CORPUS Congress Centre: ‘They really get how it works!’

Two days full of plenary sessions, team meetings, a comfortable overnight stay and a closing event which spoke to the imagination. MCO Health bv’s first sales cycle was a multi-day conference which fit CORPUS Congress Centre perfectly: fitting ideally with the possibilities of this multi-functional conference location. Ilonka van Maanen, event coordinator at MCO Health BV, mentions the positive aspects of CORPUS without hesitation: ‘The location of the Leiden Bio Science Park, in combination with the nearby Hilton Garden Inn Oestgeest, the high level of catering and the enormously helpful personnel. At CORPUS they really get how it works!’

The human figure at the A44 near Leiden is an iconic building which people often drive past. ‘That was one of the things the delegates really enjoyed’, Ilonka says. ‘Everyone knew the building, but they had never been inside. Everyone was curious!’ Ilonka: ‘As a company that sells food supplements, and thus operates within the health sector, the ‘journey through the human body’ is a journey which speaks to the imagination. Most of all, one of our brands – Orthica – has had its own attraction at the end of the ‘journey through the human body’, since last year, Happy Poop. Within the company no one had seen that attraction, so that was the perfect opportunity to have a conference at CORPUS.’

In the beginning of January, MCO Health bv organised the first Sales Cycle in CORPUS Congress Centre. Two days, plenary sessions, team meetings and an overnight stay in the nearby Hilton Garden Inn Leiden Oegstgeest. Ilonka: CORPUS is a beautiful venue. Because we had the building to ourselves, we had all the space and calmness we needed to make our Sales Cycle a success. We used the large congress hall for the plenary meetings and there were four halls for sub sessions. With the sub halls you can make the room as large or small as you want it to be. From the lounge, you have a beautiful view.’

Besides the fact that the ‘journey through the human body’ offers an interesting invitation for a congress in CORPUS, the location is also perfect: next to the A44, near the Hague, Schiphol Airport, and Noordwijk’s beach. Ilonka: ‘The accessibility in combination with the nearby Hilton Garden Inn Leiden Oegstgeest is worth its weight in gold! CORPUS has brought us into contact with Hilton, which formed a very nice collaboration between these two locations. After the first day, guests could check in with ease, freshen up, and have a diner in the hotel. On Tuesday morning, we could have a fresh start!’

Problem Solver

In terms of a theme, humans have a central position at CORPUS, which is the same in the preparation. Ilonka: ‘It can always be a bit of a search if you organise an event at a location which is new to you. How do they work, how do I work? That went smoothly and easily. At CORPUS, you are assigned to a contact person, which works very comfortably.’ The same thing counted for the day of the event. ‘The duty manager is your problem solver,’ Ilonka says. ‘You call, you ask what you need, and it’s arranged. That destressing element, is a blessing for all event coordinators! You don’t want to concern yourself with not having enough chairs, having too many tables, or missing a cable, but with your clients and colleagues.’

Knowledge of technical assistance and high-quality catering

Ilonka finds one of the biggest challenges of organising a conference to be the technical element: ‘At CORPUS they work with a large IT-department and technical support. Problems can be solved very quickly as a result. You often can’t influence the technical element yourself, and I don’t have much experience with it, so technical support is simply very useful at a congress venue.’ She was also very satisfied with the catering: ‘Good fresh sandwiches, soups and juices. I think CORPUS’ catering is also on a very high level, any wishes for diet adjustments were perfectly accounted for.’ And the little things? ‘Specially ordered petit fours with a festive logo, pallets with printed material which could be delivered somewhere. CORPUS will arrange that for you. That support is extra pleasant. That also makes CORPUS Congress Centre a venue to be recommended.’ So, we achieved our mission!