3rd Quality Conference Magazine, September 15th
Rotterdam
Food and Art Putting People First! The Rotterdam Approach
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3QC dot com 3QC takes conference information one step further by introducing an interactive medium targeting existing and potential participants of the congress. E Focus designed a medium that allows European representatives access to all relevant information at a keystroke.
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INDEX
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Food and Art Art is food for the soul. These words were never more true than at the yesterday evening welcoming event at Boijmans museum. Conference guests from all over Europe gathered around paintings and snacks to mark the beginning of 3QC.
Colophon Q-NOTE is the conference magazine for 3QC and will be published daily.
The editorial staff
welcomes your suggestions and ideas. Q-NOTE is written, edited, designed and photographed by communication students from INHOLLAND University in Rotterdam. Additional photography in the first and this issue by: Peter Spoormaker, Erasmus Medical Centre, Michel Walvisch & Huib Vissers. The Q-NOTE editorial staff are: Silvina van Dam, Josephine Verhoef, Nicoline den Boogert, Patricia Blomjous,
Avihay
Haim,
Turkka
Syrjalainen,
Matilde Mauricio Monteiro, Monique Oemar,
The Rotterdam Approach
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The multicultural city of Rotterdam has its own ways to deal with the inevitable problems of an ever changing society. Mayor Ivo Opstelten shares his views on city innovation, public service and making opportunities work.
Souad Zgaoui The editorial staff is being coached by: Willem Lutje Hulsik (INHOLLAND University). Frank Faber and Bartel Stompedissel (Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations) Guest contributions to Q-NOTE were made by: Dick Pruis (lay-out grid), Çakti Aswan (design consultancy), Auke Herrema (cartoon), Willem Lutje Hulsik (text) Q-NOTE is printed by Scheffer drukkerij, Dordrecht The editorial staff of Q-NOTE is located on the conferece grounds in The Doelen and can be contacted daily from 09.00 to 22.00 h. via Qnoters@hotmail.com) Q-NOTE is published under supervision and responsibility of the 3QC Project Team of The Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. Q-NOTE PAGE 2
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Robodoc Surgery without bloodshed is the medical game of the future. Technical innovation combined with new scientific and medical insight have led to a new kind of operating theatre. Computer screens and digital camera’s have taken the place of green gowns and lancets.
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Editorial
Rotterdam
Putting people first! Al Gore dedicates much of his time and energy to citizen centered government and pushing back bureaucracy. But that’s not all the former US vice president is widely known and praised for. Find out what makes today’s key note speaker tick.
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Schools on the move Tomorrow’s master class ‘School improvement: Self assessment and self sufficiency‘ explores the EFQM Excellence model, one of the most versatile and used throughout the continent. Q-NOTE speaks with Andrew Haynes.
Culture Walk Get the feel of your host city and do the Rotterdam Culture Walk. Q-NOTE charted a cultural course which takes you to several of the architectural and urban highlights the city has to offer. Open air exhibitions, hip galleries, nice buildings, great streets, and of course, cool waterfronts.
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Service page Find out where to drink and socialize outside the conference grounds, have a laugh with the daily cartoon an see what 3QC’s website can do for you. Today’s service page lures you into both Rotterdam’s nightlife and cyberspace alike.
