was een magisch moment’. Het gastgezin, Meike, Richard en hun kinderen, had eerder een positieve ervaring gehad met een Takecarebnb-gast in huis en wilde dit graag nog een keer proberen. Abdul kon zijn geluk niet op. ‘Voor ik naar Nederland kwam had ik een hele andere indruk van het land gekregen, met name door google en youtube. Ik had het idee dat er uitzonderlijk veel wiet gebruikt werd, een groot red light district was en de politiek bestond uit mensen zoals de blonde politicus,’ licht hij toe. ‘Hierdoor denk je twee keer na of dit wel het land is waarin je wilt wonen en je kinderen wilt opvoeden. Mijn beeld viel als een kaartenhuis ineen toen ik Meike en Richard ontmoette en in aanraking kwam met de Nederlandse samenleving zoals zij haar kenden.’

‘Mijn Takecarebnb-ervaring was meer dan alleen slaapplek in de buurt van de universiteit’, zegt Abdul. ‘Meike en Richard openden hun leven voor mij. Ik voelde dat ze echt om mij gaven. Dit had ik voor een lange tijd niet meer gehad. In huis had ik de ruimte om mijn eigen dingen te doen en tegelijkertijd betrokken ze mij bij hun activiteiten. Ik mocht mee naar de kerk en we ondernamen allerlei culturele activiteiten. Mijn beste herinneringen zijn het bejaardentehuis, waar we de ouders van Meike bezochten, en Sinterklaas vieren met de familie’, vertelt Abdul met een zichtbare fonkeling in zijn ogen. Zeker waren er ook zaken waar hij mee worstelde. ‘Ik vond het moeilijk dat ik een gast bleef in huis. Ik kocht graag dingetjes voor in het huis, maar Meike wilde niet dat ik hier mijn geld aan uitgaf. Ze had een pot waaruit ik huishoudelijke spullen mocht kopen. Daarnaast blijft de taal een lastig aspect. Toch is het een ervaring die moeilijk op waarde te schatten is. Het is een wereld van verschil wanneer je mensen in je leven hebt die om je geven. Het heeft mijn leven echt veranderd!’

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5 Ways to Support Your Coworking Members with Content

You know what’s really nice?

When joining a coworking space helps you improve and grow your business.

Yep, fast wifi is great, and the always-on coffee is a nice perk, and access to meeting rooms and a community of fellow members and independent professionals is truly awesome.

But, the fact is, your members are running businesses and they appreciate all the support they can get.

Workshops, lunch and learns and networking events are great ways to educate members, give them new skillsets and introduce them to new people and tools.

So keep doing those.

You can also use content to amplify member voices and support their businesses. Here are five ways to get started.

1. SHARE THEIR WINS

Wonderful things happen all the time in coworking spaces. Members get a dream client; they launch a new project or startup; they find a new remote job; they get a big paycheck; they start a new collaboration; they get funded; their app gets approved; their company gets acquired.

When a member has a win that’s of interest to your coworking community, or the broader local community—or even global community—share the win. You can push out the news via social media, include it in your newsletter or email, publish a short blog post, or all of the above. Use your reach to help them celebrate and get the word out.

2. POSITION YOUR MEMBERS AS INDUSTRY EXPERTS

Your coworking space is likely full of people who are really good at what they do. Getting them in front of a broader audience with a blog post, video or other piece of content in which they can showcase their expertise positions them as experts in their industry.

Ask them to share their top tips or tools for other entrepreneurs or people in their industry, or share some insights into what makes their business thrive. This type of post will help your member and position your space as a place to be to do good work.

3. GUEST POSTS

Guest posts are a win-win for you and your members. You get content and they get in front of your extended community. Find a topic your audience will find interesting, create a headline and angle you both agree on, and be clear about what you both expect, the timeline, etc. They write the post, or create the content, you publish and share it around, and everyone benefits.

4. INCLUDE MEMBERS IN A ROUNDUP

Roundups make great content. Ask all your members a question, such as: What’s your favorite business book? What productivity strategies do you use? What are three organizational tools you couldn’t do without? Include backlinks to their website, and photos of them to give your audience a good sense of who’s in your space.

