Impact Fair in Utrecht
5 reasons why you should go to the Impact Fair
Organizer Micha van Hoorn and his team are busy with the final preparations to ensure that everything runs smoothly when the Impact Fair in Utrecht (Holland) starts. Organizing such an event is quite a roller coaster: a two-day trade fair followed by an open day on the Saturday. But it’s worth the effort! What are the top 5 reasons to come to Utrecht on April 3, 4 or 5, in his opinion?
1. Learn
We have a great program with 140 speakers spread over 7 stages. Based on practical tips, tricks and tools, our visitors discover how they can get started today with the world of tomorrow. They do this by sharing their knowledge and inspiring others in various impact domains, in the broadest sense of the word. You can learn more about a sustainable economy, but also, for example, how to cook healthier.
2. Meet
Every impact agenda indicates that we need to accelerate. How do you do that? By working together more. But to do that properly, you first have to get to know each other. At the Impact Fair, we facilitate meaningful meetings where people can discuss how they can strengthen each other and make a greater impact together. There will be meet-ups, speed dating sessions, dating shows, guided tours and networking drinks. Everything is designed to maximize introductions and connections. We also have a great app where you can connect with each other. All parties are present: we connect leaders, young people, engaged citizens, government, social enterprises, corporates, NGOs, SMEs, educators, associations and funds. In short, representatives from all sectors of society will be there.
3. Do
There are 108 interactive experiences that let visitors discover how they can make more of an impact. We are the only impact experience center in the world and certainly the largest in Europe. You can take immediate action to make the world a better place. Think about planting trees, cleaning up litter, recipes for vegetarian or plant-based cooking, playing serious games, going to a pop-up cinema or experiencing the overview effect with VR. All activities that you can do right away to make a positive contribution. The exhibitors also tell their mission-driven story in an interactive way, which makes it easier to understand and remember. And last but not least: experiencing something firsthand makes you more likely to share it with others.
4. Leadership
This year, for the first time, we have a Leaders xCHANGE, which is all about doing business with impact. How can your company be a force for good? How can you ensure that you will stand out as a force for good and commit to the SDG ambitions, for example? The very top of the business community will be present. The economy continues to play a major role in the whole. How can you make doing good financially attractive? You can talk to more than 400 leaders about how to do business with a positive impact. In this way, the most influential group in the Netherlands can transform into the most impactful group our country has ever seen.
5. Movement
We really are a movement. We are all committed to the future of the world. Your impact should be positive and meaningful. It should be fun and cheerful. The so-called positive impact. There are many organizations that stand for this. We set the agenda, but we do so in an optimistic way. We show how much fun it is to do good. That approach to marketing and messaging will help us reach a wider audience. We want to become a ‘household name for impact makers’. This strategy will also bring us more quickly to the social tipping point that prominent sustainability scientist Jan Rotmans talks about so much: once you have persuaded 25% of a group to change, that becomes the norm. That is 4.5 million people in the Netherlands. By attending the Impact Fair, you take the first step in becoming a changemaker.
Interview: Michel de Ruyter – Sustainable Content Agency
Sustainability Content Agency will be hosting a workshop on Sustainable Storytelling at the Impact Fair on Friday afternoon, April 4, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. For the full schedule of all three days, please visit (only in Dutch): https://impactfairnederland.nl/academy/#blokkenschema.
