Events and webinars during a pandemic

In 2019, four of the five FHI branches organized approximately twenty events with a total of approximately five thousand visitors. With the focus on neutral knowledge transfer and good combinations of content from member groups to specific markets, the events went very well. From March 2020, a rapid switch was made to webinars and other online activities. This took some getting used to for exhibitors and it was still an ideal tool for visitors. From the summer of 2021 onwards we will have to look for the right approach.

The conference is on November 9 (just before the government's most recent press conference). Bits, Bricks & Behavior organized in De Kuip. There were physical presentations from Feyenoord City Stadium, various universities and end users. The program focused on smart buildings, sustainability and practical applications. The combination of practicality with the most current technology is evident, for example, from ASR's title: “This is the time to do it”, realization of the largest and smartest bi-directional EV charging plaza in the world. The current news from Feyenoord City Stadium was only possible to share by being physically present. We also see the importance of a normal event.

After that recent press conference, a number of events moved to an online version, but the data center event opted for a hybrid version. The speaker of Arcadis at the end of the program addressed the climate challenges and the impact on the construction and use of data centers. The expertise that comes together on such a day is also crucial for initiating desired changes.

It Lab Analysis event, which was to take place on November 23, has been stopped due to the current measures. After the LabNL fair could not take place in September, this is once again a disappointment, meaning that the visit will miss a presentation from KWR, for example. They would discuss sewage water as a source for COVID-19 monitoring.

With members, exhibitors and colleagues, the FHI branches continue to work on the possibilities to advance expertise in the technical business chains. Nowadays it is always a struggle how we do that. However, the interest still remains high, through all those waves.