A Cbd Success Story:

“The best organisation I have seen in all the conferences…”

Name of organisation: European Association for Developmental Psychology (EADP) and Utrecht University, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
Name of conference: 18th European Conference on Developmental Psychology (ECDP2017)
Date of conference: 29 August –  1 September, 2017

Number of attendees: 830
Venue: Dom Square and Dom Church, Utrecht University Hall, Utrecht Centre for the Art, and Istituto Cervantes
Location: Utrecht, The Netherlands

Why ECDP chose Cbd

At Congress by design, we pride ourselves in the partnerships we have established with various clients around The Netherlands. The ECDP 2017 conference was brought to us through our partnership with the Utrecht Convention Bureau, who introduced us to prof. dr. Susan Branje and the local organizing committee. The last time the conference was in The Netherlands was in 1984; therefore, our team was determined to create a positive and memorable experience for the ECDP delegates.

ECDP’s vision:

• Find a venue in the city centre of Utrecht; displaying the city’s beauty o Create an atmosphere were delegates could move around the venues easily
• Organise a social program to showcase Utrecht
• Keep conference and activities cost effective so all delegates could attend

Cbd overcame this challenge

A total of 4 venues were used simultaneously for 830 delegates during the entire conference. Since the preferred venues were not designed to host international conferences; our challenge lied in creating a professional conference atmosphere for delegates, and having the proper signage to guide and direct delegates smoothly between sessions. This type of challenge required our team and the LOC to offer delegates multiple options to facilitate their transfer between venues during the program.

Cbd overcame this challenge:

• Our team maintained open lines of communication with all venues to ensure the program was executed smoothly
• Our team maintained open lines of communication with all venues to ensure the program was executed smoothly
• Delegates were given all program information before the conference: route descriptions, maps, conference program, wifi information
• Onsite delegates received a pocket programme; including a floor plan for all rooms
• All venues and rooms were recognisable by banners, room signs, venue plans, and arrows indicating the correct direction to the rooms
• More than 50 students helped with signage, as room attendants, or as volunteers at the registration and poster desk

Cbd’s services

It was important for the client that delegates could experience the beautiful city of Utrecht during this 4-day conference, and to find a venue located in the city centre, per the association’s venue guidelines. That is why our team and the LOC decided on the famous Dom Square and Dom Church located in the heart of the city. The Dom church was used as the main venue for plenary sessions, posters, exhibition, catering, and registration. However, 13 parallel rooms were needed to fulfill the program; therefore, the Utrecht University Hall, Utrecht Center of Arts and Istituto Cervantes were contracted to help with the needed rooms.

Cbd team helped with:

• Support in bidding process: composed the bid book together with the Utrecht Convention Bureau and Utrecht University
• Support in bidding process: composed the bid book together with the Utrecht Convention Bureau and Utrecht University
• Overall project management: conference logistics were taken care before, during, and after the conference; organised social program: city activities, conference dinners, and entertainment
• Onsite management: our team was onsite at multiple venues assisting delegates with venue transfers
• Abstract management
• Sponsorship & exhibition management: took care of reaching sponsor targets
• Delegate registration
• Communication: created conference newsletters, developed professional conference interactive app

Successful conference for delegates

Overall, the conference was a success; delegates called the choice of venues and city a “fantastic place” on the conference evaluations. The information provided prior to the conference was highly appreciated by delegates, who rated the information supply a 4.5 (5 being the best score) on their evaluations.

Conference highlights:

• Various venues being used simultaneously
• Social program: Dom Tower tour, DOMunder tour, Pandhof Garden welcome reception, conference dinner at Winkel van Sinkel, guided city walks
• Living Room of Science: during all breaks this space was open for delegates to share their opinions and experiences on science related topics in an informal setting
• Opening ceremony for delegates

Our client: EADP

EADP 

The EADP was founded in 1994 after numerous and active debates had taken place, especially in the previous ten years under the impetus of G. Butterworth and S. Jackson. The main objectives of the EADP are to foster the study of developmental science throughout Europe for the public benefit, to support and train young European researchers, to promote the exchange of related information between members of EADP and learned national and international organizations, and to promote excellence