Eventex in the spotlight with Laura Schwartz: Maarten Schram

The new episode of Eventex in the spotlight, the series which presents conversations with event industry leaders and Eventex Awards jury presidents, welcomes Maarten Schram, founder and managing director of pan-European non-profit event industry foundation LiveCom Alliance. As he steps into the spotlight, Maarten gives us insight into the pan-European approach to events, underscoring the importance of international collaboration in the industry. 

The path to international collaboration 

Maarten, who founded LiveCom Alliance in 2016, knew very early on that he wanted to work in the events industry. 

“I was 17, I walked into the North Sea Jazz festival, the famous jazz festival in The Hague back then, and that was the moment for me, I was struck and I knew, this is where I want to be later when I’m grown up.”

His career path saw him on the agency side, developing and creating events, and establishing connections with clients, and at one point, he was asked to become a managing director for the Dutch association for leading live communication agencies. 

“I was struck by the fact that we know a lot about our domestic national market but I was intrigued about the international developments. What’s happening in the rest of the world? What can we learn from our colleagues all over the world?”  

That’s where he came up with the idea for LiveCom Alliance which focuses on international collaboration.

“We should have a proper connection, and we should exchange all those insights, learn from each other.” 

The pan-European approach 

Maarten tells Laura that LiveCom Alliance is all about uniting the pan-European associations in the industry, exchanging insights and best practices, and bringing the shared information back to the national level. 

“Maybe it’s also a bit of my Dutch heart and soul as well, we believe in establishing associations and establishing collaborations, bring our knowledge, and bring insights and exchange it, bring it all over the world, and learn from that. I think for the industry also, in relation to the whole sustainabililty topic, it’s very crucial to see whether we can use sources, local sources, whether we can collaborate in the most efficient way. So, I would say that the pan-European approach is a lot of focus on the creative idea, a lot of focus and heart, and soul in the craftsmanship of our industry.”

Sustainability and talent   

Talking about being a jury member, Maarten says it’s so worth it as he gets to see the best work of amazing organizers and keep track of the main themes in awards. 

“A lot of entries are connected to sustainability or to purpose-related themes and the good news I would say is that organizations and brands are reaching out to life, and to experiential marketing in order to showcase their purpose, strategy for example, or involvement in sustainability. Or in talent, another very interesting topic.”

“Celebrate our industry together”

Maarten further sees participating in awards such as Eventex as an opportunity. 

“It’s the opportunity to showcase best work, it’s the opportunity to celebrate our industry together with fellow industry people but also with clients, for the agencies, organizations entering awards it’s the opportunity to create momentum, PR, showcasing their own brand and craftsmanship.” 

About Maarten

Maarten Schram is the founder and managing director of LiveCom Alliance — the pan-European authority representing the live communication and event industry. He is also managing director at the Independent Dutch Event Association (IDEA) and is involved in the advisory boards of several national and international awards and events.

About Laura 

Laura Schwartz is a professional Emcee and Keynote Speaker — one of the top 7 speakers in the US. She’s been the Director of Events for the Clinton Administration, where she created and executed more than 1,000 White House events. Laura is an Eventex jury president, host of Eventex in the Spotlight series, and partner. 

About Eventex in the Spotlight

Eventex in the Spotlight is a new series by Eventex which showcases prominent leaders from the world of events and experiential marketing. Watch all the episodes and get inspired.