5. INVITE MEMBERS TO TEACH

People in coworking spaces know a ton about digital tools, marketing, building things, connecting, pitching, productivity and more. Invite your members to share what they know, in a workshop, lunch and learn or show and tell. Then publish content in advance of their training to promote it. This gets your member in front of a new audience and does double-duty to promote your event.

THE TAKEAWAY

Many of these strategies can be done with member profiles. Profiles shine a spotlight on your members’ accomplishments and they position them as experts in their industry.

Profiles can be as easy as sending out a few email questions, or as involved as sitting down with your member for a Q&A interview. They make great content and they support your members in growing successful businesses.

Originally published at https://catjohnson.co 

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Research office concept – Seats2Meet

A curious research was undertaken on Seats2Meet.com concept by Willemijn Aukema from MSc of Change Management at the University of Groningen. In her research, she examines Seats2Meet concept in comparison to other office spaces.

The foundation of her research is the observation that in our time people no longer value objects, but instead they value experiences. This is the notion which results in a completely different way of perceiving and doing business. Consequently, concepts that are inspired by this school of thought build their business models around the values of co-creation, which is one of the core values behind Seats2Meet.

In her research, Willemijn particularly wanted to compare value co-creation by members of Seats2Meet ecosystem comparing to other offices. Thanks to her research, we have some curious discoveries regarding how the concept of social capital works in life and how Seats2Meet customers interact with one another.

Comparing to regular offices/co-working spaces, Seats2Meet visitors are…

More open about sharing information about what they’re working on with people around them than people in regular offices.  
Much more open to interact with others around them, however spend less time working with others. This could be because people come to S2M for their own “work” but are very open to interact with others whenever necessary.
More likely to share their ideas with others
More likely to give a positive feedback and recommend the place to others
More likely to help others

Therefore, it can be concluded that Seats2Meet visitors are connected to each other without close work ties or working on the same project. This is an inspiring discovery for us, since conceitedness and collaboration are the key values of Seats2Meet.

The central role in promoting conceitedness and collaboration is Seats2Meet Passport. Its matching algorithm allows its users to connect with relevant people, events and articles, thus promoting a value creating encounters within the ecosystem.

Haven’t used the Passport yet? Sign up on the page and become a part of the ecosystem!

 

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BOB Masterclass & BOB Borrel

20 februari: Bobborrel met Masterclass door Hans van Breukelen

Op woensdag 20 februari nodigen Regio Business en Seats2meet Tilburg Spoorzone je uit voor een BOB Borrel in de prachtig gerenoveerde LocHal in de spoorzone in Tilburg. De nieuwe trekpleister van Tilburg is met zijn trendy uiterlijk en luxe zalen perfect voor zakelijke ontmoetingen en evenementen. Ben je ook benieuwd naar de nieuwe trots van Seats2meet, kom dan netwerken op 20 februari!

BOB Masterclass met Hans van Breukelen en Benno Diederiks: Van tegenslag naar comeback

Als ex-topsporter weet Hans van Breukelen alles van tegenslagen. Maar als winnaar van onder andere het Europees Kampioenschap van 1988 weet hij ook hoe het is om succes te vieren. In de BOB Masterclass vertelt Hans van Breukelen samen met schrijver en comeback expert Benno Diederiks hoe je dieptepunten omzet in nieuwe hoogtepunten. Want, net als topsporters hebben ondernemers wel eens tegenslagen te verwerken en is die comeback niet een, twee, drie gemaakt. Ze vertellen je alles over het ontwikkelen van veerkracht, moed en zo vitaal mogelijk werken aan je passie.

BOB Talkshow

Tijdens de BOB Borrel doet een echte Brabantse topondernemer in de BOB Talkshow zijn of haar verhaal. Deze ondernemer wordt om 18.15 uur live geïnterviewd en bezongen door talkshowhost Henrike Brouwer. Wie dit is houden we nog even geheim, je kunt je wel alvast aanmelden.

Maak kennis met het team van Regio Business!




