On 8 February Friday evening, EYE and YKE jointly decided on a GO. With this, after a long period of thorough preparation, the conference in Eindhoven will go ahead! Although additional sponsor pledges are still welcome, interest from participants is very high, the conference is even almost sold out!
A special achievement at a special time
Although sponsorship pledges are (still) very modest and there is still a lot in the pipeline, interest from participants is very high and the conference (110 tickets) is currently almost sold out! This combination of factors has ensured that there is sufficient confidence at EYE for a definite green light. A special step in EYE's history, because now, for the first time, EYE is the formal organiser of the (semi-)annual conference since it was founded 25 years ago by KIVI and KVIV. So immediately an anniversary edition too! In recent years, EYE has been working on becoming independent by registering as an independent organisation in Estonia and, as a result, having its own bank account. This creates the possibility to build up financial buffers and create better preconditions for further growth and development of the EYE organisation, which aspires to be the voice of young engineers in Europe.
Connection and pride
YKE is proud to make a substantial contribution at this decisive moment. A smart and comprehensive conference plan was worked hard by YKE to minimise all risks for EYE. Especially since EYE starts with an empty bank account and no buffers. This was achieved by scheduling a go/nogo decision, and requiring that sufficient ticket sales and sponsorship recruitment had already taken place by then. Costs were also looked at very closely, and the impact of variations in terms of e.g. subscriptions and sponsorship money were examined extensively. Even the scenario that no sponsors are found at all or remain in default has been taken into account. Much attention has also been paid to unexpected costs that could possibly arise due to misunderstandings with suppliers or inadequate coordination from within the organisation. This was discussed at length and specific agreements were made in advance with, for example, the hotel and the Saturday location (the largest cost items).
Diversity
A fantastic Young KIVI project involving YKE members from Groningen, Rotterdam, Venlo, Eindhoven and Utrecht and Young Engineers from all over europe (Switzerland, Sweden, Germany and Norway) from the EYE network. Even the usual extremely skewed male/female ratio improved somewhat. A great example of how interconnectedness can be created among young professionals while creating visibility for Young KIVI inside and outside the association.
Personal development
The YKE members participating in this project have already learned a lot, positively influencing their careers, with some employers even participating in the organisation of the event. We see that YKE members can put their own ideas into the project and, in their own way, involve organisations and individuals from their own industry to give the conference a content that suits the perceptions of young people.
Strategy
The current YKE board did not just start this project over a year ago (January 2018). The conference in Eindhoven is an important strategic event on the YKE roadmap. The aim is to use it to unleash an annual YP conference to bring active YKE people together and achieve continuous connectedness, where now there is strong fragmentation and/or isolation. A connected warm YKE core with a representative function is much needed within the engineering association if it wants to maintain its right to exist as a professional association for the future.
