Resilience and mentality to get through tough times - September 2023 4M

Jelmer van Ast is the CEO & Founder of Conference Compass, a pioneer of event apps since 2009. Their apps have been used at over a thousand conferences, including most of the world's largest association conferences. With their all-in-one virtual and mobile event app platform, Conference Compass enables organisations to engage their communities around events year-round, seamlessly uniting the online and in-person experience.
 

Jelmer holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence and knows first-hand what it takes to publish scientific research and deliver engaging presentations. With his roots in academia together with over 10 years of experience building an event tech company, he and his team stand by their customers to manage the virtual, live and hybrid experience.

Experienced Director with a demonstrated history in marketing, branding and acquisition. Entrepreneurial spirit, international oriented, commercial driven. Strong professional skilled in Congress, Hospitality and Destination Management Industry, Management, Account Management and Strategy.”

Our team of experienced professionals in the field of destination marketing, convention bureaus, conference organization, MICE, hospitality and digital technology joined forces to offer you the option for a problem we have been struggling with ourselves for years.

We have found that in our market, there is a huge lack of independent benchmarking options for cities and venues. There are so many different parameters that matter when a conference organizer chooses a destination. Nowadays, it’s not just the number of hotel rooms you are offering anymore. Times change, and in modern times organizers are looking for a number of metrics when deciding where their next event will be held. They need stronger content, knowledge hubs, more delegates, marketing support and hybrid solutions. Cities evolve and invest in certain sectors or knowledge hubs, differentiating themselves from their competitors.

We decided to build the solution to the problem we have been dealing with for years, so we can help hundreds of destinations and venues across the world in the promotion of their destinations and attracting the right clients: because there is a huge underserved market on smaller meetings out there! Conferences with organizers who are also seeking for the right content, knowledge hubs, hybrid solutions and unique characteristics of your destination.

As a team, we are driven by our passion for this market, our curiosity in new solutions and our ingenuity to come up with new solutions. We let go of old structures, and give the power to our users. We create new solutions, and dare to innovate. With a new way of thinking, we reinvent the old industry and offer a fast and efficient experience for the conference organizer of the future.

Voted as a Top Five Speaker in Spice Magazine’s Hot 100, and one of Eventex’ 100 Most Influence People in the Events Industry, Sam McNeill is one of the most in-demand Corporate MC’s & Facilitators. Sam has hosted over 700 in-person, virtual and hybrid experiences including musical team building workshops, gala awards events and product launches on five continents.

Sam’s accolades include winning ‘Future Leader’ awards for both Meetings & Events Australia (MEA) and the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), as well as being included in Connect Corporate’s esteemed list of ’40 under 40’ industry professionals. Most recently Sam was the recipient of the Prestigious ’David Hackett’ award presented by Meeting Needs, for services to Charity within the events industry.

Sam’s professionalism and energy has made him a favourite among some of the biggest brands in the world including Coca- Cola, Microsoft, SAP, Roche, and BP. However, Sam’s greatest professional moment was performing at a Virgin Airlines event where Sir Richard Branson planted a kiss on Sam’s cheek..... He’s still blushing!

Sam holds a Degree in Classical Music Studies from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and is an accredited Wiley DiSC Facilitator.

Sébastien Braun is the CEO and founder of idloom, a Belgian-based company that provides event management software solutions. He is responsible for the development and implementation of idloom's platform, which offers features such as event registration, ticketing, and attendee management.

Prior to launching idloom, Sébastien worked in various roles in the technology and innovation sector, including as a consultant at Arthur D. Little, a global management consulting firm. Sébastien has a background in economy and finance and is recognized as an expert in event management technology.

Co-founder of Kubify, an event and educational technology start-up. Experienced strategist, project manager and researcher, with extensive experience of working in higher education and building links with the public and commercial sectors. Skilled in Educational Technology, Communication, Project Development & Management, Qualitative Research and Education.