What is it about Big Cities that make them Big? Is it the anthill like creeping and crawling of its inhabitants, the overpowering magnitude of its buildings, the percentage of carbon monoxide in its air…? A well known Dutch architect once said that Big Cities should have a slightly intimidating twinge about them. As if around every windswept corner a group of shady individuals could be waiting to relieve you of your wallet, watch and mobile phone. And, if he was right, why would we want to be there in the first place, and what makes us drawn to these polluted centres of sin, like moths to a flame… Unless you wish to think of our country as one huge metropolis (and given the amount of Dutch per square meter there may be every reason to do so), Holland is not a country of big cities. With the possible exception of the one you’re visiting right now. Not that Rotterdam is in the same league as Paris, London or New York, at least not number wise. But if you want some genuine Big City Atmosphere, Rotterdam is the place to be. Forget about Amsterdam, it’s an open air museum, skip The Hague, it’s full of civil servants en don’t even think about Utrecht which is unpronounceable in the first place and much too cute for big city status in the second. Let’s face it, to satisfy your city needs the only option you have is the Big R. So what makes Rotterdam big although it is small compared to other BC’s around the globe? It must be the fact that, having been a home away from home for sailors from all over the world for so many decades, Rotterdam has developed an attitude of tolerance and freedom that is almost matter-of-factly. An attitude that is recognisable in its state of the art buildings, and the straightforwardness of its people. Take some time off, go out in the streets and discover a city that’s not only big but has its own unique sense of greatness. ISSUE 2
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Communication students in Charge of daily Magazine Q-NOTE
Blood Sweat and Tears Ten communication students, a handful of photographers, cartoonists, designers, printers and other contributors and a lot of blood, sweat and the occasional tear make the ingredients of the daily news magazine Q-NOTE that keeps you updated about the conferences latest news and background information. Students of the Rotterdam based INHOLLAND University of Professional Education have worked throughout the summer holidays to ensure that you don’t miss a beat of the conference heart throb and will be able to find your way around the city.
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he students all study Communication and Media. Not only do they form the day to day editorial staff but they’re also responsible for the design, lay out and the organisation of the magazine. Like the participants of 3QC the students are from different nationalities and cultural backgrounds. From Israel to Finland, from Latvia to Argentina and off course from all over Holland. “It’s a big challenge”, says Turkka Syrjalainen, a Finnish exchange student who, together with his Israeli colleague Avihay Haim, is working on the design and lay out of the magazine. “Compared to the normal school situation we’re really thrown in at the deep end. It’s a great way to learn about magazine making; both from a designer and a writer’s point of view.”
Groepsfoto redactie Q-NOTE
From left to right: Avihay Haim, Patricia Blomjous, Willem Lutje Hulsik, Turkka Syrjalainen, Souad Zgaoui, Nicoline den Boogert, Josephine Verhoef, Matilde Mauricio Monteiro, Monique Oemar
Frank Faber, 3QC’s project leader for the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, came up with the idea of collaborating with communication students on an information magazine for the conference, rather than choosing a commercial agency. “We are always looking for fresh input and new ideas”, he says. “And working with this bunch of young, eager, internationally orientated people really gives us the opportunity to look at the conference communication from a different angle. On top of that the Ministry is constantly on the look-out for possibilities to co-operate with third parties like INHOLLAND University. We feel that this kind of partnership is beneficial for everybody involved.” Although the majority of the work is being
done independently by the students, they are off course not left completely on their own. Willem Lutje Hulsik is lecturer in Journalism and Media at INHOLLAND’s School of Communication and Media and has taken upon him the role of ‘playing coach’ in the Q-NOTE project. He thinks it’s great to let students work in a real life environment. “They learn so much more if they have to perform under the pressure that comes with a tangible assignment. Failure is suddenly not an option anymore. What impresses me is the amount of energy and flexibility they show when working on the magazine. After all, what we ask them to do goes way beyond the normal classroom qualifications they are used to. This is what professional education should be all about.”
The 3QC Dot com: Live and kicking until 1 January 2005
www.efocus.nl www.3qconference.org
3QC takes conference information one step further by introducing an interactive medium targeting existing and potential participants of the congress. The aim is to allow European representatives to register, pose questions and find all necessary information about the conference programme, key note speakers, and particularly best practices. The strategy was developed by the organising 3QC team and implemented by website designer agency eFocus. A succesfull combination.
