Network meeting Accommodations de Kempen
Last Thursday, on 30 March 2023, the first network meeting of the cooperating Visit organisations within the Land van de Brabantse Kempen took place. The theme of this meeting was 'Out of the Box', and did we go? Yes indeed! The evening had been organised exclusively for our Kempen accommodation organisations and members of the Land of Brabant Kempen. Jan Burgmans, chairman of Beleef Bergeijk first took us through why we came together and what the future plans of the cooperating 'Visits' are. Cooperation, that's what our new strategy is all about. We therefore plan to repeat these kinds of meetings and scale them up to everyone who is active in tourism in the Kempen. Jan also spoke briefly about the UVP, the implementation programme that we as Visit organisations have together with the four Kempen municipalities for our tourism ambition and the projects that go with it.
Jos Burgers
After this lovely welcome speech, we were taken on an inspiring tour by Jos Burgers, known for a number of bestsellers such as "The law of SNUF", "Never give discounts!" and "One fan every day". Apart from the fact that Jos' keynote was very informative and packed with useful tips - such as the ABC's on Attention, Understanding and Compliments - his entire story was also enormously funny. Many a time, loud laughter resounded through the Coach House of Huize Rustoord, the unique location where we welcomed our guests from the Kempen region.
I have to catch myself saying that in the days that followed, I had to swallow many a 'sucker phrase' and also carefully applied at home some of the tips Jos had around Snuf (his dog) and Julia (his wife). Incidentally, I have already heard several success stories from our participants about - in particular - applying that one tip: 'Always ask for the other person's photos first!' Guaranteed success for a happy homecoming.
Workshop - fans for the Kempen
I myself got to kick off the workshop, which we had devised together with the working group. A 'template' or fill-in-the-blank exercise, containing various questions about how we want to create fans in the Kempen, was the backdrop for this setting. It turned into an interactive hour, during which the group of more than 100 participants - completely mixed up - got to work.
We concluded with a convivial drink in the bar of Huize Rustoord, which continued until late in the evening. During the drinks, all participants had the chance to immerse themselves in the venue. Indeed, all the hotel rooms and artistic corners of the estate were open exclusively to us. It was a real feast for the eyes to wander through the corridors filled with beautiful Baroque-style paintings and modern sculptures. At Huize Rustoord, art is what counts. From chair to coffee table, from lampshade to ashtray and from ornamental frame to rug.
Next steps
During the workshop, we were able to pick up all kinds of great yellows on how to make the '(fish)itors' swim around better in the 'pond' called the Kempen. We will of course take your recommendations all on board. A few inkers include: 'one recognisable logo for the Kempen', 'promote and bundle joint offerings', as well as a 'Kempen goodie bag with flyers about everything there is to do in the area'. When I saw this little gem back, I immediately thought back to Jos' story: '...if you want to scare someone away, give them a flyer.' 'Of course advertising is very useful...', Jos explained, '...but only if you have your story, concept and hospitality in order!' Fortunately, we all know that's fine in the Kempen! See you next time.