References

“This was the first time that we held our annual event, SCAE World of Coffee, in the Netherlands, and Maastricht proved to be a very attractive choice in terms of accessibility by all means of transport, in terms of the facilities on offer at MECC, and in terms of cost. We also had tremendous support from the local tourist authorities and the city of Maastricht itself. This was a big plus. We managed to stage one of our most important events – our Lifetime Achievement Awards ceremony – at the historic Maastricht town hall – with the Deputy Mayor on hand to welcome us to the city. It was an impressive start to what proved a highly successful event for ourselves as organisers, for exhibitors and for the many visitors who were so warmly welcomed. Also, the town is very easy to get around in – it’s mercifully free of traffic jams – and there is a fine selection of local restaurants, cafés and bars.”

"We are very happy to go ahead and use MECC for this event (E2C 2012). Thank you again for all your hard work on this bid and I look forward to working with you the coming months."

“The International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM), a truly international scientific membership organisation, is delighted to bring its 13th International conference to the Netherlands, and to Maastricht, in 2013. The city is a truly international, European city on the cross roads between the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, which fits very well with the international nature of the ISTM membership. The city is charming and has good restaurants and cafes, both indoor and outdoor, but is compact enough to ensure the delegates will meet and socialize outside the conference venue as they explore the city. It is a city with an ideal size for a conference of approximately 1,500-2,000 delegates and the venue is ideally sized for a conference of our magnitude. The offer has been very competitive and the city gave the evaluation team the feeling that Maastricht is a really welcoming host and we look forward to enjoying that hospitality in 2013.”

"In the venue, we are looking for something that is adaptable, because we often have sessions going on in parallel, so there's got to be sufficient rooms that we can use for these, yet there's got to be a larger auditorium that will hold everyone for the plenary sessions. We're looking for good accommodation in the city, a nice city that will attract people to the conference, and hopefully keeping the costs of travel etcetera down. Sometimes it's important to have a conference in a place that is easy to get in to." Click here for a film about Maastricht, and here for a film about the EANO Congress in Maastricht in 2010.

"In August-September 2009, the 10th Biennial conference will take place in Maastricht. We expect around 2,500 delegates. Maastricht has been in the bidding process for 6 years and they were really eager to get this conference. The main problem, and the reason why they have failed in the past, was their hotel capacity. For the 2009 conference, they have met the challenge by booking 90% of the hotel capacity... So we finally have the opportunity to work together." Click here to read an article.