Past the barrel organ at the beginning of the Jaarbeursboulevard, a steady procession of visitors moves from Central Station on their way to the 50PlusBeurs. For five days, the Exhibition and Conference Centre of Royal Jaarbeurs fills with everyone looking for information and inspiration on how to keep life beautiful as you get older. Some come alone, some hand-in-hand, a few with cane, walker or guide dog. 70 is the new 50, and the more than 60,000 visitors to the 50PlusBeurs know this better than anyone else. Two literally old friends have been coming there for years. "We don't skip an edition!"
Jaarbeurs has therefore been hosting the largest event in the Netherlands for the 'active-plusser' for almost 30 years. From charities to cruises and other holidays, from computer help to old school cards, from fashion to organ donation, there is no subject that is not touched upon. Barbara de Loor, the new Olga Commandeur, gets visitors moving on the Omroep Max stage, and Janny from Heel Holland Bakt takes people through Dutch culinary history. Of course, you can have your photo taken with her afterwards. Many people won't let you say that twice.
Past the barrel organ at the beginning of the Jaarbeursboulevard, a steady procession of visitors moves from Central Station on their way to the 50PlusBeurs. For five days, the Exhibition and Conference Centre of Royal Jaarbeurs fills with everyone looking for information and inspiration on how to keep life beautiful as you get older. Some come alone, some hand-in-hand, a few with cane, walker or guide dog. 70 is the new 50, and the more than 60,000 visitors to the 50PlusBeurs know this better than anyone else. Two literally old friends have been coming there for years. "We don't skip an edition!"
Hilde Kerperien has been at the helm of 50PlusBeurs for two years, since its acquisition by the Roularta Media Group. The group also owns Plus Magazine, for example. "And that gives great interaction. Our editors can talk to their readers here to hear what's going on and what's going on. And vice versa, we can load the event much better with a strong content programme. Of course, we are a fair where you can sample things and 'make your move'. But we still mainly see that visitors come for new knowledge and experiences."
Past the barrel organ at the beginning of the Jaarbeursboulevard, a steady procession of visitors moves from Central Station on their way to the 50PlusBeurs. For five days, the Exhibition and Conference Centre of Royal Jaarbeurs fills with everyone looking for information and inspiration on how to keep life beautiful as you get older. Some come alone, some hand-in-hand, a few with cane, walker or guide dog. 70 is the new 50, and the more than 60,000 visitors to the 50PlusBeurs know this better than anyone else. Two literally old friends have been coming there for years. "We don't skip an edition!"
Hilde continues: "The exhibition world is really changing and with the transformation we have made over the past two years to a much more content-driven event, we are responding to that. Visitors come here really well prepared, with a note in their pocket about what they want to see and hear." A good example is the topic of security. At the police stand, officers are almost unavailable for a good chat. People want to know all about mobile phone scams and other forms of fraud. "Sometimes people also have really emotional stories," he says.
"It is a very flexible team, which thinks in solutions."
Past the barrel organ at the beginning of the Jaarbeursboulevard, a steady procession of visitors moves from Central Station on their way to the 50PlusBeurs. For five days, the Exhibition and Conference Centre of Royal Jaarbeurs fills with everyone looking for information and inspiration on how to keep life beautiful as you get older. Some come alone, some hand-in-hand, a few with cane, walker or guide dog. 70 is the new 50, and the more than 60,000 visitors to the 50PlusBeurs know this better than anyone else. Two literally old friends have been coming there for years. "We don't skip an edition!"
Roularta looks with satisfaction at the cooperation with the Jaarbeurs team. Hilde: "That more than 25 years of experience ensures that they can give us good advice. In the transition we made, but also now that we went from two to three halls this year. And it's a very flexible team that thinks in solutions." Of course, there are always things that could be different or better. In logistics and parking, there are some changes this year compared to previous years, and that takes some getting used to. "But we can also have a good conversation about that with each other."
Past the barrel organ at the beginning of the Jaarbeursboulevard, a steady procession of visitors moves from Central Station on their way to the 50PlusBeurs. For five days, the Exhibition and Conference Centre of Royal Jaarbeurs fills with everyone looking for information and inspiration on how to keep life beautiful as you get older. Some come alone, some hand-in-hand, a few with cane, walker or guide dog. 70 is the new 50, and the more than 60,000 visitors to the 50PlusBeurs know this better than anyone else. Two literally old friends have been coming there for years. "We don't skip an edition!"
Fortunately, many visitors come by public transport, thanks to close cooperation with organisations such as the NS and ANWB. It makes visiting the 50PlusBeurs a lot more carefree. At the Fietsplein, an elderly man with mobility problems tries a tricycle for the first time. A world opens up for him. Being young old has never been so much fun.
