Maastricht triumphs European cities in securing top medical conference
Years of lobbying, smart collaboration, and an unexpected trump card enabled Maastricht to secure a prestigious international conference. What makes the region so attractive to thousands of medical specialists from around the world?
MECC Maastricht and the Maastricht Convention Bureau spent no less than eight years preparing to host the European Stroke Organisation Conference. It is fantastic news for the conference center, the city, and the medical research institutions in Limburg that we have succeeded, says Jurgen Moors of the Maastricht Convention Bureau. No fewer than 5,000 international participants are expected to attend a major conference on strokes at the MECC in Maastricht in May 2026. ‘Competition among European conference destinations is fierce. So you have to invest heavily in relationships and think very carefully about how we can position our region in a distinctive way. The content and cooperation with our local experts have been decisive in this regard.
In this case, the content comes mainly from Professor Wim van Zwam, MD, one of the initiators behind the MR. CLEAN study, a Dutch breakthrough in the treatment of acute strokes. Van Zwam is an interventional radiologist at Maastricht UMC+. The MR-CLEAN study was initiated by the Dutch Heart Foundation, led by Professor Van Zwam on behalf of Maastricht UMC+ and supported by Erasmus UMC Rotterdam and the Academic Medical Center Amsterdam. The study showed that treatment via catheterization can be life-saving and restore function in acute stroke patients. The impact is unprecedented: patients who would previously have remained disabled can often return to work and live independently thanks to this treatment. Within a few months, the approach was recognized as the new standard by the international medical community and was described by The New England Journal of Medicine as one of the most valuable clinical studies of the past 20 years.
Authority
Moors: "Professor van Zwam is a leading authority in Europe when it comes to stroke prevention and research. He committed himself to our efforts at an early stage and indicated that he wanted to take the lead.’ According to Moors, the importance of the professor’s network should not be underestimated. ‘This is how you get the entire medical community moving until it sinks in at the top of the conference organization that Maastricht is a serious candidate.’
Maastricht Convention Bureau and conference center MECC Maastricht started lobbying, submitted their candidacy, published a bid book, and ultimately won the approval of the conference organization's board in Basel. The Maastricht Convention Bureau was founded forty years ago to help the city attract large and significant conferences. ‘Think of the upcoming Big Science Business Forum, a top conference in the field of high-tech development, related to the Einstein Telescope.’ From the fall of 2025, the scope will be even greater, and the convention bureau will strive to put the entire province of Limburg, with its campus cities of Maastricht, Venlo, Sittard-Geleen, and Heerlen, on the international map as an innovative top region where it is good to hold conferences and stay.
Brightlands
According to Jurgen Moors, the four Brightlands campuses play a prominent role in this. ‘That's where we make a difference in terms of content; we really have gold in our hands. This medical conference is related to the Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus. We really have something to offer in terms of knowledge, research, networks, and institutes. Of course, we first have to tell the world what we are so good at, then build a network based on warm contacts, and then use international trade fairs, site visits, and campus tours to entice organizations to come here for conferences. We are building a strong international network every day and have a wide range of ambassadors from the scientific sector. Initially, our focus was mainly on conferences in the field of health and life sciences. Our renewed, regional role also focuses on the knowledge domains of the other campuses: healthy food (Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo), circular chemistry and materials (Brightlands Chemelot Campus), and AI and data science (Brightlands Smart Services Campus Heerlen). We are not yet talking about large numbers and very large conferences, but as mentioned, these bidding processes often take a few years. Competition is fierce in this sector.
There are still plenty of opportunities, particularly in relatively young sectors such as AI and data science and agri, food nutrition. Moors:
‘The nature of these types of conferences is different. They offer quick wins. Medical professionals mainly attend conferences to network and earn accreditation points. Data engineers who attend data conferences come to learn about new developments, market trends, new programming styles, and to keep up with technology.’
Top performers
Moors believes that Limburg should promote what is happening here much more internationally. He now has the opportunity to do so, thanks to the province, the four campus municipalities, and Brightlands. "We excel in four core themes, the themes in which the Brightlands campuses excel. If you can organize a conference here on one of those scientific themes and attract 300, 3,000, or 5,000 people, including the top experts in that field, then we can give them a good story and show them what this region has to offer. Those people will go back to Chicago, Tokyo, or Paris and spread the word. In the best case scenario, they will come back for knowledge, collaboration, or research. Think of scientists, but especially investors or entrepreneurs. They are always looking for a good investment or a pilot project.
Large or small conferences give campus residents the opportunity to show what they have to offer. Moors hopes that many more ideas will be put forward by the campuses themselves for further development into an event or multi-day conference. Professor Van Zwam will host the conference in May 2026. Not only will numerous leading medical professionals be in attendance, but the relevant industry will also be represented, with companies such as Siemens, Johnson & Johnson, and Bayer showcasing their latest technologies. The conference will be accompanied by an exhibition and a trade fair. Jurgen Moors: ‘We expect around 5,000 people, who we will accommodate at various locations in the region and bring together. Of course, we will also make full use of the historic city center of Maastricht and all the surrounding towns. We are in contact with many stakeholders, entrepreneurs, transport companies, the hospitality industry, and associations. The total direct spin-off for our region is estimated at around 5.5 million euros. A conference like this offers enormous opportunities, but we have to live up to expectations and preferably exceed them. We need everyone. If this is a success, it will lead to many more great things.'
Source: Brightlands newsletter
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