Nog geen lid? Kom een keer kijken

Regio Business organiseert 12 keer per jaar een netwerkborrel onder de noemer BOB (Business Ontmoet Business). Door middel van de BOB Borrels, hun online platform en hun zakenmagazine faciliteren zij zakelijke contacten in Brabant. Kom eenmalig vrijblijvend kennis met hun maken als je nog geen lid bent. Je bent van harte welkom. (meer informatie over het lidmaatschap)

Je kunt je hier aanmelden én ook nog iemand meenemen.

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5 Lessons Learned – Confessions of a Young Entrepreneur

These days, when someone asks me: “How are you doing?” – instead of making comments about my well-being, I right away start describing how the startup is going and what were the results for the past months.

It’s been almost two years ago, when with sparkling eyes and
borderline crazy enthusiasm we elevator-pitched our current investor. After
we’ve agreed to launch a pilot version of our startup, he wisely warned us that
in our first years of startup we were going to get the word “holidays” out of
our active vocabulary, would live off Chinese takeout and would almost never
see our friends and family…and that’s exactly how it went. But then again, when
a better time for that would be than when you’re 20-something years old?

All in all, it’s been an amazing journey, full of excitement,
self-development and self-discovery along with accepting failures as a part of
learning process. Proportionally, we’ve had about 5 loses to each one win, and
despite reading numerous blogs and books on entrepreneurship, have learned some
of the lessons only by failing… and sometimes failing quite hard.

In the times when I doubted myself along with our business
concept, hearing stories of other entrepreneurs have helped me a lot. Therefore,
I hope some of lessons I’ve learned will be relatable to others as well.

Business plan – the
holy grail of a startup?

Having graduated from a program in business economics, I had an embedded idea that having a solid, 30-page long business plan is what it takes to start a company. Not sure if our investor ever bothered reading our very formal and long business plan full of bullet points, SWATs and whatever else they taught us at business school. But if he didn’t – that’s for the best. Most of the things in there didn’t even come close to be true in real life. Keeping it to two A4s with calculations and a list of assumptions or a visual presentation would have done a better job. Startup idea is a product you want to sell – and bullet points don’t seem to be very appealing, apparently.

Speed vs Quality

Spending months developing a perfect product, striving for
perfection, and then finding out that no one actually cares or wants it, could
be a soul-crashing experience (and we’ve definitely crashed our souls a couple
of times). We gradually learned that launching a half-decent and bearable
version and fixing problems on the go is a way to avoid losing time and
efforts. Whenever I start forgetting it, I open my perfectly academically
written and formatted, yet useless University Thesis, and realize that quality
by itself does not make any impact.

You might need to get
your hands dirty

It took us a lot of effort to get our first clients: spamming
on Facebook, getting blocked from it, switching to promoting on Tinder instead;
almost getting arrested for spraying the name of our company on the payment in
the middle of night, putting posters on trash cans and almost physically
dragging people to visit our company for the first time. I am not going to
continue the list, but resourcefulness, creativity, and thinking outside of box
(as well as having someone in the network who might help with legal issues) is
what got us through the first year.

People will be
talking

Once you dare to get your product out there, people will
start talking. It’s actually a great thing, since listening to customers
feedback is the only way to improve the product, test assumptions and pivot at
the right time. Same way, hearing thoughts of more experienced entrepreneurs
and stakeholders can contribute significantly to the company’s growth. However,
hearing a random Martijn with no relevant background or understanding of your
business concept, talking about you company at a house party might not be
something you want to take very personally. It can hurt a bit at first, but
with the time you learn filter and cut the bs.

Parents can get a
divorce, and co-founders might leave

Being co-founders of a startup might feel a lot like having a baby together. You watch him taking its first steps, spend sleepless nights together and feel extremely proud of any small achievements while uploading tons of photos to social media and probably annoying all the friends. It is a bonding experience, and in the moment, it feels like nothing can ruin the bond. But… even couples get divorced, but life goes on. It is just natural that one of the co-founders might not feel at the right place anymore, and the best thing to do is talk about it with the whole team, make a rational decision, and move on, continuing giving the “baby” a healthy environment he deserves.

