Utrecht: Heart of Health. The region where we work together towards a healthier, sustainable future. This has not gone unnoticed worldwide either, as last November Utrecht hosted the international European Healthy Cities Network Conference. The conference took place over several days and at different venues, including Koninklijke Jaarbeurs. Each day, the programme started in the red plush of the Beatrix Theatre. We look back with Miriam Weber, healthy city coordinator at Utrecht municipality.
'The congress is an annual event of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network' says Miriam. 'Any municipality can submit a bid book to organise it. It matches the ambitions of the municipality of Utrecht, so we were keen to bring this congress to our city. We therefore knocked on Jaarbeurs s door to gauge whether we could work together. Kelly, our contact at Jaarbeurs, immediately made a reservation and provided valuable information for the bid book, including promotional material and photos. The Utrecht Convention Bureau turned these into a fancy slider. And with success: WHO was also very impressed.'
Intensive cooperation will follow, from September 2022 until the congress in November 2023, the various parties will be in regular contact. After all, it is not an everyday congress. Because with more than 350 participants, political representatives and experts from more than 70 cities and national networks, it requires the necessary preparation. Miriam looks back on it with a smile: 'This was hugely important for everyone. And fortunately it ran so smoothly right from the start. Contact has been smooth throughout the year.'
And then the date gets closer; you would expect the tension to be cut to the bone. Yet it was not that bad, according to Miriam: 'A week before the congress, the WHO team came to Utrecht. For instance, they wanted to have a look at Jaarbeurs. The WHO's technical colleague wanted to know all the details surrounding the technology; he had seen too many times in the past at other locations that something was not properly organised after all. Kelly made sure the stageman could provide additional explanation about the technology. Every time we went over something, WHO was positively surprised. At Jaarbeurs, it is all integrated and almost everything is possible.'
The congress took place at various locations in Utrecht, but each day the programme started at the Beatrix Theatre. 'That was a conscious choice,' says Miriam. 'It really is something else than a chilly, business hall. You're in a theatre, the atmosphere is immediately there. We also used other floors in the Beatrix Building for the parallel sessions and lunch.'
Looking back, Miriam considers the congress a great success. She says: 'Nothing went wrong, not even a little thing. I also heard it from others: there was so much enthusiasm and joy in those days. This has simply been the best congress we have had. The experience ... it was wonderful. When I look back at the photos, only joy radiates from them. Evaluating with Jaarbeurs was also only praise. Oh yes, there was one little thing. A cracker that would taste better with some toppings on it. Something else we just couldn't think of. That's how well and pleasantly it went!'
After the congress, the organising team did not have a blue monday, but a 'blue December feeling', she says. 'We worked so hard for a year, everything was centred on the congress. It's just a hangover that we no longer speak to each other as much. At the same time, the track has triggered something strong in us. It shows that we in Utrecht have the strengths to develop something beautiful when you share an ambition. We are going to put health more and more on the agenda. Utrecht is the Heart of Health. We want to achieve that, among other things, by bringing more opportunities like this to the city. So in the future, we will definitely work together again.'
Photos: Ruben Philipse
About European Healthy Cities Network Conference
Number of visitors/participants: more than 350
Visitors/participants come from: 53 different countries
Location used + session rooms: Beatrix Theatre and Building
Purpose of the meeting: ALV, knowledge and inspiration exchange and 35th anniversary celebration
Visitors' satisfaction rating for the location: no rating, but very positive reactions: partly due to the central location.
Special feature: huge delegation of mayors, aldermen, politicians and administrators
Account manager Kelly
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