Annual visit to our partners in Netherlands

This is how partners welcome you in the Netherlands.🎉

A few days have passed, but the impressions are still fresh. My annual visit to partners in the Netherlands always recharges me with new ideas.

When technology moves at a high pace, these knowledge exchanges become priceless. How teams are integrating AI, what they automate, how they manage processes, and where NL and LT differ (or don’t).

This time, I met with four companies:

Juist

Over 14 years of partnership. Marketing, e-commerce, and, of course, some social time – we even made it to the Freedom Museum in Groesbeek. Thanks  a lot, Jorg Gijsbers, for showing me around.

I also had great dinners with Tom Hoevenaars and Teun van den Heuvel where we dug into technical challenges, technologies, efficiency, and leadership. One thing we agreed on: with AI becoming part of daily work, it’s not enough to improve processes. We need to redesign them to unlock the real value.

Very similar business DNA, similar challenges, similar joys.

Sparkable

Our hashtag#Magento partner. Their office was decorated with our flags and logos – a gesture that brightened my day and showed a nice personal approach. Impressed, Jeroen Gerrits 🤩

We reviewed our cooperation and discussed the latest developments in e-commerce and Magento, including #Hyvä’s decision to go open source and what that means for the entire ecosystem.

We also explored AI, agentic commerce, automation trends in NL vs LT. And we agreed on plans and intentions for the next term.

Rosegaar.nl

A great pulse check with Wouter Rosegaar and Daan Kleijngeld on what’s relevant for Dutch businesses right now – what are they focusing on, and what’s changing.

BRIGHTN

A very interesting insight from Roel Bijvelds: it’s becoming extremely hard for junior marketing specialists to get their first job because AI now performs many of the typical “entry-level” tasks.

They are running a smart program – taking young talent, training and mentoring them, and embedding them into client companies. Everyone works with AI from day on.

These kinds of conversations remind me why international partnerships matter. I am back inspired, energized and excited to turn some ideas into action.

We all work in the same ecosystem – just on different shores. Good times looking ahead! 🙂