We take work off your hands
Organizing a scientific event takes months, sometimes years, of preparation. This is exciting but also very time-consuming work for our clients. Ab-Initio’s aim is to relieve you and all those involved of as much of the burden of conference preparation as possible, such that your regular work activities proceed unimpeded.
Professional conference organizer
Ab-Initio is a PCO, a professional conference organizer. We specialize in organizing both small and large scientific and technological conferences, events, and meetings.
Experience
With our long experience in organizing scientific conferences within an academic environment, we know all the ins and outs and can smooth the way for you. We know our way around the university and in business and have assembled all the necessary ancillary networks. With our scientific background, we understand what the subject matter and lectures are all about. This knowledge helps us create the kind of event that can to live up to your expectations.
Responsibility
Organizing a scientific event is a big responsibility. We take this responsibility very seriously, and consequently the complete organizational trajectory gets our full attention. In truth, your event is our event.
We act as a team
Our mission is to organize your event together with you. Your views and input are of the utmost importance to us. As we collaborate closely with you in planning your event, we’ll also take as much work off your hands as we possibly can. We make sure that the event turns out exactly as originally agreed. Because our ultimate goal is to realize your objectives, our first point of departure is to work together in getting you there.
From A to Z
Every link, every detail plays an important part. It is for this reason that we organize the entire event from A to Z. That way, we can accomplish at Z what we had planned at A and easily achieve the results you had envisioned at the outset.
1 Conceptualization—objectives, target audience, and vision
We organize every event from the ground up. We begin with the concept stage in which we clarify the objectives, target audience, and vision. This concept forms the blueprint for all of our work leading up to the event.
• Objectives: The concrete goals you wish to achieve with the event
• Target audience: The particular visitors or visitor groups you need to make the event a success
• Vision: What you the client personally deem most important in organizing the event
2 Budget, risk analysis, and subsidies
The costs and risks involved in organizing an event need to be clearly defined. A well thought-out budget is essential and deserves full attention throughout the entire organizational process.
A thorough risk analysis is always part of the budget at Ab-Initio. This twofold mechanism affords a clear overview of all potential risks that can affect the event. We also develop a list of measures that can be taken to control these risks.
Sponsorships, subsidies, and grants can help reduce the costs of an event. We can provide you with detailed advice on the existing possibilities for locating additional funds.
3 Production
During the production stage, we work in phases right up to the day of the event—our D-Day. D-Day is the moment at which your event becomes a reality. Every link in the organizational chain leading up to that day gets our full attention during this stage.
The production stage includes all the preparations for the event. We are the direct point of contact for all involved—the venue, speakers, caterers, exhibitors, sponsors, security, everyone. All the disparate threads of event planning are streamlined and clearly documented by means of a well-defined consultative mechanism, a timetable, and an event planner. In this way, we are able to work together to produce a successful event.
We take as much work off our clients’ hands as possible and do our best to relieve all those involved of the burden of conference preparation. Your regular work activities should proceed uninterrupted.
Ab-Initio lightens the load by providing organizational oversight. Working with a detailed timetable and event planner, we make sure that everything is ready just as you want it by the end of the production stage.
4 The event (D-Day)
Because of the detailed preparation throughout the production stage, you’ll know exactly what to expect during your event. It’s now all about operations. We are there on the ground at all times to provide oversight and intervention when necessary. That way, as host of the event, you can spend all your time and energy on your guests.
Throughout the event we make sure that you are able to devote yourself entirely to your main task of hosting the event. Ab-Initio functions as the event’s hands-on coordinator and is always present on the ground at the venue.
5 Post-event wrap-up
Producing an effective post-event wrap-up for sponsors, speakers, exhibitors, and participants is a powerful public relations tool. Follow-up communications that create a buzz (for example, via social media) ensure that everyone remembers the event in a positive light and looks forward to a possible next edition with enthusiasm.
During this stage we also do a final financial accounting of the actual costs of the event in relation to the original budget.
6 Evaluation
At the end of each event we do a full evaluation. We check to see that all goals have been achieved and that the event has lived up to your expectations. Such an evaluation is important both for us and for you as it helps us to make each subsequent event that much better.
Ab Initio supported us in organizing the European Data Forum (EDF 2016) in the Evoluon in Eindhoven. This was a large and extremely complex symposium with many participants and different stakeholders. Inge and Lucienne from Ab Initio helped us to turn EDF 2016 into a huge success. Their energy, skills, and professionalism was exactly what we needed. They helped us to secure sponsorships and handled things in a systematic and consistent manner. Inge does not shy away from difficult challenges and through her experience knows that an eye for details and good social skills matter. Without any reservations we highly recommend Ab Initio for your next conference, fair or other event.
