Last week in Lille we had a very good partner & expert meeting. The new formula with a lot of time for discussions on the first day during the expert team session, followed by decisions in the International Steering Committee the next day, worked out very well. It also was good to have a dinner and informal contacts during the first evening, before making the decisions. When you talk about issues over a drink, it seems to be much easier to see the completely different way other people look at things.

This week we have our second partner & expert meeting in Lille. Tomorrow Joni, Anouk and I drive to Lille, to meet Rebecca Grossberg and Liina Tuulik of the Joint Technical Secretariat of Interreg IVB. Since I have never met them before, this seemed like  a good opportunity to get acquainted. They will also join a part of our meeting on Thursday.

Last Thursday we had our second Brainport Avenue Cafe, with C2C as topic for the second time. There were twice as much people as the first time, probably because a lot of people wanted to visit the ‘techniekHuys’.  Over 100 visitors listened to Nicole Ramaekers, alderman of the municipality of Velhoven. She told them about the C2C developments in Velhoven, like in the area of Runport, along the small river the Gender and in municipal buildings. Then Harry Verhoeven, director of the BouwEducatieGroep and founder of the ‘techniekHuys, explained the concept of the building and showed the way old materials are used, energy is generated and different functions are housed. Of course the Cafe ended with a drink.