GGI European Regional Conference in Amsterdam, and other event reports
What a whirlwind of a conference! Seemed like we had only just begun … and then it was over already!
This year's GGI European Regional Conference has been kindly hosted by GGI member firms de Jong & Laan, JAN© Accountants and Business Consultants, LIMES international, Schipper Groep, and TeekensKarstens advocaten notarissen. They were all so very helpful in putting together a fanstastic and most memorable programme.
Those who arrived early on the Wednesday prior to the start of the event were able to visit the famous Keukenhof, well-known as most beautiful spring garden in the world. Open for only 8 weeks in every year, we were very fortunate that our event was planned just in time to catch those beautiful blooms.
On Thursday morning, a canal boats iPad scavenger hunt kept members busy – while also networking. There was some talk about sabotage, but this was never proven and in the end it felt like everyone won in the fun.
GGI women enjoyed a networking lunch, a fantastic opportunity for the professional women in GGI to network together prior to the start of the event.
The conference itself officially started on Thursday afternoon, with the meetings of the International Taxation Practice Group (ITPG) and the Global Political Economy & International Relations Special Interest Group. New members and first-time time participants met for the famous “Understanding GGI” workshop that afternoon.
In the evening, participants gathered for the Welcome Reception and Dinner, where the many attending new member firms have been introduced.
Keynote speaker Indrek Tarand provided the audience with some food for thought with his speech “European and Global Security Architecture: Is the glass half empty or half full?”. Dr Olena Makeieva, not just a keynote speaker but also a GGI member, shared her personal insights about life in Ukraine since February 2022 and how businesses had to pivot in order to survive. Her speech, aptly titled “Ukrainian Business: Resilience and Leadership in Times of War”, was particularly touching and emotional – and at the end, GGI members committed to going to Kyiv for an event when Ukraine wins the war by giving Olena a standing ovation.
GGI expert groups kept everyone busy and moving on both Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. GCG Capital members were also able to meet with GGI members at the GCG M&A Dealmakers Meeting that is always scheduled during our large conferences. The lively and interesting exchanges of the latest developments, experiences and best practices certainly kept the conversations flowing – both at the additional optional tours and the social events that were held in the evenings.
What a buzz you get when the #ggifamily comes together!
Olena's daughter, Anastasiia Makeieva, attended the event and put together this fabulous unofficial video of the event, which will help you feel a little bit of the buzz we talk about.
But we also took a lot of photos, of course. Here are some memories from the event. The official photos will be released to all attendees on Dropbox shortly.
