Who's who at FHI: How is branch manager Marc Berkouwer doing now?

Marc Berkouwer (33) has worked at FHI for approximately seven and a half years, including a year and a half as a branch manager Industrial electronics. Before that, he was active in the trade fair team and helped organize the trade fairs. As a sector manager, Marc acts as a connector and brings parties together at events, fairs, but also the FHI clusters: “Some entrepreneurs decide to take out a membership with FHI precisely because of the cluster meetings.”

By Frank van de Ven

Marc lives with his girlfriend and two sons in Almere. Until recently, the FHI office in Leusden was his second home until the corona crisis struck mercilessly. Now he mainly works from home. “After years of enjoying organizing the World of Technology & Science (WoTS) and Electronics & Applications (E&A) fairs, I decided in March 2019 to work for the Industrial Electronics sector,” he says. “I enjoy bringing people together and helping them. I enjoy that. What I also like is that I am still involved in organizing the IE events and the E&A and WoTS fairs.”

FHI is an organization that is constantly on the move. “The biggest change I have experienced within FHI is the switch to online,” says Marc. Due to COVID-19, this switch has accelerated. “The pandemic may not have been the most ideal start for me, but I look back on it as a period in which we immediately put our shoulders to the wheel and where we organized successful events and meetings together with the members, board and FHI office. Within FHI, a cautious start had already been made with investing in online, but that process was greatly accelerated by the pandemic. We looked at how we could stay in touch with our members online, but more importantly how members can get or stay in touch with their customers. I think we have succeeded well in this and I am very satisfied when I see what we have achieved in a short time.”

Positive input
Nowadays, many FHI meetings and events take place mainly online. “That took a bit of a turnaround, but it is yielding good results,” says the branch manager. “Digitalization had one notable advantage. It soon became apparent that our online events attracted a new audience. We did not see these people at our physical events before, but they were present during webinars and online events. That is an interesting development and also the reason why our events will be hybrid in the future. During the day E&A 2021 we will also stream the seminars online, so that people can watch these presentations at home from their computer. This is how we bring online and physical together.”

The digitization process has gone smoothly. “What I am extremely proud of is that we switched so quickly,” says Marc. “We looked at what was possible and not at what was not possible. That positive approach is what I like about FHI. There has been a lot of contact with the members and boards to identify their needs. There are clusters set up in which like-minded people come together to discuss the future of the industry.”

Cluster meetings
Trends and developments are discussed in the cluster meetings. “By talking to our members we can help them expand their network. The cluster meetings also increase mutual solidarity. We also discuss market developments. The move to digital is a good example of this.”

The cluster meetings are a bull's eye, says Marc: “Some entrepreneurs decide to take out a membership with FHI precisely because of the cluster meetings. These meetings are very useful and educational. Members also discover that an online presence helps their business further. Content creation is another point of attention that we are investing heavily in. That is why we hired an editor for this new service at the beginning of this year. The contentservice helps entrepreneurs create content.”

Member profile
Content creation is truly a profession in itself. “Our members can use our permanent IP editor at a reduced rate Frank van de Ven. With stimulating copy you attract attention and you can generate more leads. He can, among other things, assist in completing the extensive member profile. Since this year, the possibilities of this profile have been expanded and improved. Members can use this updated profile for free. Because FHI scores well in Google rankings, we can help members increase their online findability. The member profile is on the FHI website. This means that through us people can find a specific company that has a (well) filled member profile. Through the profile, potential customers can end up on the website of the company in question. So it is certainly worthwhile to complete the member profile. FHI members can also post news items themselves on the FHI website and on the events and trade fair sites.”

Online presence is very important for FHI. “However, that does not mean that we are not looking forward to physical events. What we have learned from this pandemic is that there is a target group that is mainly active online. The webinars attracted a new audience, so we will continue to focus on digital seminars in addition to physical meetings. Hybrid events are the future, but of course I can't wait to meet the members 'live' again!”, concludes Marc.