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 Royal Jaarbeurs and the way we do things. How? By getting to know our most valuable asset: our people. Martijn Harmelink is team leader Logistics & Cybersecurity and is, among other things, responsible for managing the sales teams of the events ICT & Logistics, Logistica, Cybersec Europe & NL.
Sales is in Martijn's blood, he has a great passion for this skill. That used to be different. Indeed, at 18, he was an introvert and even looked up to sales people a bit. He admired them for walking up to others and starting a conversation without fear. Until he asked himself the question: is it really that exciting? And to step out of his comfort zone, he decided to take up a sales position with a garden furniture company. He noticed something special. He says: "Once you are in that flow, you start looking to connect with each other and let go of selling. You meet many different people, of all ages, with their own areas of expertise and you can learn from everyone. That has stuck.'
With this knowledge in his pocket, years later he started at Jaarbeurs as an account manager and grew as team lead Logistics & Cybersecurity. Sales is still an important part of his work here. About 75% of his time is spent on sales and relationship management. The other 25% covers managing sales staff where he acts as supervisor and point of contact.
'Sales is not just cold sales here. A lot of work has to do with relationship management'
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 Royal Jaarbeurs and the way we do things. How? By getting to know our most valuable asset: our people. Martijn Harmelink is team leader Logistics & Cybersecurity and is, among other things, responsible for managing the sales teams of the events ICT & Logistics, Logistica, Cybersec Europe & NL.
Martijn is enjoying his sales role at Jaarbeurs. He says: 'If you boil it down very flat, we sell square metres and valuable meetings. Ultimately, you want to fill the exhibition and conference centre as well as possible to reflect a qualitatively strong and complete reflection of the market. There is more to that. We are constantly looking for ways to provide our customers with valuable contacts throughout the year. With over 100 years of experience, Jaarbeurs has a huge network that our customers can tap into. Besides, it's not just cold sales, as much of my work comes down to relationship management. We also take a close look at what is moving in the market and which companies we can tap into to create impact. We therefore regularly visit other conferences, trade fairs and network meetings.
'The sense of purpose of Jaarbeurs is very valuable to me'
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 Royal Jaarbeurs and the way we do things. How? By getting to know our most valuable asset: our people. Martijn Harmelink is team leader Logistics & Cybersecurity and is, among other things, responsible for managing the sales teams of the events ICT & Logistics, Logistica, Cybersec Europe & NL.
Being able to contribute something to society, Martijn finds one of the advantages of working at Jaarbeurs. 'We facilitate valuable meetings here for 2.5 million visitors a year. That is really special. In my view, Jaarbeurs has a strong social function. It is enormously important that we continue to visit each other physically. By this I am not saying that we should not embrace the digital society, but the value of a physical event that takes place once or twice a year is becoming increasingly important. The meaning of Jaarbeurs - and I mean the purpose - is very valuable to me. Look at the BouwBeurs, for example, where we bring together the entire construction sector of the Benelux. By sharing all that knowledge and expertise, we make an important contribution to developments within the building industry in the Netherlands.'
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 Royal Jaarbeurs and the way we do things. How? By getting to know our most valuable asset: our people. Martijn Harmelink is team leader Logistics & Cybersecurity and is, among other things, responsible for managing the sales teams of the events ICT & Logistics, Logistica, Cybersec Europe & NL.
Martijn says he can find his niche at any company, as long as he does what he likes. Yet he very consciously chooses Jaarbeurs, especially because of the people and the culture: 'In the end, it all comes from within. I am convinced of that. There are many great companies, but at Jaarbeurs the people are really nice and the atmosphere is good. It is informal and everyone is friendly. We want to help each other here and go for success together.'
'I still feast my eyes here'
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 Royal Jaarbeurs and the way we do things. How? By getting to know our most valuable asset: our people. Martijn Harmelink is team leader Logistics & Cybersecurity and is, among other things, responsible for managing the sales teams of the events ICT & Logistics, Logistica, Cybersec Europe & NL.
When asked what Martijn remembers most about his career at Jaarbeurs so far, he mentions the events and the run-up to them. 'I am about to have a second child and I am already struggling to wallpaper a baby's room, paint and lay a floor. And at Jaarbeurs, an entire village is simply created within two to three days. Literally! I still find that really special. You really feast your eyes. You see all your customers together for a week and everyone is in a good vibe. Energy connects people. And when you see that happen ... you really feel it. THIS is what you and your team have worked so hard towards. In the end, we brought tens of thousands of people together and you know there's trade driven and serious knowledge shared.'
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 Royal Jaarbeurs and the way we do things. How? By getting to know our most valuable asset: our people. Martijn Harmelink is team leader Logistics & Cybersecurity and is, among other things, responsible for managing the sales teams of the events ICT & Logistics, Logistica, Cybersec Europe & NL.
Check our vacancies at werkenbij.jaarbeurs.nl
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 Royal Jaarbeurs and the way we do things. How? By getting to know our most valuable asset: our people. Martijn Harmelink is team leader Logistics & Cybersecurity and is, among other things, responsible for managing the sales teams of the events ICT & Logistics, Logistica, Cybersec Europe & NL.
