LCB speaker at Tourism Summit 2023
At the invitation of NBTC, Corine van der Ceelen had the opportunity to speak at the Tourism Summit 2023 on behalf of Leiden Convention Bureau. This edition of the Tourism Summit took place in Drenthe and revolved around the theme 'Space'. This theme prompted Corine to speak about dealing with the historic city centre and conferences in Leiden. This is because the inner city of Leiden, due to its size and layout, serves perfectly as a conference venue. "By linking different congress locations in Leiden, much more is possible for business event organisers. We are more flexible, can work more tailor-made, and the congress participants experience much more of the city than they would otherwise," Corine says. "In the Pieterskwartier (Peter's Church Quarter) alone, you will find enough congress space to scale up to 2,500 guests. The Cultuurkwartier (Culture Quarter) also offers a perfect solution for linking nearby congress venues. We are increasingly marketing these 'quarters' in this way for this reason."
And not only conference organisers and participants benefit from this way of thinking. Local entrepreneurs also benefit better and smarter from convention attendance. "Congress participants are more likely to drop in somewhere for a coffee to go or a nice lunch on their way between different venues. In addition, several partners naturally share in the benefit of congress attendance if such a link is chosen," Corine explains. Finally, as far as Leiden Convention Bureau is concerned, the 'quarter thinking' is also very positive for the local population. Leiden residents become more involved in the science taking place in Leiden because of the increased buzz in the city. For example, the university's walls are briefly breached, and locals get a chance to take a peek into this world.
We were able to experience the success of quarter thinking in Leiden for the first time really well during ESOF 2022. The EuroScience Open Forum, a multidisciplinary science congress and the bringer of the title 'European City of Science 2022', was organised this way. "The Pieterskerk served as the congress floor, the sessions took place in the Stadsgehoorzaal and the Kamerlingh Onnes Building, among others, the receptions were at Hortus botanicus and the 'Science in the City' festival was organised on the Pieterskerk square. Thus, the whole Pieterskwartier was dominated by the congress during the week of ESOF 2022. We would like to continue this way of organising congresses in the future.