Masha Moisseyeva, co-founder of Time Space

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A Digital Economy for an Increasingly Connected World

In the 1996 film, Star Trek: First Contact, there’s an exchange between Enterprise Captain Jean Luc Picard and another character about the economies of the 24th century.

Captain Picard notes that “The economics of the future are somewhat different.”

We may still be some years away from the 24th century, but when you look back on our most recent history, the changes in our economy from then to now are profound.

From 25 to 20 to even ten years ago, the economics of today and how we pursue and acquire goods and services are vastly different, and in some cases unrecognizable.

Why is this?

Much of it is attributable to the digital economy.

What is a Digital Economy?

In simple terms, the digital economy is the connective, economic activity that occurs as a result of our society operating in a digital environment or using digital technology.

Many people mistake this online economic engine for the daily transactional activity occurring across the entire globe. Though that, of course, plays an important role, that falls more directly into the internet economy.

The digital economy moves beyond purchased goods and encompasses the infrastructure and devices we use to connect with this global network. Or more succinctly, a modern-day industrial revolution.

Scratching the Surface

To fully appreciate the complexities of the current system, you have to look beyond the typical business methods.

Sure, transactions are essential but so are experiences. When many people travel, particularly younger generations, they want to live like the locals versus traveling like a tourist.

Additional income once meant a second job, now it also represents renting out your house, using your car as a taxi, or offering up your knowledge or skills for hire.

Business models once thought immovable, sacred cows are now at a crossroads. Adapt to the new economic realities or slip into irrelevance.

Consider that 15 years ago cable ruled the airwaves and ten years ago cutting the cord was still something that fewer than a million people were doing.

Today, hundreds of streaming apps exist and cable companies are facing direct competition from six primary online tv service providers.

Sectors such as travel and entertainment certainly grab their share of headlines. The gig and sharing potions of the digital economy also garner plenty of attention, if for no other reason than the curiosity factor of late adopters.

The digital economy goes beyond upheaval of traditional business and new economic generators. Its a mass movement toward collective engagement at all levels of the economic ladder.

Example of a Single Ecosystem



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As it stands today, the digital economy is in its infancy. As it grows, so too will the level at which users – both individuals and companies – engage with each other and the platforms that exist within the growing networks.

Regardless of if you’re an Apple user or not, they offer a good model as to what the broader digital economy looks like and what it may evolve too.

By purchasing an iPhone, you join the Apple ecosystem and have access to all of the tools they make available on that platform – iCloud, iTunes, iMessage, and their other proprietary software and applications.

Beyond that, however, you also have access to the multitude of companies and their products and services through the apps they create for the Apple platform.

You can search the internet using the Google Chrome browser.

You can make purchases through the store apps for Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Target.

You can access content services like Netflix, XM Radio, or YouTubeTV.

You can call upon rideshare services like Uber or make reservations for vacation rentals through HomeAway.

Those are merely functions and tools at the basic level of interconnectivity. Consumer activities that are made seamless by the channels provided by an organization seeking engagement.

Take that up a notch, and the full breadth of the digital economy comes into more into view.

Using our Apple example again, you can tie your credit or debit card into ApplePay creating a seamless integration between your payment method of choice and banking institution.

At home, your iPhone serves as a primary control device for IoT gadgets and technologies. Although for those who’ve adopted the Amazon Alexa or Google digital assistants, you know an even more in-depth knowledge level exists amongst these devices.

No doubt we could continue our list of examples, fully stretching the Apple usability scale, but the idea should be evident. This is just one single ecosystem.

Impressive sure, but it pales when you recognize that each of the examples we listed, from Google Chrome to Target to HomeAway all have their own ecosystems and multi-layered channels outside of the dome of Apple.

Larger Implications



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When considering all facets of the digital economy, it moves beyond making things simple, easier to use, or the interconnectivity of what tied into our Apple example.

It’s about data and analytics, where we’ve been and whom we connected with to where we’re going and whom we plan to connect with there. It reaches further into our everyday lives, shaping the environments in which we live, work and play.

Eight separate areas tend to see technologies progress fastest. When the digital economy moves (or leaps) forward one of these platforms often serve as the catalyst.

