Behind the scenes of a Connekt (ITS Netherlands) tradition: the Dutch Dinner 

If you’ve ever attended an ITS congress and noticed a sizeable group of Dutch delegates quietly disappearing after a long day on the exhibition floor, there’s a good chance you’d stumbled on the Dutch Dinner. For more than fifteen years, Connekt-ITS Netherlands and organiser its international label the Smart Mobility Embassy, has brought Dutch delegates together during international ITS congresses for an evening away from the conference agenda. From Tokyo to Bordeaux, from Montréal to Copenhagen and from Los Angeles to Lisbon: wherever enough Dutch professionals gathered, there was usually a table waiting. 

More than dinner 

The name suggests otherwise, but the Dutch Dinner is only partly about the food. By day, delegates are busy with presentations, booth visits and back-to-back meetings. In the evening, around the table, there is finally room for the conversation the day didn’t leave time for. Directors, policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs and suppliers sit side by side, swapping notes on developments in mobility, logistics and digitalisatio, often more freely than they would back home. 

That mix of public and private is what makes the Dutch Dinner distinctive. It brings together people who might only cross paths in the Netherlands a few times a year yet somehow end up next to each other at the same table abroad. 

Wim Broeders, CEO at MAPtm – transforming mobility: “It is not ‘just a dinner’! It is a valuable moment where you can exchange knowledge and experiences with colleagues from different organisations (public, private, knowledge institutes, and so on) all working in the same domain in an open and relaxed atmosphere. New networks, ideas and initiatives are born there while enjoying a great dinner, mostly at wonderful spots!” 

A closed table and what that reveals 

The Dutch Dinner itself is open exclusively to Connekt members and their colleagues. That’s not meant to be exclusionary, it’s what keeps the evening familiar and easy: newcomers are quickly drawn into the conversation, while regulars use the dinner to keep existing relationships warm. 

For an international audience, that closed circle is telling. It shows just how connected the Dutch smart mobility sector is, the same directors, researchers and entrepreneurs keep showing up at the same table, congress after congress, country after country. If you’re looking to work with Dutch mobility organisations, this is roughly the network you’d be plugging into. 

The maiden speech 

Every good tradition has its own ritual, and the Dutch Dinner is no exception. Anyone attending for the first time gives what’s now known as the maiden speech: a few sentences on who they are, which organisation they represent, and what brought them to the congress. No slides, no formalities, just a moment to introduce yourself. 

It never fails to reveal just how diverse the Dutch mobility network really is. And it means new faces become part of the conversation straight away, rather than staying on the sidelines. 

Changing times 

The Dutch Dinner also says something about how the Dutch ITS ecosystem itself has evolved. In its earlier years, the dinner was often tied to a dedicated Dutch stand or pavilion at the congress, a natural home base for a shared table afterwards. 

That’s changed. International travel and exhibition habits have shifted, and Dutch organisations increasingly choose targeted delegations, member trips and focused partnerships, such as the Nordic+ collaboration, over large stands of their own. The Dutch Dinner has moved with it: still very much alive, just less anchored to a physical Dutch presence on the exhibition floor. Turnout varies from congress to congress, but the appetite for the evening itself hasn’t gone anywhere. 

Joyce De Winter – Director Intertraffic at RAI Amsterdam: “As a long-standing partner and member of Connekt, Intertraffic is proud to support the Dutch Dinner because it reflects what we strongly believe: that meaningful collaboration often begins in informal settings. International congresses are essential for sharing knowledge and showcasing innovation, but moments like this create space for people to connect on a more personal level. That is where trust is built, ideas are exchanged more openly, and partnerships can grow. To us, the Dutch Dinner captures the strength of the Dutch mobility sector: a community that competes, collaborates, and learns together.” 

The real value 

Congresses change. Formats change. Technology changes. But the need to share knowledge, meet new people and explore new collaborations doesn’t. The Dutch Dinner offers a simple formula for that: a table, good company, and a network that keeps finding each other beyond the Netherlands’ borders. 

Whether you’re a seasoned congress-goer or just delivered your maiden speech, the Dutch Dinner keeps showing what Connekt is ultimately about: connecting people. And that’s why, wherever in the world the next congress happens to be, many members look forward to this evening every bit as much as the congress itself. 

It’s also exactly the kind of connection the Smart Mobility Embassy exists to help you make. If you’re heading to the same congress, working on smart mobility, and wondering who in the Dutch network you should be talking to, get in touch with the Smart Mobility Embassy as the international label of Connekt ITS Netherlands. We’re happy to point you towards the right people, and the right table. 

This year’s edition took place in Istanbul. The next stop is ITS World Congress in Birmingham, 25–29 October 2027, and with the Dutch Dinner likely taking place on the second day. Want to be there, or simply curious to meet the Dutch delegation? Reach out to Marije de Nijs at  marije.denijs@smartmobilityembassy.nl.