- Wil van der Aalst; full professor at RWTH Aachen University
Organising a conference always starts with enthusiasm and fun, thinking about the strands in the programme, inviting the keynote speakers, and shaping the workshops. But often enthusiasm tempers when you start thinking about the burden of organisational and logistic work that, in the end, makes or breaks the success of a conference.
Together with Ab Initio I led the organisation of the European Regional Meeting of the global CDIO university network with 160 international attendants at TU Delft. The enthusiasm and professionalism of Inge and Luciënne gave me full confidence in their capabilities. They exceeded my expectations. In close collaboration and mutual consultation they arranged the whole event, from welcome reception to catering and hotel and restaurant reservations, from budget to online registration, from campus tours by tuk-tuk to presents for the speakers. They always had the overview and paid attention to the minute details.
The great success of this conference and the relaxed and inspiring atmosphere during the days was a direct result of Ab Initio’s work behind the scenes, no doubt. They enabled me and my colleagues to focus on the programme and its outreach, without any need to worry. Ab Initio: highly recommended if you are aiming for an excellent event and a good night rest!
- Aldert Kamp; Director of Education Aerospace Engineering TU Delft
Our ambition of increasing the profile of the 4TU Centre for Intelligent Mechatronic Systems benefitted tremendously from the professionalism of Inge and Lucienne. Their enthusiasm and drive in motivating young researchers to work together and the creative way in which they were able to arrange the 4TU exhibition stand resulted in a clearly recognizable 4TU centre brand. Their organization of the entire event, their expertise in building team feeling among the exhibition crew—all was of the highest quality. The effortless scaling up to a European level (Euspen) contributed enormously to the positive image of our fledgling 4TU centre, both externally and internally.
— Prof. Maarten Steinbuch, scientific director of the 4TU Centre for Intelligent Mechatronic Systems and Distinguished University Professor at Eindhoven University of Technology
Organizing the 2010 Euspen conference in Delft was a special occasion. Even though they were not the primary organizers of the event, as the local contact Ab-Initio made some very valuable suggestions during the run-up to the event which resulted in the incorporation of elements that became the highlights of the conference. They researched every matter so exhaustively that they left the Euspen organizers with virtually nothing more to look into. During the conference, they proved themselves equally capable in solving all manner of problems thanks to their extensive networks and personal charm. Based on these experiences, I can unreservedly recommend Inge and Lucienne for event organization, sure in the knowledge that guests will not regret their presence.
— Prof. Rob Munnig Schmidt, head of the Department of Precision and Microsystems Engineering, 3mE, Delft University of Technology
Both Inge and Lucienne from Ab Initio are very professional in their work as event organisers. They are pro-active and very reliable couple. I like the way Inge has an eye for detail and will not scare away from making last minute changes if the details are up to her standard. More often these details are taken care of way in advance, which makes the life of a client a very easy one.
- IJsbrand Haagsma, Secretary General at 4TU Federation.
I hired Inge and Lucienne to organize the opening of the TU Delft Robotics Institute. The institute was young, so many things were not known yet or not yet fully clear, and many things had to be mobilized on a large scale. It required a very creative and proactive organizing agency to realize a coherent and solid presentation of the many years of research done at the Delft University of Technology. Ab-Initio realized that completely, and in a comfortable and creative working relationship. Not only the attendants enjoyed the results, also the people who contributed to it. It was a very enjoyable collaboration.
— Richard van der Linde, TU Delft Robotics Institute
Op 25 oktober 2016 vond aan de TU Delft het afscheidssymposium plaats van de toenmalige decaan Luchtvaart- en Ruimtevaarttechniek, prof. Hester Bijl. Door de beschikbaarheid van een belangrijke externe spreker veranderde de aard van dit symposium vrij kort voor de datum van kleinschalig en informeel naar groot en zeer formeel. Daarom heb ik Inge Rehorst en Lucienne Dado van Ab-Initio ingehuurd om het symposium te organiseren. Hun taken: coördinatie van de organisatie, budgetbeheersing, regelen van vormgeving en drukwerk, catering, locatie en techniek. Ook zorgden ze voor een training voor de sprekers en het inrichten van een kleine tentoonstelling. Ab-Initio claimt haar klanten te ontzorgen. Dat is exact wat ik heb ervaren. Ik kan ze van harte aanbevelen.
— Drs. Ineke Boneschansker,Manager Communication, Faculteit Luchtvaart- en Ruimtevaarttechniek
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