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.
With more than 25 years of experience in events, he once explained the difference between a 35mm slide projector and power-point slides.
Today he's still doing this😉 while in the meantime helping people to understand the differences & possibilities between hybrid, virtual, online, live, platform, tools and many other technical phrases that could impact your event or meeting.
We are often asked ‘what exactly we do,’ and there’s no easy answer. Yes, we’ve designed and implemented amazing events, delivered specialist services, launched new businesses and helped thousands of individuals and organisations achieve their objectives. But every day brings us new challenges and opportunities, which is why the best description of Realise is ‘the oil in the events engine.’
I also run a successful learning and development consultancy, specialising in essential "soft skills" training and coaching. And I have the pleasure of writing for several leading business magazines covering the meetings and events industry, as well as presenting and facilitating at numerous events around the globe.
I'm the creator and MD of Ideas Nest, the website that acts as a 'dating agency' for those who have great ideas and are looking for supporters and investors to make them a reality.
I also undertake a variety of consulting, advisory, speaking, mentoring and NED roles for event agencies needing the guidance that comes with grey hairs and battle scars. I'm also happy to start with sharing free advice and opinion to early stage businesses or those struggling with life’s challenges.
Passionate sales and marketing professional, dedicated to driving business growth through creative strategies, powerful networking, and goal-driven leadership.
I specialise in supporting companies that are either struggling and in need of fresh ideas and leadership, or established businesses navigating new challenges. My expertise lies in identifying opportunities, strengthening networks, and driving results.
With a proven track record of helping businesses increase sales, expand market reach, and execute impactful events, I thrive on delivering results that matter.
Let’s connect! Whether you’re looking for strategic growth, innovative event management, or powerful marketing solutions, I’d love to explore how we can collaborate.
Specialties:
• Community Leadership
• Strategic Planning & Business Growth
• Event & Project Management
• Sales & Marketing Strategy
• Creative Concept Development
• High-Impact Networking
Compassion – Sincerity – Empathy are words I choose to live by.
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.
With an academic background in economics and finance and experience in strategy consulting, my approach combines analytics and business acumen. I apprehend clients’ projects from a business perspective, and bridge the gap between real life situations and technical solutions. I am driven by customer satisfaction and success, and take great joy in helping clients reach their goals in today’s global digital ecosystem.
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.