Automation: The completion of a process with minimal human involvement. Automation is not simply a function for machines in industrial or engineering sectors. Application includes multiple disciplines, including marketing funnels, data collection, analytics, digital assistants and AI, and additional technologies such as IoT.Advanced Analytics: Automated use of data to help organizations better analyze, forecast, and predict future events and make decisions and create strategies based on the information. Most widely used in economics, the healthcare industry, marketing and advertising, and risk management.Digitization: Conversion of information into a digital format. For the digital economy, this often means technologies (and users and companies) gain greater access to more levels of data and information.Hyperconnectivity: Where the capacity of a network exceeds the demands placed on it. In a digital world, this relates to everything being on and openly communicating, whether its machine to machine, user to machine, or user to user.IoT: The Internet of Things. We touched briefly on this earlier, but the IoT is the connection of any number of devices or machines to the internet and their ability to collect and exchange data between each other. You can convert almost any device into an IoT device, but most commonly it is electrical devices, appliances, or anything where a sensor is embedded to allow an internet connection.Leveraging Data: The utilization of the data collected by an organization to determine best practices and future strategies for a multitude of channels. These include improved hiring practices, enhancing the customer experience, shaping marketing and sales efforts, and understanding marketplace (and competitor) conditions.Mobility: The Apple ecosystem from earlier highlighted what it means to function with mobility. However, much of the world hasn’t seen the movement currently happening in the US and certain parts of Asia and remains a huge area for future growth.Social Media: In a digital economy social networks play a crucial role in not only person to person connections but for organizations to build brand visibility, seek out new customers and generate revenue. Social media also plays a role in sharing and fundraising, an essential aspect of the digital world.



To Ensure Growth, Investment is Necessary

The future of the digital economy is wide open. However, for its expansion to continue, it will require adoption in parts of the world where the internet has been slow to take hold.

Education and access will help fuel this growth as will investment in infrastructure from both Western and Far East nations and private organizations.

However, it’s not just developing countries that are playing catch-up.

Many industrialized nations are allowing themselves to fall behind when it comes to their digital capacity and infrastructure.

Major European players like Germany, Austria, France, and the Scandinavia countries, as well as Asian stalwart Japan,  are failing to keep up with those countries that continue to invest in their digital economies.

Even at home in the US, the application of what it means to be part of the digital economy is uneven at best creating a technology gap in certain parts of the country.

Of course, tech standouts like Silicon Valley and Austin, TX carry their weight. So do upstarts like Pittsburg, Kansas City, Phoenix and Columbus, OH, whose investment and public-private partnerships are helping to shape their future economies for the better.

One of the vital aspects to US digital economics is the retraining of a large portion of its manufacturing workforce. Out of work due to large-scale automation, if they are left unprepared for the expanding digital world, they risk being left behind.

Final Thoughts




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The bright spot in this is that the digital economy offers plenty of opportunities. Still, in its earliest phases of maturity, we remain years away from the full potential and innovation created by a connected digital world.

With that in mind, let’s check back in with Captain Picard.

If you’ve seen the movie, you know he goes on to mention that in his time, money doesn’t exist and the pursuit of wealth is no longer the driving force in their lives.

As a society, we may not yet be anywhere near those particular ideals. Though if you believe the Star Trek universe can offer any parallel to our own, it’s nice to think the path to a more cohesive society begins in a digital economy.

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Nice to meet: Sylvia Mannaerts en het ritme van Work&Learn

De 28-jarige Sylvia heeft Antropologie gestudeerd, heeft een passie voor muziek en volgt bij Seats2meet het Work&Learn programma. Benieuwd naar wat dit inhoudt? Lees verder!

Wie is Sylvia?
Ze is analytisch, creatief, iemand met aandacht voor werksfeer en met oor voor de behoeftes van collega, klant en partner. Sociale initiatieven en ondernemingen met een creatieve/culturele dimensie inspireren me. Ik lees veel en zing in een vrouwenzanggroep.

