When Miranda de Regt and Leon Mur of Iventus started organizing conferences for the Life Sciences sector twenty years ago, networking was still a matter of business cards and luck. Today, technology is indispensable at their conferences, such as the Dutch Life Sciences Conference. Yet in a world of fast-moving apps and digital tools, Iventus consciously chooses one constant factor: the collaboration with Networkapp.
When Miranda and her team began organizing conferences in the biotechnology and agrifood industries, the networking landscape looked very different. They pioneered with physical “SpotMe” devices, Swiss gadgets that had to be flown in to create on-site matches using flashing lights. “It was innovative, but logistically a huge challenge”, Miranda recalls.
After a brief detour with their own, simpler app, the choice in 2016 definitively fell on Networkapp. Iventus decided to focus on what they do best, organizing conferences, and leave the technology to the specialists at Networkapp.
Nearly ten years later, what makes this collaboration endure for so long? According to Miranda, it lies partly in the personal connection and a shared vision of quality. “It doesn’t feel like a client-supplier relationship; it’s a true partnership. We have been working for years with a fixed team at Networkapp: Elma, Michiel and Iris. That continuity creates an enormous level of trust.”
Elma Bassa, owner of Networkapp, agrees. “What makes the collaboration with Iventus so special is the mutual willingness to invest in each other. Miranda and her team give us the honest feedback we need to keep innovating. They challenge us, but are also open to our suggestions. That is the only way a platform can truly grow along with the needs of a sector.”
The shared vision of both parties starts with the belief that technology is successful when it relieves the organizer, not burdens them. For Elma, this is the guiding principle of Networkapp. “We understand that an organizer primarily seeks peace of mind and control. You don’t want a complex platform that becomes an extra full-time job to set up, but a partner who thinks along with you. That is why we don’t focus on ‘features for the sake of features’, but on what reduces workload and creates space to focus on content and guests.”
Miranda immediately recognizes this down-to-earth approach in daily practice. “On the day of the event, you have a thousand things on your mind”, she explains. “You want to be able to trust your technology blindly. For us, it is crucial that a platform takes work off our hands instead of creating additional questions or management overhead. It has to be intuitive, both for the visitor and for our own team in the back end. The app is a digital extension for us that makes it easier to stay in control on the day itself.”
For Miranda, the choice for the future is clear: deepening the collaboration is more important than constant change. “We don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time, but want to perfect it together with Networkapp.” That stability brings peace of mind to the organization and a familiar experience for participants. “When you have a partner who understands your business, shares your vision and is willing to invest in the relationship, you don’t just look back on ten great years, but above all look ahead to the next ten with a great deal of confidence.”
Elma fully agrees. “That mutual trust is the foundation of everything we do. For us, looking ahead means continuing to listen and continuing to build together on a platform that makes organizing events easier and strengthens human connection. We are proud of how we have grown together and have the ambition to raise the bar a little higher every time. The foundation is solid, the vision is shared; we are ready for the future.”