The GreenTech Summit held on Tuesday June 9 in Amsterdam was open to an international audience by invitation only. Delegates arrived from every continent, covering 34 countries. With 18 speakers and moderators from all over the world and an impressive programme of breakout sessions on “What’s next for greenhorticulture?”, the GreenTech Summit proved an excellent platform for knowledge exchange and top class networking.
Organised by GreenTech organiser Amsterdam RAI, the Summit kicked off with a warm welcome by TEDx presenter Mr. Jim Stolze and Senator Mr. Loek Hermans, chairman of the Summit Committee who advised on the content of the Summit programme. Followed by keynote André Kuipers, astronaut who shared inspiring stories and photos of his space travel while explaining the fragility of the earth.
The opening also featured Richard van Hooijdonk providing a mind boggling insight into the latest trends and developments towards 2030. Asking the audience the crucial question: “Are you ready for the future?” touching subjects such as robotics, internet of things and last but not least big data.
The plenary morning session ended with the scientific perspective on disruptive technology brought by Mr. Pekkeriet of Wageningen University (WUR) and Mr. Wisse of the Technical University Delft.
Zooming in
After the opening was concluded, 256 horticulture professionals present joined various sessions designed to facilitate knowledge and information exchange. The primary areas of focus were Changing the game, Growing markets and Reducing resources. Delegates had the opportunity to attend two of the three topics in two sessions.
Exciting finale
After the breakouts Jim Stolze led all moderators in a recap to bring everyone on the same page before the final keynotes. First Mr. Bill Watts of the Saharah Forest Project on Using sun, salt water and CO2 to realize restorative growth in the desert. Last keynote speaker Mr. Joseph Simcox, the botanical explorer from the US managed to energize the entire audience with his dynamic personality. He is all about excitement and created enough food for thought with his revolutionizing thought pattern to dominate the conversation during the closing networking drinks.
“It is our goal to bring people and their ideas together, whether that is in person or online.” , says GreenTech Manager Mariska Dreschler, “Feedback we received was very positive and we are proud that with the Summit we created a meeting point that inspires and encourages professionals to take the next step in green horticulture.”
Livestream
Next to 256 delegates who received an invitation to attend the GreenTech Summit in person, a wider audience joined online via a live connection. At home or at the office some 400 interested parties participated in the experience during selected parts of the program over the internet. Participants also joined in the conversation and interacted via chat and twitter, using #greentechrai. The live stream was powered by DLV GreenQ.
Impression of the day via youtube and the social media report