SMEs are the engine of the Dutch economy. If you ask De Ondernemer and ADR (Algemeen Dagblad and regional titles of DPG Media), these companies deserve a stage. That is why they came up with a prestigious award to honour the most important SMEs: the National Entrepreneur Award. Robert van den Ham, Director Content & Creation of The Entrepreneur: 'For a first edition, it was right on all sides!'
Many SMEs are surviving. Not only because of staff shortages and the labour market, but also because of inflation, energy prices and rental rates. At the same time, there are also companies that are handling this smartly and making other choices. To give these companies a stage as well, the National Entrepreneur Award was conceived. An event where the right attention is paid to the company, the market and the sector. And where entrepreneurs get a chance to tell their story. A leading award, with the potential to grow considerably. For Van den Ham and his colleague from ADR, editor-in-chief Paul van den Bosch, the objectives for the first award ceremony were therefore soon clear: an event with style, but in an informal setting.
It was no surprise that DPG Media chose Jaarbeurs as its event venue. The media company frequently organises events there and is satisfied with them. Van den Ham: 'We always enjoy working together and have short lines of communication. Besides, they are real experts. And you need them to make something of an event, especially the first time. We take that expertise extremely seriously. And mind you: we are DPG Media, our event just has to be right.'
"We always work pleasantly together and have short lines of communication. Besides, they are real experts."
And knock it did. Although the award bestowed a significant honour on the winner, it did not mean that there was no room for a loose atmosphere. The programme was specifically geared to this: not a gathering full of stiff suits, but an event that invited to share experiences. This line was also continued on stage. Jonathan van Noord, editor-in-chief at De Ondernemer, talked to the professional jury (Jacco Vonhof, Michiel Muller and Annemarie van Gaal) about the economy and the (political) choices involved. What followed was an animated conversation with entrepreneurs among themselves. There was also storytelling expert Cor Hospes with an inspiring presentation and Christian van Thillo gave a digital speech on the value of SMEs.
Van den Ham looks back on the National Entrepreneur Award with pride: 'For us, this was the start of something beautiful for the long term. The atmosphere was good. The space also contributed to that; Media Plaza is a bit in the 1970s style. Exactly what we were looking for. We didn't have many objectives beforehand. We wanted to launch a sympathetic initiative from DPG Media, which we know has the potential to become much bigger. And we saw that in the nominees.'
He refers to a thought with which the award winner managed to surprise Van den Ham: "After the award ceremony, Leadax came to us with the idea of doing company visits to the nominees. He asked us to help with the organisation. Wonderful initiative. They meet for coffee, learn from each other and build a network. And that wasn't even our idea initially. But now it arises spontaneously from the entrepreneurs themselves.
"The atmosphere was good. The space also contributed to that - Media Plaza is a bit 1970s-style. Exactly what we were looking for."
With such a successful first edition, DPG Media is focusing on the next one. Van den Ham: 'We are going to make it an annual event. We are still looking at the timing, as the schedules in autumn are not ideal. Maybe we will opt for spring. And whether it will be in Jaarbeurs again? We had a very successful experience, we will definitely have a cappuccino together to discuss things.'
