PUTTING OUR BACKS INTO IT TOGETHER
After the interview we talk about Piet's words: ‘You can see the deep rooted Frisian DNA on Terschelling: get things done, do what has to be done and deliver quality.’ Springtij has grown from 180 participants to 800 participants. And everything is sought and found on the island. It requires enormous collaboration to coordinate all locations, activities, catering and logistics processes. If you do that together, something very wonderful will emerge. In this case, a unique event with a powerful message, rooted in the dream for an even better world.
CREATIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
And because the environment must remain as beautiful as it is now, the question of sustainability is considered in all of Springtij’s choices. Because let's be honest, hiring an extra boat for the event is not sustainable. But the message is important and so is the environment in which it is delivered. In order to organise it as sustainably as possible, only vegetarian food is served at the Springtij Forum and as little waste as possible is produced. So no disposable plates and cutlery; everything is made of wood, bamboo or other washable and reusable material. In this context, there was an 'eating with your hands dinner' last year: “There was recyclable paper on all the tables and a five-course dinner was served on it,” says Piet. “There were no plates, no cutlery, just warm towels for your hands. We served pre-cooked vegetables, mushroom croquettes and cold dishes. It was delicious and also a big hit!”
“the location really adds something extra and offers much greater added value than a small hall”
LET GO, SLOW DOWN AND CONNECT WITH NATURE
The special experience Terschelling can offer for any conference, company outing or team building event starts on the boat. “Some companies want to book the fast boat when they come here.
They think that two hours on the regular boat is a waste of time. But it's not a waste of time, it's actually gaining time. You start letting go and calming down on the boat. And when they get off the boat, we often let people walk barefoot on the beach f irst. Then they acclimate, and finally relax. Many companies also say afterwards that they achieved much more here than in other places.”
“Do you know what we want to do at the next Springtij Forum? We’ll lead the participants from the boat, via the allotments to a small lake. Then you see them constantly chatting with each other. They don’t even notice the allotments. They have so much to talk about. When they arrive at the lake, there’s suddenly a door. In the middle of nature. Once they step through the door, they aren’t allowed to talk any more. Then they walk in silence for a few hundred metres on the narrow path by the lake. Halfway through they hear beautiful bird songs, which were specially composed for this purpose. Only when they go through the second door at the end of the path are they allowed to speak again. By then they will have acclimated and connected to the environment.”
And we can rightly call that a peak, because Springtij Forum is not just a standard business event somewhere in a conference centre or other average location. Springtij takes place across Terschelling, at various locations that have all been carefully selected. This is where the participants’ heads and hearts connect.
We discussed this with Piet Noordenbos, one of the founders of Springtij. He tells a wonderful story about vision, drive and sustainability. About the unique design of the event and how the team succeeds every year in weaving content and environment into a very special whole.
THE LOCATION IS IN THE LEAD
“Look,” says Piet, “you call Terschelling the setting for Springtij, but it’s so much more than that. Terschelling is the stage, the source of inspiration. Every year we bring the experts who will be speaking and giving workshops to the island in advance and we go and check out possible locations. This could be a place in the forest, a dune valley, a barn or a stable. We develop the programme based on these locations, partly inspired by the environment. In this way, the location really adds something extra and offers much greater added value than a small hall.”
“And the speakers aren’t always so happy about that,” Piet laughs. “Then I get another email saying there's a pillar in the way or that the farm smells like cows. But yeah, that pillar is there and a farm simply doesn't smell like violets. So you have to work with that and somehow integrate it into your presentation or workshop.”
“Do you know Govert Schilling?” Piet continues his story enthusiastically, “he’s a science journalist in the field of astronomy. He too came here once to give a lecture at Springtij. About stars of course. He wanted to do it in a room, with a large screen and a PowerPoint presentation. I said no. We had a nice field and 300 stretchers at the Appelhof campsite. We still had blankets from the Oerol festival, so we set out the beds, put a blanket on them and everyone could stare up at the dark night sky, nice and warm, while Govert told us about the stars. It was an amazing experience.”
How do you connect companies, governments and organisations so they can create a greener and more social world together? The Springtij foundation organises meetings throughout the Netherlands for this purpose, culminating in the three-day Springtij Forum on the Frisian Wadden Island of Terschelling.
