Royal Jaarbeurs: the friendly, sustainable and innovative host for all of the Netherlands. A place where you meet, inspire, learn and grow. We'd love to tell you what's going on at Jaarbeurs and how we do things. How? By getting to know our most valuable asset: our people. Corry Neggers talks about her work as account manager at Jaarbeurs and her role as Healthcare Champion,
Corry Neggers is account manager for guest events at the Beatrix Theatre and Media Plaza congress locations. Anyone organising a congress or other type of event at these venues will probably have a lot of contact with Corry in the preliminary phase. Her work is diverse, as she explains: "Among other things, I give guided tours, make proposals and offers, advise our clients on achieving their event objectives, help shape the programme and connect people and organisations. So in addition to being the account manager, I am also the strategic partner and event manager in the run-up to the event. That way, we keep the lines of communication as short as possible and we really think along with the customer from start to finish. Only on the day itself do I hand over the contact to the operations department."
Although Corry is account manager of all kinds of events and conferences, her focus is on the 'Health & Life Sciences' sector. After all, Jaarbeurs has a big heart for healthcare and we want to contribute to the positive growth of the sector with great attention. With our ultimate intention: to make Utrecht the healthcare city of the Netherlands. This fits with our city's regional positioning: Utrecht, Heart of Health. Heart of Health is an initiative of the Economic Board Utrecht and partners, including Jaarbeurs. Together, we cherish the ambition as a region to contribute as much as possible to a healthy world.
Corry: "Healthcare is an important area in the Netherlands. Many conferences are organised and our country has a lot of knowledge and expertise in this field. At Jaarbeurs, we think we should make the most of that. With that idea, the Dutch Health Hub was founded a few years ago - which has since grown into a platform for healthcare professionals of around 40,000 members.
We also organise various events in the healthcare sector ourselves, culminating in Dutch Health Week, in 2024 from 8 to 14 April. A week entirely dedicated to healthcare containing dozens of events for the healthcare sector throughout Utrecht, including a number of our own healthcare-related fairs. The aim of Dutch Health Week is to improve healthcare and life sciences with all healthcare professionals in the Netherlands. Together, we go deep into current issues to make healthcare stronger. To add extra charge to this week, I try to link as many valuable customers and knowledge events to Dutch Health Week as possible. Preferably in our own event venues, but of course that is also possible in the Utrecht region."
At Jaarbeurs, we find it very important to build a personal relationship with our customers. Only then can we really pay attention to the needs they have. We therefore go beyond availability and price. We really look at what our clients need and what their event needs to be successful. Corry: "That was also the role I wanted to play for the healthcare sector. You can call people and present your venue. Ó or you can really do something for them and know what the sector is craving. I started looking into that. I did this by sparring with colleagues responsible for the various healthcare events at Jaarbeurs and analysing what the speaking topics of the existing conferences are. This way, I know what is possible and, above all, what the clients need from us."
"I can call myself Venue Healthcare Champion."
One of those needs is a venue that is compliant according to the policy of Compliant Venues Ltd. Jaarbeurs is certified as a HealthCare Venue, which means that Jaarbeurs complies with the strict regulations that apply to pharmaceutical companies when organising, sponsoring or participating in medical events and congresses. Corry, together with her colleague Kelly van der Velden, obtained the Venue Healthcare Champion certificate. That took quite some doing. Corry: "It is complex because of the strict rules for events in this area. Nevertheless, it was very interesting and a great opportunity to acquire new skills tailored to our customers. I can now help them even better!"
Jaarbeurs has achieved the Green Healthcare Certificate, demonstrating that we can support the compliance policies and specific needs and requirements required when organising a meeting in the medical sector. Now that we comply, the certificate for us mainly means the way it is communicated. Corry: "For instance, to be compliant, you have to look carefully at the right choice of words so that people can make a choice based on their regulations. But you still want to keep talking enthusiastically about the plus points of your venue. In our offers and presentations, we clarify the attractiveness of our venues in the points and ways that are a requirement for medical conferences."
"We have a network of thousands of healthcare professionals"
Meanwhile, Corry is so deep into the matter of the healthcare sector that she knows many ins and outs: "That's what makes my job so much fun. I like talking to clients and reading up on these kinds of topics. That way I know what is going on in the market and what issues there are. It goes beyond renting out a space; I also enjoy hearing people's stories. That way, I can think along with them to get the best out of the conference or event. We work together with many parties in the healthcare sector and we know what is going on. Through Jaarbeurs 's Dutch Health Hub, we have a network of thousands of healthcare professionals, from a nurse to a real estate specialist in healthcare. And we can do a lot with that: from recruiting additional participants to finding speakers for your event."
