Sustainable and effective networking during congress hosted by Lokaal Sportbeleid

Published at: 02-11-2023

On March 8 and 9, the 48th edition the Lokaal Sportbeleid congress took place in Bruges. Annual meeting of Lokaal Sportbeleid experts from all over Flanders. These two days will focus on current challenges within sports services. This year’s Networkapp was successfully introduced at the conference and it will continue to make big changes within the community of the Lokaal Sportbeleid Network!

The Lokaal Sportbeleid Network is a membership association and knowledge centre for quality sports and recreation policy. Throughout Flanders, experts and officials working in the athletic sector are affiliated. They gather knowledge, offer training and facilitate training within the industry. With the highlight: the two-day conference.

Requested from different angles

The demand for an app for the conference came from several angles, says Niels, communications manager at Network Lokaal Sportbeleid. “As a team, we had agreed on the added value of an app for a while, and it was also a recurring point from the 2022 conference evaluation among attendees. So we started looking and settled on Networkapp.”

An all-in-one solution

The first conversation with Elma was right on target, Niels says: “It turned out to be very interesting for us. All positive things that fit our needs and convinced us to choose Networkapp.”

The congress has already hosted 48 editions, so the organization knows exactly what they want and don’t want. The four main components that the Lokaal Sportbeleid network was looking for in an app: 

  • Ease of use: all information in one place easy to find;
  • Sustainability: previously they used conference booklets handed out at the entrance, but wanted to reduce the printing waste;
  • Networking: easily connect with other participants;
  • Inform: deliver news to members in a quick and efficient manner.

Positive evaluation

A trial run is always a bit nerve-wracking, as was the rollout of Networkapp during the Lokaal Sportbeleid congress. During the conference, the Networkapp was downloaded and given a positive evaluation by 78% of participants. Niels and his team are so pleased with the app that they are now in the process of rolling it out further for use throughout the year. “That’s also kind of Networkapp’s strength,” Niels says. “We used it at the conference, but Networkapp can also ensure that our community is connected throughout the year.”

365 days of community building

“The knowledge of the Lokaal Sportbeleid network lies with our members. As a member of the online community, you can ask a question and someone on the other side of Flanders may have a perfect answer. The main thing we want to achieve is for people to start asking a lot of questions, sharing knowledge and creating connections. It will also be easier to share news. Now we already do that through a lot of communication channels – such as a newsletter, social media, website, et cetera – but with Networkapp we are even closer to the members.”