Morning Start-Up

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It is 4 o'clock in the morning and it’s time to wake up. Normally not a time I would really see myself going out, yet I felt energetic and motivated with the thought of going to London today. I had about 45 minutes to grab my first cup of coffee, dress appropriately and get in the car to ShelfCo to meet with Dennis Vermeulen. Together we made way to Schiphol, The Netherlands biggest airport. International Business never sleeps it seems, as it was very lively at the airport at this hour. We arrived fairly early, as per Schiphol regulations we had to be 2 hours prior to departure for check-in. This gave us the opportunity to go through the day's schedule once again over some breakfast. We had plenty of time for another cup of coffee as our flight had a little delay.

 

Flight

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The flight itself was pleasant and quick. It took us about 40 to 45 minutes to land in London,  which is about as long as it took for us to go from Breda to Schiphol!
 

Arrival

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Due to the small delay, we were forced to rush through checkout and make our way to the iconic London Subway. With 270 tube stations divided over eleven lines, the London Subway sets many tourists astray.  Luckily, Dennis had already been in London several times and was able to guide us efficiently to our destination: Tottenham Court Road - Fritzrovia.

 

EPG

We arrived with some time to spare at the EPG office where the event was taking place. When everyone came in we were surprised by the show up. About 45 entrepreneurs gathered in the large meeting room. The event started with a short intro from the EPG Representative. Which was followed by three short pitches.  Rajesh Dash, Director – Innovation, ING Bank started the day with his presentation about Innovation in the Netherlands. This was followed by the pitch held by Sharon Mullen, Business Manager, Rotterdam Partners, who specifically introduced the city of Rotterdam as an entrepreneurial business climate. Our CEO, Dennis Vermeulen, closed the day with his presentation about Starting a business in the Netherlands. In which he explained the process, the implications, the costs and of course the benefits!

After the Event

The Breakfast Session lasted for about 2.5 hours and time flew by. We had already hired two other conference rooms for an additional hour to sit down one-on-one with the attendees that wanted information tailored to their situation. We had also informed some clients and other relations beforehand that we were travelling to the United Kingdom and got to meet with some of them as well. 

Exploring London and returning to The Netherlands
After the event, we had about 3 hours left to explore the City and have some lunch. The sights were just like you can often see on pictures and, of course, it was pouring! Even though there was little time, I had a great experience and got to see a glimpse of London. 

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Our flight back was uneventful but gave us some time to sit down and rest after a busy and long day.

“I truly do recommend going to the UK and London in particular. In a business sense, the UK businessmen and women are very approachable and I am looking forward to working with them in the foreseeable future,” said Berend Buningh Business Development Director at ShelfCo Business Group.

Untill we meet again, London!