16 CUSTOMER EVENTS
TOPDESK’S 2012 CUSTOMER EVENTS
The second edition of the UK TOPdesk on Tour will take place on 13
June. This event at the Tower of London will include presentations and
interactive workshops covering the latest topics in IT, FM and HR
Photography: Ted Erkkila, Tower of London
CUSTOMER EVENTS 17
How it startedTOPdesk’s customer events have been known
to be huge, but they have not always been
on the same scale, explains Frank Droogsma,
TOPdesk director. “Our first customer day was
in 1999. We held it in the Delft University of
Technology’s auditorium. We had about 40
employees at the time, and did everything
ourselves. We even took our own PCs to
demonstrate the latest version of the
software. We didn’t actually finish the version
until the night before, so someone had to
head to the location in the dead of night to
install it on our PCs. Everything is much more
structured nowadays, both the symposiums
and releasing new versions!”
Every other year, hundreds of TOPdesk customers and partners travel to a special location in the Netherlands and the UK for TOPdesk’s customer events. This spring, TOPdesk UK will be going on tour to host an event at the Tower of London, while the Chassé theatre in Breda, the Netherlands will set the scene for TOPdesk’s Dutch Symposium. Our customers can expect a very special announcement at each of these locations.
▲ A room full of TOPdesk customers at
the previous TOPdesk Symposium
Text: Nienke Deuss
About a hundred customers visited the
first symposium, and everyone was very
enthusiastic. “We were a small company at
the time” says Droogsma, “and we had booked
the main authority on ITIL! We could tell by
customers’ reactions that we were on to a
success, and we have organized a symposium
roughly once every 18 months since.”
Since then, the TOPdesk Symposium has
become the main IT, FM and HR service
management event in the Netherlands – as
confirmed by the previous edition’s success.
“The 2009 TOPdesk Symposium was good for
about 900 visitors,” says Droogsma. “There
were discussions on current topics within
service management, such as the increasing
interaction between FM, HRM and IT, as well
as trends such as SaaS and ITIL3.
18 CUSTOMER EVENTS
TOPdesk Symposium All Dutch and Belgian customers have been invited,
and are in for an unforgettable experience on 15 May.
“I’m part of the team responsible for the programme,”
explains Sarah Rose. “We asked colleagues for input,
and organized brainstorms with the departments
that have a lot of customer contact. We want to make
sure that the programming fits what’s going on with
our customer base.”
The info market will feature prominently at the
Symposium. “It’s going to be very special,” says Rose.
“There will be stands for our partner organizations,
and there will be plenty of workshops. Jeroen Boks,
the head of our Support department, will be hosting
a session on performance. What it comes down to is
that there’s plenty to see and do!”
◄ One of the many presentations
© mary.nl
► The Tower of London
CUSTOMER EVENTS 19
TOPdesk on Tour Following previous customer events at the
Imperial War Museum and the HMS Belfast,
the first edition of TOPdesk on Tour UK took
place in 2010. Enthusiastic TOPdesk users
from across Britain arrived as early as an
hour in advance and were treated to a tour
of Arsenal’s stadium, an exclusive lunch
served by two-star Michelin Chef Raymond
Blanc, and many interesting presentations.
It was a successful day for all involved.
This year, TOPdesk UK is ready for its
second TOPdesk on Tour event on 13
June at the Tower of London. All our
British customers have been invited for
an informative and fun-packed day. Our
visitors can attend presentations and
workshops covering the latest topics in IT,
FM and HR with a few surprises along the
way. In addition, they will be able to enjoy
a guided tour of the Tower of London.
The programmeThe schedule for both TOPdesk on Tour
and TOPdesk Symposium is full of items
that will be interesting for everyone. The
presentations will focus on both practical
tips and tricks for optimizing service
process, and tackle broader themes within
service management. Discussions will be
organized for various user groups to make
sure that we can really sink our teeth into
current topics.
Sign up now for TOPdesk on TourIn addition to the diverse programme, our CEO Wolter Smit will be making a very special
announcement in his keynote speech. Sign up now for TOPdesk on Tour on 13 June via
www.topdesk.co.uk/tour.