Waar kom je vandaan? En wat wilde je worden toen je klein was?
Ik kom uit Wageningen. Toen ik klein was wilde ik ridder worden (lacht) maar uiteindelijk heb ik University College en een master Antropologie gedaan, waarbij ik onderzoek deed naar de betekenis en relevantie van het muziekprogramma van Musicians without Borders in Palestina (West Bank).  Dat heeft mijn ogen geopend over hoe toegankelijk, gezond en veelzijdig inzetbaar het maken van muziek kan zijn. Het liefst zou ik zien dat het maken van muziek als normaler zou worden in Nederland, niet puur als hobby maar ook als leermiddel en welzijnsmiddel. Verder heeft mijn opleiding me geleerd te denken vanuit de relaties die we als mensen onderling vormgeven, zowel individueel als groepen, bedrijven, of overheden. Ik ben geïnteresseerd geraakt in start-ups en veranderende organisaties die zichzelf nog/opnieuw een plek moeten geven in een zakelijke ecologie en nieuwe klantrelaties tot stand brengen. 

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Hoe ben jij bij Seats2meet terecht gekomen?
Ik ben in de afgelopen paar jaar een aantal keren te gast geweest bij Seats2Meet om gebruik te maken van de workspaces voor mijn eigen werk, als deelnemer aan een bijeenkomst in een van de ruimtes en voor zakelijke afspraken. Een van mijn vrienden organiseert geregeld evenementen bij Seats en bracht me in contact toen ik op zoek was naar nieuw werk. Ik ben in oktober begonnen en werk bij het service team.

Wat vind je van ons concept en van het Work&Learn programma dat je volgt?
Ik vind het heel mooi dat de uitwisseling van sociaal kapitaal zichtbaar wordt en centraal staat bij Seats2meet: mensen die elkaar verder helpen met een netwerk, inspiratie of door even te sparren. Er is een hele stimulerende omgeving gecreëerd om in te werken. Ik vind het ook heel fijn dat in het Work&Learn programma (waar ik aan meedoe) praktisch werk gecombineerd wordt met een bredere professionele ontwikkeling en het eigen carrièreperspectief. 

Drie dingen waar je niet zonder kan?
Mijn familie en vrienden en een goed boek

Storytelling Workshop, January 30, 2019

STORYTELLING WORKSHOP

Are you a social innovator with groundbreaking ideas? Naturally you understand the genius of your own idea, but can you also make your message stick for important stakeholders, investors and clients?

Build your narrative and learn from remarkable social entrepreneurs at the Amaphiko storyteller event. Claim your spot now!

AMAPHIKO STORYTELLER

+ What is it? During this Amaphiko Storyteller workshop, you’ll be inspired by pioneering social entrepreneurs and, together with them, build your own narrative
+ For whom: (starting) social innovators or entrepreneurs with an amazing idea or business

PROGRAM IN A NUTSHELL:

+ Be inspired by 2 keynote speakers
+ Build your narrative during the workshop
+ Harvest your narrative on a storyteller board
+ Mingle and learn from each other with a drink

DETAILS

+ 30 January – Social Impact Factory Utrecht, 13.00 – 17.00
+ Price: Free

This event is hosted by Red Bull – ready to give wings to your ideas?







P.S. WHY IS RED BULL ACTIVE IN SOCIAL INNOVATION?

Red Bull has a heritage in giving wings. Since its launch in 1987, Red Bull has been giving wings to athletes and artists, and is now making its first steps in the world of social impact-making. From the core of its brand, the company has developed Red Bull Amaphiko, a global programme for championing social entrepreneurs who drive positive change.

Subscribe here

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Nynke Willemsen explaining the concept of Seats2Meet Passport

Check out the interview with Nynke Willemsen who is currently working on Seats2Meet Passport creating strategies for the passport development to create even better fit between the users and the ecosystem.

For those who not familiar with the concept yet, your Seats2Meet Passport is the entrance to your co-working world, the place where you manage all your data, get answers to your questions, and where you connect to people who fit with your interests and work. It’s all in your Seats2meet Passport.

–Connect: get connected to the right people
–Collaborate: post questions and always receive an answer
–Grow: share your knowledge and create opportunity

The Seats2meet Passport is the place where the whole ecosystem comes together. Manage your offline bookings and connect to people relevant to you. Have a question? The AI algorithm matches you with the right experts who can help you and vice versa. Share your knowledge enable growth for yourself and others!

