In a move designed to ensure that high levels of customer service are maintained against a backdrop of substantial future growth, Integrated Systems Events has opened its own Operations office in Amsterdam. The hiring of a full-time Operations team brings to an end ISE's four-year working relationship with Congrex, which had handled ISE's event management since 2005."We would like to thank Congrex for their years of consistently hard work, which have helped ISE get to where it is today - we could not have done it without them," comments Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events.
"However, with our main Integrated Systems Europe show in Amsterdam breaking all exhibitor and attendee records this year, and further expansion inevitable, we felt it was time to bring the functions previously performed by Congrex in-house, so that they can be carried out by a dedicated team."
ISE's new Amsterdam team will be headed up by 31-year-old Martine Niermans, who becomes Operations Director. Niermans will already be a familiar face to some in the industry, having worked for Amsterdam's RAI Convention Centre as an Event Co-Ordinator for four years, and having been the venue's ISE Account Manager when the show first came to the city in 2005.
"I know the RAI inside out as a venue, and I'm also an Amsterdam resident who knows the city, the people, the hotels - everything a visiting company might want to know," Niermans says. "I also have an international background, having lived in Indonesia, Egypt, the USA and the Czech Republic, among other places. Since ISE draws exhibitors from all over the world, that's an important asset to have."
Niermans will head up a full-time team of three, with additional short-term staff to be hired as and when events demand. They will be based at a new office located in Amsterdam's World Trade Center, which could not be more convenient for staff and visitors alike. "We're one train stop from the RAI and one train stop from Schiphol Airport - right between the two, in fact," Niermans observes. "Alternatively, it's a pleasant 15-minute stroll through the park to the RAI from here. Dutch weather permitting, of course!"
Summing up this important new internal resource for Integrated Systems Events, Mike Blackman says, "Martine is familiar with all aspects of tradeshow support, including sales, operations, PR and marketing. This is a very customer-facing role and we are confident that her experience and determination to keep our exhibitors happy will take ISE's customer service to the next level."
