The VMUG-NL UserCon event in the Netherlands has a reputation: It’s the largest, the best-managed, the most interesting, and the most fun.
It wasn’t always that way.
We recently spoke to the leadership behind this engaging annual gathering — Joris Adriaanse, Johan van Amersfoort, and Ronald de Jong — to learn about the event’s success, its evolution, and what makes the Dutch VMUG community one of the most vibrant in the world.
"Five years ago, the community wasn’t as active," Adriaanse recalled. Participation had been dipping significantly, and some topics had been sidelined.
Rebuilding a Community from Scratch
So, the pair offered to take on leadership roles, with a mission to reinvigorate the group.
"We asked, 'Can we help out?' and by coincidence, the previous leadership had just left,” Adriaanse said. “That’s how we started leading VMUG in the Netherlands from scratch."
What followed was a series of innovative events, beginning with a hybrid model during the COVID-19 pandemic, which set a new standard for virtual engagement.
The team adapted creatively to the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when in-person events were not an option.
"We were all doing remote events, but we wanted to make it different," Adraanse recalled. "So, we livestreamed the event from a friend’s bar that was closed due to COVID. The speakers came in, we set up a professional studio, and the audience at home experienced a high-quality stream instead of a typical webcam session."
The team didn’t stop there. They added a personal touch by sending beer-tasting kits to the first 100 registrants: "It was a virtual beer tasting," Adraanse said. "We wanted to offer something fun and engaging, even remotely."
Their commitment to high-quality, engaging content has become a hallmark of the Dutch VMUG community. As soon as the pandemic restrictions eased, they were back to organizing in-person events, bringing people together once again.
Standing Out with Engaging Speakers and Fun
What makes the VMUG UserCon Netherlands unique? "It’s all about offering something to think about, something inspiring," Adraanse said. "We’ve had keynote speakers from outside the IT business in the past, including a Formula One driver and a philosopher specializing in AI."
This year, attendees to the March event heard from Broadcom President and CEO Hock Tan, who closed the event with an engaging onstage interview with Broadcom regional CTO Joe Baguley.
The Dutch leadership team is also committed to ensuring that every participant leaves with something more than just technical knowledge.
"We want people to go home thinking about something unexpected," Adraanse said. "It’s about blending quality content with something fun.”
For fun, the team this year brought back sim racing, a digital gaming form of motorsport that uses specialized software and hardware to simulate the experience of driving a real F1 car on a virtual racetrack. The sim racing modules were heavily used during the networking breaks at the Dutch UserCon.
This commitment to offering something more than just technical sessions has helped the Dutch UserCon stand out. While the Netherlands is a small country, it consistently hosts the largest VMware UserCon in the world, with attendance in some years exceeding 1,100 attendees.
Collaboration Across Borders
Another key to the event’s success is its spirit of collaboration — not just within the Netherlands, but across its borders.
"The Belgian team, for example, has helped us with ideas for improving our website," de Jong said. "It’s a mutual exchange of knowledge. We don’t compete with other countries; we collaborate."
The event also attracts participants from neighboring countries, particularly Belgium, Germany and the UK. "Half of our sessions are now in English," van Amersfoort said, "which has helped attract international participants."
The open collaboration between different organizations is a testament to the strength of the VMUG community. The three leaders work for different companies, but when it comes to VMUG, they collaborate. "It’s about creating value for the community,” de Jong said, “and we check our company hats at the door."
As the VMUG Netherlands leadership team looks to the future, there’s a renewed sense of optimism.
“We’re all really surprised by the positive buzz and vibe at this event,” van Amersfoort said. “It’s been amazing to see so many people come together, share ideas, and learn from one another."
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