Strategy and website development “The main reason why we chose this particular medium instead of conventional brochures or information bulletins is because of the major target audience. Every EU country official had to be informed, and it’s simply impossible to recover all addresses. If they have questions, or are in need of more information, they can access the website at all times. Therefore this website is kept as simple and clear as possible,” says Marloes Potten. Bart Korff, account manager at eFocus, became a partner in the project and is responsible for the implementation of
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the project team’s strategy. His company, based in Utrecht, focuses at three specific disciplines: design/realization, webmarketing and optimisation of websites. They have managed to flawlessly incorporate the project team’s wishes. Into the heart “Best practices are the core of the website. We want to put quality management into practice”, says Marloes Potten. Each participating country has received a cd-rom, produced by eFocus, with information about the conference and a
questionnaire about three best practices. After returning it, Bart Korff, the designers and programmers developed a database of these best practices. “This part of the job was very labour intensive and had to be done meticulously because of the amount of information. Nevertheless we loved doing it”, says Bart Korff. eFocus also produced ‘track advisor’ to give more insight on each session at the conference. After the conference To inform all the participants and also the people who couldn’t make it to the conference, all presentations will be put on the website. Visitors to the site are stimulated to use it as a source of inspiration. “I am very proud of the work that has been done. The website is beautifully designed, clearly structured, transparent and comprehensive”, says Marloes Potten.
Director General Mr. Rob Kuipers, welcomes 900 guests during opening reception
The New Civil Servant Yesterday evening, Director General Public Service Management Mr. Rob Kuipers of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, welcomed 900 guests to the 3Q Conference, in museum Boijmans van Beuningen. In his welcoming speech, he explained that the choice for Rotterdam as host city is not as peculiar as it may seem. He explained how the city of Rotterdam is a city marked by a remarkable outward orientation and room for innovations. He compared this year’s guests to the first Rotterdam merchants, sending ships across oceans in search of the best trade. Prior to his speech, Q Note talked to the Director General.
What does the Ideal Government look like? “To me, the ideal government is a government that is very aware of society’s needs, what its function is. The ideal government does not exist to serve civil servants, nor politicians, but society as a whole. It needs to be externally oriented, that knows what is asked. Additionally, the ideal government is an efficient and cost effective government. Once a need has been signalled, it needs to be addressed.” What is it that passion can do in public service? “Passion plays, with me at least, in sense of passionately trying to be a very good civil servant. In particular the kind of passion to contribute to a solid public administration. A civil servant should not be passionate so much in a political sense or, seek after personal social ideals. Instead, you must be passionate to make sure your work is done properly. By asking yourself; in what areas do we make things difficult for citizens and corporations? By being innovative, and by being open to creative ideas.” Do you have specific affinity or experience with this year’s themes? “I have worked in public administration for 30 years now, of which 25 years at several departments. Presently, we are focusing on civil servants’ salaries. Now, all this is executed by different departments and ministries, while in fact, it is much more cost effective to arrange it centrally, which is what will happen in the future. Part of ICT
will be delegated to private business. By means of this shared service we achieve higher quality and in total we save one third of the costs. You see, there is so much to gain in this respect. Another subject I find interesting is how to lower administrative burdens for corporate business. When I worked for the department of Social Affairs, I recommended that in order to get an impression what our rules and regulations practically imply for corporate business, to simply ask them. Once you make civil servants aware of the consequences of these rules, they are much more willing to get rid of certain rules, in order to make it less complicated for enterprises. This also a form of passion, yet this time, it is of a more external nature; directed at civilians and companies. Once our own employees are confronted with this, a true shift in culture can be the result, which in turn will lead to a remarkable improvement of the service offered. Stop for a moment to consider how government tends to address problems such as safety in the street, or youth criminality. Civil servants who are confronted with similar issues look at it from very specific perspectives. They analyze the problem from either a social point of view, or an educational angle, for example. What we need is a new civil servant, who does not care about these specific, specialist angles,
but who has societal interest at heart and manages to integrate all knowledge coming from these different perspectives. Leaders need to facilitate this. They need to set the right example, they need to give their employees room and reward them. All in all, it poses a great challenge.” What makes this conference so special? “I think it is amazing that in this case 25 countries come together and share knowledge and experiences; the best practices. Yet, not only success stories, also things that did not go so well. It creates remarkable dynamics. People from front office take all this new knowledge home and share it with their back office. What I am in favour of is that we have a website where people can search specifically, after the conference, by means of theme, sector or best practices. This will contribute to an innovative motion throughout Europe. This is very beneficial.
