Emmen: the surprising events destination of the north-east

Emmen works best when you choose it deliberately. Don't go there because it happens to be nearby. Go there because you want an event that's truly somewhere different. That intention shapes the programme, the communication and the experience.

The type of event that suits Emmen superbly: company stays where distance from the office environment is essential, or team days where nature and openness set the tone. Plus multi-day stays at a country estate, or reward programmes for groups that want to experience something special.

Communicate the choice of Emmen actively to your guests. Tell them before the event why you chose this special landscape. Then they arrive with the right expectation. That makes the event better the moment they arrive.

Plan in good time. Emmen isn't the busiest event city, but the best country estates and outdoor venues aren't unlimited here either. For a multi-day event: 3 to 4 months' lead time. For a single-day event: 8 to 10 weeks.

Think about transport for participants from outside the region. A shared shuttle service from Zwolle or Hoogeveen makes the journey more pleasant and ensures a joint arrival.

Emmen has a number of special venues that reflect the unique surroundings of Drenthe.

Dierenpark Emmen is one of the finest zoos in Europe and offers possibilities for special corporate events. Exclusive evenings in the park, surrounded by the sounds of the jungle: that's an experience no one forgets in a hurry. Available for events on request.

The dolmens of Drenthe are prehistoric burial monuments more than 5,000 years old. As a location for team activities and guided tours, they're unique in the Netherlands. Not as an event space, but as a programme element that adds depth.

Hotel and conference centre De Bosrand in Emmen offers modern meeting and event facilities in a wooded setting. Well equipped for mid-sized corporate events. Practical, affordable and with green surroundings that bring instant relaxation.

Country estates and holiday parks in the area offer accommodation and event facilities for multi-day events. The combination of stay and programme, all on one location in nature, is ideal. Especially for team building and company stays for management teams.

Emmen and the Drenthe countryside give your programme a dimension urban events don't have. Use the openness and the calm of the landscape as a programme element.

Start the day with a walk along the dolmens. A guide tells the story of the people who lived here 5,000 years ago. It sounds unusual for a corporate event. That's exactly why it works so well. It sets perspective. And perspective is sometimes precisely what a team needs.

Outdoor activities for teams in Drenthe have a character of their own. Think of orienteering treks on the heath or mountain-bike routes through the forests. Canoe trips on the Drenthe canal are popular too. The landscape provides the backdrop, the activity provides the connection.

Culinary: Drenthe produce is honest and fresh, with surprising sides. Zandhaas (a regional dish made with hare), local cheeses, woodland mushrooms: a Drenthe menu tells a story. Combine that with a dinner by the fire or on a terrace in the forests. A closing like that stays with you.

End your event with calm. Not with spectacle. In Drenthe, the quiet close suits better than fireworks. Drinks on the terrace, the sound of the wind in the pines: that's the memory people take home.

Emmen is financially attractive. Venues, accommodation and catering are significantly cheaper here than in the Randstad. For multi-day events with overnight stays the advantage is large. With the budget of an Amsterdam single-day event you buy back two full days of Drenthe.

A multi-day team stay for 30 people including two nights, meals and programme in Emmen costs €10,000 to €22,000. A team day for 60 people with outdoor activities and catering: €8,000 to €18,000. Heavily dependent on the level of the venue and the choice of activities.

Plan 3 months ahead for multi-day events. For single-day events: 8 weeks. The best venues in Drenthe are in demand with teams from all over the Netherlands who deliberately choose calm and nature.

Think about transport for guests from outside the region. A coordinated shuttle service or car-pool group from the Randstad makes arrival more pleasant. It costs little extra but lifts the mood on arrival.

Buffer: 10 per cent for unforeseen costs. Outdoor events depend on the weather. Always invest in an indoor programme as a backup.

Organising events in Emmen is specialist work. Not everyone knows the region, the venues and the suppliers. We do. Live Impact has a network in the northern Netherlands and knows how to make the best of Drenthe work for your corporate event.

We think along on the concept. We ask why you're choosing Emmen. We also ask what the distance should achieve and what feeling your team takes home. Those questions determine everything.

We arrange the logistics, the venue, the activities and the catering. We make sure the Drenthe countryside works for you as part of the programme, not as an afterthought. And we keep watch over the budget from start to finish.

Emmen is special. Not for everyone, but for teams that dare to be somewhere different. If that's your team, then we're your partner.

Organising an event in Emmen? Live Impact makes it possible.

Call us on 085 401 40 14 or email hello@live-impact.nl.

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