PUTTING OUR BACKS INTO IT TOGETHER
After the interview we talk about Piet's words: ‘You can see the deep rooted Frisian DNA on Terschelling: get things done, do what has to be done and deliver quality.’ Springtij has grown from 180 participants to 800 participants. And everything is sought and found on the island. It requires enormous collaboration to coordinate all locations, activities, catering and logistics processes. If you do that together, something very wonderful will emerge. In this case, a unique event with a powerful message, rooted in the dream for an even better world.
CREATIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
And because the environment must remain as beautiful as it is now, the question of sustainability is considered in all of Springtij’s choices. Because let's be honest, hiring an extra boat for the event is not sustainable. But the message is important and so is the environment in which it is delivered. In order to organise it as sustainably as possible, only vegetarian food is served at the Springtij Forum and as little waste as possible is produced. So no disposable plates and cutlery; everything is made of wood, bamboo or other washable and reusable material. In this context, there was an 'eating with your hands dinner' last year: “There was recyclable paper on all the tables and a five-course dinner was served on it,” says Piet. “There were no plates, no cutlery, just warm towels for your hands. We served pre-cooked vegetables, mushroom croquettes and cold dishes. It was delicious and also a big hit!”
“the location really adds something extra and offers much greater added value than a small hall”
LET GO, SLOW DOWN AND CONNECT WITH NATURE
The special experience Terschelling can offer for any conference, company outing or team building event starts on the boat. “Some companies want to book the fast boat when they come here.
They think that two hours on the regular boat is a waste of time. But it's not a waste of time, it's actually gaining time. You start letting go and calming down on the boat. And when they get off the boat, we often let people walk barefoot on the beach f irst. Then they acclimate, and finally relax. Many companies also say afterwards that they achieved much more here than in other places.”
“Do you know what we want to do at the next Springtij Forum? We’ll lead the participants from the boat, via the allotments to a small lake. Then you see them constantly chatting with each other. They don’t even notice the allotments. They have so much to talk about. When they arrive at the lake, there’s suddenly a door. In the middle of nature. Once they step through the door, they aren’t allowed to talk any more. Then they walk in silence for a few hundred metres on the narrow path by the lake. Halfway through they hear beautiful bird songs, which were specially composed for this purpose. Only when they go through the second door at the end of the path are they allowed to speak again. By then they will have acclimated and connected to the environment.”
And we can rightly call that a peak, because Springtij Forum is not just a standard business event somewhere in a conference centre or other average location. Springtij takes place across Terschelling, at various locations that have all been carefully selected. This is where the participants’ heads and hearts connect.
We discussed this with Piet Noordenbos, one of the founders of Springtij. He tells a wonderful story about vision, drive and sustainability. About the unique design of the event and how the team succeeds every year in weaving content and environment into a very special whole.
THE LOCATION IS IN THE LEAD
“Look,” says Piet, “you call Terschelling the setting for Springtij, but it’s so much more than that. Terschelling is the stage, the source of inspiration. Every year we bring the experts who will be speaking and giving workshops to the island in advance and we go and check out possible locations. This could be a place in the forest, a dune valley, a barn or a stable. We develop the programme based on these locations, partly inspired by the environment. In this way, the location really adds something extra and offers much greater added value than a small hall.”
“And the speakers aren’t always so happy about that,” Piet laughs. “Then I get another email saying there's a pillar in the way or that the farm smells like cows. But yeah, that pillar is there and a farm simply doesn't smell like violets. So you have to work with that and somehow integrate it into your presentation or workshop.”
“Do you know Govert Schilling?” Piet continues his story enthusiastically, “he’s a science journalist in the field of astronomy. He too came here once to give a lecture at Springtij. About stars of course. He wanted to do it in a room, with a large screen and a PowerPoint presentation. I said no. We had a nice field and 300 stretchers at the Appelhof campsite. We still had blankets from the Oerol festival, so we set out the beds, put a blanket on them and everyone could stare up at the dark night sky, nice and warm, while Govert told us about the stars. It was an amazing experience.”
How do you connect companies, governments and organisations so they can create a greener and more social world together? The Springtij foundation organises meetings throughout the Netherlands for this purpose, culminating in the three-day Springtij Forum on the Frisian Wadden Island of Terschelling.