UPtown Sloterdijk
Working in Sloterdijk
After years of working in the hotel industry, Anouk Roohé and Judith Huisman saw a trend in booking hotel rooms online. Platforms like Booking.com and Expedia were growing tremendously, but an online option for booking meeting venues did not yet exist. This is where the hotello's saw an opportunity. From an attic room 16 years ago, they started Meetingselect, an online platform for booking meeting venues. Today, with more than 500,000 locations worldwide, they are the place to book meeting rooms. Since the end of 2022, they have been renting an office at HNK Sloterdijk. What do they think of working in this district and how do they see the district developing?
Anouk now understands that 16 years ago there was no online platform for booking meeting rooms. Not only was the market a lot more traditional at that time, there is a lot involved in the development! "Where a hotel room is available with or without breakfast, there are more options for meetings. Are you looking for one room? With lunch? Break-outs? Or a hotel room?"
It is apparent that Meetingselect meets the needs of its customers well. The company has grown enormously in recent years and now has more than 100 colleagues in 11 countries with 19 different nationalities. As COO, Anouk is responsible for the operational side and works daily with the teams on the improvement of the platform. "We now have the whole world covered in terms of time zones and our customers are in multiple countries. We used to do everything from here, but we think it's important that when we're not working, it can be taken over in other countries."
Meetingselect is not only a platform for booking rooms, it is a meeting management system. "All in all, companies often find out that they have little insight into what they spend on meetings outside the door. When everyone within a company uses our platform as software for external meetings, you have much more control. At the touch of a button, you can run a report and see where your money is going. This also offers us the opportunity to make discount agreements with large corporates."
From Naarden to Sloterdijk
After starting in an attic room, Meetingselect settled in Naarden, next to the A1. And now for a year in Sloterdijk. Especially for accessibility, the switch to Sloterdijk has been made. "The main reason we chose Sloterdijk is the station. We think it is important that our employees can make a sustainable choice when travelling. In our previous office you could only come by car. So interns also did this, which was really a limitation. That didn't suit us anymore. We believe that you should be able to travel by public transport. In addition, Amsterdam is very cool for your company, especially internationally, it ensures prestige."
Busy in Sloterdijk
The fact that Sloterdijk is alive is noticeable to Anouk and the team. "I love it here. Maybe this is because we are new and you see the possibilities less if you sit here for a long time, but we are very lively. We like to walk around. There is a lot going on on the street, there are many companies and there are several people outside who, for example, get a sandwich from the fishmonger, I like that. It's effervescent."
Apart from the activities outside the door, Meetingselect also has room for conviviality in the office. "The building is awesome. We have plenty of space here. We have a game room with a football table and a table tennis table. This is really used, we also hold tournaments. It's so nice that someone from IT does something with a colleague from finance, otherwise you are only working in your own department. Every last Thursday of the month we have a drink at our own bar. Real fun, we missed that."
Furthermore, the company is happy that there is the possibility to do something after work. Have a beer at BRET or Wissekerke. In addition, there are many hotels in the area that are partners of Meetingselect. Employees from all countries meet once a year. "This was last month in the Park Inn hotel by Radisson Amsterdam City West, where we could walk there in no time. The rest could easily park here or come by train. It was very nice to celebrate this party in our own neighborhood. We are not used to the fact that all this can be done around our own office, which is nice."
Looking for connection
One of the core values of Meetingselect is connection. They also find this in Sloterdijk. "We had no connection at all. We literally had no connection to public transport but also not to other companies in the area. Here we connect with the facilities and the good public transport connection. But also with other companies in the building. We are all hotello's. Everyone says good morning in the hallway or in the elevator, that's how we were raised. We love to connect and see what others are doing and whether we can also book meeting rooms for them. We're really here to connect, I think that's important."
Discover Sloterdijk
Go out and discover the neighborhood, that's Anouk's tip. The Westerpark is around the corner, there is a padel court and there are more facilities than you think, such as an Etos at the station. What would still be nice are facilities such as restaurants and a supermarket. "There is an Albert Heijn at the station. That's basically where we can get the things we need. But for a healthier choice, a supermarket or a place with fresh sandwiches is nice. And there are never enough pubs! I also miss a co-working such as Spaces in the district, but fortunately HNK also offers that when it is finished."
The future of this district
If you ask Anouk, Sloterdijk will be a very hip place. "You just know. The city is getting bigger. What I personally like is that the houses are now placed between them. With those residential towers, it is no longer extinct on weekends. It will remain business with all those office buildings, but for anyone who wants to live outside the center, this is a very cool place. I think it's already bustling, but this will only increase with families and a school, which gives a good mix between living and working."
Read the original article here: Meet Meetingselect by UPtown Sloterdijk
