Friesland Convention Partners on the road to international acclaim

Friesland is surprising, versatile and consists of no less than nine different landscapes. It is watery and thus known for its water sports, skating and, of course, the Elfstedentocht. The compact region with its excellent infrastructure and accessibility is also very much in the cultural and business arena. We spoke with Herma van Keulen, director of Friesland Convention Partners.

Friesland Convention Partners was founded in 2017 with the aim of positioning the province more strongly as an interesting region through the acquisition of multi-day conventions and forms a partnership between stakeholders within the MICE sector. The excellent kick-start of Leeuwarden-Fryslân as European Capital of Culture in 2018 gave this initiative a boost to promote Friesland as a business destination, which has given a solid boost to the events market.

Role
Herma: "With an enthusiastic team of six employees, we are active in bringing congresses to Friesland and offer support in finding suitable, modern congress venues and hotels. Our role is to efficiently facilitate congresses in Friesland and to relieve organizers of their worries with a suitable offer. Through a wide network of partners, we know how to approach the right people who fit the needs of our relations. We can bring every client into contact with suitable Frisian parties and thus jointly realize a unique event."

Versatile
"Friesland consists of half of water and is therefore unmistakably a water province. It is therefore the European leader in the field of water technology. Think of a large number of research and educational institutions such as Wetsus, 'Center of Expertise Watertechnology' and the title 'European Capital of Water Technology'. Friesland is also on the world map for its developments in sustainable agriculture with knowledge institution Dairy Campus and well-known dairy companies bringing employment, knowledge and development. Finally, we in Friesland are going for the most circular region in 2025 where we fight for a sustainable, future-proof province. For all these angles we would like to facilitate (inter)national conferences."

World Trade Center partnership
"In 2018, the 49th WTC congress was organized in Leeuwarden. This received the highest appreciation from international delegations compared to previous congresses. Visitors found this the most attractive congress, how nice is that! This led to a partnership with WTC Las Vegas. Americans in particular are charmed by Friesland anyway. After all, the founder of New York, Stuyvesant came from Friesland."

Source: https://www.meetingsplatform.nl/algemeen/friesland-convention-partners-op-weg-naar-internationale-bekendheid/