Watch the video below to get more insights on the Passport and don’t forget to get your own S2M Passport at https://passport.seats2meet.com

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Introducing new S2M Locations: Radisson Blu Palace Hotel and Ibis Styles Haarlem City Hotel

For our team, beginning of 2019 is marked by the launch of the Seat2Meet pilot in two new exciting locations – Radisson Blu Palace Hotel in Noordwijk and Ibis Styles Haarlem City Hotel in Haarlem. By opening up these locations to S2M visitors, we strive to promote serendipity and connectivity. To learn more about the vision and idea behind these locations, we’ve talked to the General Manager of the hotels – André Aaij.

Could you please introduce yourself?

My name is
André Aaij, I am the General manager of both Radisson Blu Palace Hotel in
Noordwijk and Ibis Styles Haarlem City Hotel in Haarlem.

What is your vision for
the locations?

In both
locations we have a very nice and welcoming Lounge, and I do see possibilities
for flexible workers to benefit from the cozy and hospitable environment in
combination with perfect and free Wifi, great coffee and easy access. In
Noordijk we would be the first S2M location and in Haarlem the second.

Why did you decide to become a powered
by Seats2meet locations?

I am
convinced that we can offer flexible workers a very trendy and likeable place
to meet, to work and to even get in contact with our creative people in sales
and marketing. I hope that we can set up an attractive offer for working any
time someone likes (7 days a week available, day and night) that brings us
traffic and a small incremental revenue source, and also more Social Media
mentions and perhaps even co-creation with our teams every now and then.

What do you expect from connecting to
the Seats2meet network?

I expect,
although maybe slow starting, that with 6 months we do welcome 10-15 people per
day to one of our lounges to work and find the best inspiration for themselves.

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What kind of atmosphere can visitors expect from your locations?

Both hotels are completely different in terms of franchise organization (Radisson Hotel Group and AccorHotels) and size, and the architecture in Noordwijk is Art Deco style there where in Haarlem the building is brand new and modern with a sports theme in the design. But for both properties count: we are entrepreneurs ourselves and do appreciate the non-standardisation of our hotels, and we are very much open to all people that are looking for an easy accessible and friendly working place for a few hours.

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What are unique aspects of your
locations?

In Noordwijk
we are the first hotel that received the golden Green Key certificate in 2011,
and since then we keep on working with our Green Team on new ideas around
Corporate Social Responsibility (“MVO”). We have our own three beehives on our
roof, do support the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (“KNRM”) in may
ways and we attract young people with a chronic illness to start off their
career with us via Foundation Emma at Work. Our hotel won the Dutch Hotel Award
in 2012, a true teamwork result of our “innovative management team” (jury’s
report).

In Haarlem
we have fully adapted the theme of sports to our design, due to the fact that
we are right in between an ice skating rink, a base ball stadium, a large
badminton hall, fitness and squash etc. Therefor we have created 18 art
impressions of famous sports persons that are originally from the city of
Haarlem, and who are honored by the Pim Mulier Foundation for their unique
efforts in their sport careers. In line with this theme of sports, in this
location we are big supporters of the Foundation Sport Supports, a group of
people that make personal meetings possible for very sick children with sports
heroes from many different sports.

List a couple of interesting facts about your locations.

In Noordwijk we have 120 hotel rooms, large meeting facilities, a large fitness club, a kids club, wine taste room, 1 bar, 1 Lounge, 1 restaurant, 160 parking spaces and a wellness/pool/sauna area. Hotel is situated 500 meters from the beach!

In Haarlem
we have 109 hotel rooms, a very nice Lounge with view in the Ice Skating Rink
and 34 parking spaces (with 500 extra public spaces within 3 minutes walk).
Hotel is located 2 kilometers from Haarlem city center and 750 meters from
Bloemendaal village centre.

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The post Introducing new S2M Locations: Radisson Blu Palace Hotel and Ibis Styles Haarlem City Hotel appeared first on Seats2meet.