Jan Groen thinks Biokennisweek is a perfect fit for 'new reality'.
Biokennisweek starts in less than a week. From Monday, January 1st you can’t only visit online booths of various companies but for only 25 euros you can also access 90 in-depth workshops held from 18 to 22 of January 2021.
"That is of course a unique opportunity to expand your knowledge," says Jan Groen. Jan is involved in both parts. With his company Green Organics, he participates in the Biokennisweek with a booth and is involved in several workshops. Jan is one of the speakers for the 'Supply chain approach for more organic seed' workshop on Tuesday, January 19, from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m. which will be held together with Heleen Bos of Rijk Zwaan, and Carel Bouma, member of the expert group for organic starting material.
Manning an online booth is entirely new for Green Organics. "We have no experience with online trade fairs and our regular activities also continue, but I believe we can combine the two. After all, you can decide to only man your booth at certain times or even days. Due to the many online options, getting in contact, and finding a match can be done at any time. How great is that?"
However, Green Organics has already had some positive experiences with online events. "On December 1, we held our own Green Organics webinar for our growers, with as a theme 'The power of connection'. At one point, we even had 130 participants. We received a lot of positive reactions to this."
Are companies reluctant?
As president of BioNederland, Jan also notices that there is not (yet) an overwhelming enthusiasm from companies to participate in Biokennisweek. According to him, there are several reasons for this. "Many companies have different priorities, and sometimes they have not had any positive experiences with an online trade fair. There are no clear international success stories yet. And people miss the personal experience and live exchange during an online event. I certainly miss this myself but as long as it can't be live, I like to take advantage of new opportunities. We have been dealing with this pandemic for almost a year and are moving towards a new reality. I think this online Biokennisweek fits in just fine with that. It's all quite exciting, but with this we are ushering in the new era."
With a 25-euro ticket, you can get access to the virtual floor and attend 90 workshops. "That sounds like a very nice deal. You can gain a lot of knowledge in a short time for little money. These are really gifts for your employees, so I recommend making use of them."
Green Organics' digital booth for Biokennisweek.
Last minute
Jan indicates that he is very excited about how things will go. "I expect some people to join at the last moment. This is a bit like the real trade fair. When I walked through the hall on Tuesday I always wondered if it would all be ready the next morning. Then everyone just worked a little harder and everything was ready in time. This week we are going to boost this online event with several announcements and then hope for a great, successful, and fruitful Biokennisweek.
Last week, Jan posted the following motivation on LinkedIn to participate in the Biokennisweek:
"The Biokennisweek is a huge opportunity for the organic movement to showcase our solutions and amazing stories. The digital opportunities offered by Biokennisweek are huge and extensive. In collaboration with BioAcademy and several other partners, 90 workshops will be held during the BioKennisWeek on all opportunities and developments in and for the organic market. A unique learning moment for growers, customers, employees, policymakers, and anyone who would like to learn more about organic market developments. Naturally, Green Organics participates with a booth during this groundbreaking and innovative online event. With the EU Green Deal and the Farm to Fork strategy as context, we are all continuing to build a healthy, positive, and developed organic market. We therefore would love to see you in our online booth. We look forward to being of service and working with you!"
For more information: jan@greenorganics.nl, www.greenorganics.nl and www.bio-beurs.nl