In the beautiful Beatrix Theatre, where the stage is normally the place for musical stars to shine, young impact makers from all over the world gathered for the festive opening of the Enactus World Cup conference in October 2023. For three days, 1,500 international students pitched their most impactful sustainability idea to inspiring leaders from business and civil society organizations. The Enactus World Cup is not just any event; it's a platform where young impact makers get to share their ideas and projects with the world and where innovation and passion go hand in hand with a sustainable future.
Who's gonna save the world tonight?
In and around Royal Jaarbeurs, the space was buzzing with energy, discipline and youthfull entrepreneurship. Jeroen van Hooff, CEO Royal Jaarbeurs, still gets goosebumps when thinking about the festive and meaningfull event: "You could see the pride in the eyes of all those young, talented students, representing their country with the best sustainability idea. I tryly felt the togetherness with and amongst the international student teams. And, in light of what is happening in the world at the moment, the song 'Who's gonna save the world tonight...' blew through the sound boxes. Exactly, I thought: the young social entrepreneurs of the future sitting in the audience with us."
"Shortly before the opening ceremony, Jaarbeurs square was one big international flag parade, it looks like a mini-Olympics!", said one of the young impact makers.
Proudly hosting the leaders of the future
The Enactus World Cup brings together the most talented and passionate students working on international pioneering projects in the field of sustainability. For the organisation of Enactus Netherlands, it was a logical choice to host their World Cup at Royal Jaarbeurs. Nancy Moorman, director Enactus Netherlands: "The team at Royal Jaarbeurs works hard to continue making steps to achieve their ambition of becoming the most sustainable event venue in Europe. Jeroen already indicated that the tips and tricks from the talented young impact makers during this event will be seriously considered by their organisation. Of course we are happy to contribute to that!"
Jeroen continued: "I love to see how these young, social entrepreneurs inspire us with solutions to solve the biggest social and environmental problems around the world. Sustainability and innovation are leading topics and at the same time our strategic pillars. I am inspired by the future leaders who continue to delve into these themes."
