The Maastricht Region is the destination for (inter)national multi-day conferences in the field of health and (bio) materials. This was the conclusion during the presentation of the new Maastricht Region Bidbook, which was offered to alderman John Aarts and prof. Marja van Dieijen-Visser, Chairman of the Board of the Maastricht University Medical Center+ (Maastricht UMC+). Every year, about 55 tailor made bidbooks are used to convince organizers of large conferences to organize their conference in the Maastricht Region.
The new Maastricht Region Bidbook explains why a conference should be held here in an attractive and clarifying wat. Next to the official invitation to the organization, it contains among other things recommendation letters of the parties and governments involved and the conference programme, including the informal part for networking, the possibilities of MECC Maastricht, finance and logistic aspects are discussed as well.
Good conference facilities, an enjoyable city and beautiful surroundings are no longer enough nowadays. A destination has to offer conferences substantive added value. Therefore, Maastricht Convention Bureau and MECC Maastricht closely work with the Brightlands Campuses to give better insight into this substantive added value. For instance: there are company visits and networking moments on the campuses during the decision-making phase of the congress organizers and during the conferences.
“Both the regional campuses as well as international congress organizers acknowledge the substantive added value of conferences which themes match the regional focus. Conferences offer the opportunity to create new international liaisons and companies located on the campuses as well as conference delegates can expand their specialism network. These new bidbooks and logo allow us even better to put our unique proposition on the map,” says Jurgen Moors, Managing Director of the Maastricht Convention Bureau.
Conferences are very important for the Maastricht Region. Not only do they generate a huge turnover for the city (conference delegates spend € 365,- per day according to the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions), they also put the province of Limburg on the map as an international knowledge economy, with the Brightlands Campuses and their scientific focuses as the centre. The presentation of a bidbook and the promotion of the Maastricht Region as the destination for a specific conference, take place during an earlier edition of that conference. At that moment, the Maastricht Region presents an impeccable bidbook which is worked out in detail. A Selection Committee then determines in which country and which city the future conference will take place.