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Actions speak louder than words
The Rotterdam app
If any Dutch city is suitable to host a conference addressing matters such as passion and innovation in Public Service as well as the reduction of bureaucracy, it must be Rotterdam. Major Ivo Opstelten: “Government creates the necessary conditions in order to offer people opportunities.”
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he slogan of 3QC is ‘Making opportunities work’. Do you believe in making your own opportunities work? “I am absolutely convinced that one can make opportunities work. By being truly committed and by putting in every effort, you can really get somewhere. What government can do is lend a helping hand. Government needs to create the necessary conditions in order to offer people opportunities. Young people who quit school and therefore lack education; that is a serious problem in Rotterdam. As government, we do as much as we can to handle this. It’s absolutely essential for young people to have some kind of starting qualification, which makes it easier to find a job and start building a career. What we definitely don’t want is that young people merely sit at home and do nothing.”
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Rotterdam works hard on the improvement of public services and administration in several fields. The issue of integration as well as the attention paid to education in the multi-cultural society of Rotterdam are two things that come to my mind. Can you reflect on this and explain to what extent the fellow EU countries can consider this to be an example of good practice? “Yes, integration and education naturally are very important subjects in our councilprogramme. Integration is most definitely a very difficult matter and we’re still not where we’d like to be. There are still a lot of people living in Rotterdam who are not well integrated. Mind you, there are also many people who are completely integrated and who are functioning very well in our society. However, the people who are not well integrated, who do not speak Dutch
properly and do not really leave their houses is preoccupying... We have to work very hard on that matter.” If we look at public service and administration, does Rotterdam really differentiate itself from other European cities? “Well, we’re real pioneers in the so called ‘Rotterdam approach’, which implies that we have formulated five priorities very clearly by making choices. Five very important and straightforward issues: safety, council housing, education and youth, economy, and integration. Afterwards, we formulated crystal-clear council-targets. We always make sure we look after our priorities, and we take full responsibility.” Prior to your appointment as mayor of Rotterdam you had already been mayor of
proach but my true passion is my family; my wife and children. I regret having to tell you that I don’t have a lot of time for this ‘number one’ passion. My second passion is most probably reading newspapers. When we’re in a foreign country and we walk along a newspaper stand, I simply can’t help myself; I just have to buy a few newspapers… As annoying as that may be for my fellow travellers! It’s imperative for a mayor to know what happens in the world, especially when it is in the field of politics. That is how the newspaper often determines the ‘talk of the town’...”
Rotterdam mayor Ivo Opstelten will be one of the debaters in the Agora on ‘Upgrading Cities’, Thursday September 16th from 10.10 - 11.25.
Utrecht. Would you like to be the mayor of another European city? “No, I just like to be mayor of Rotterdam and Rotterdam alone. I was born in Rotterdam; my wife was born and raised here. My connection to the city comes naturally; it has certainly captured a special place in my heart! It makes me keen and motivated to really deal with city affairs. True commitment to your town or city: every mayor should possess that. And, I must add that I love the Rotterdam mentality of dealing with problems. The challenge this city offers to administrators is substantial and therefore very interesting. There’s still a lot to be done here!” The theme of 3QC is passion. What is your biggest personal passion? “My passion… It may sound a little dull,
Mid September, approximately 1200 visitors from out of the entire EU will come to Rotterdam. If you had to think of an interesting excursion, what would it be? “I think Rotterdam has a great deal to offer in terms of cultural activities; it’s rather difficult for me to select just one. Yet, if I have to choose, I’d probably go for the museum ‘Boijmans van Beuningen’. It has a rich and extensive collection, and is without a doubt one of the best worldwide. In fact, no visitor of Rotterdam should skip a visit to this museum.”
“Furthermore, Rotterdam really sets the tone in sense of architecture. The Rotterdam skyline gives a remarkable overview of the architectural developments from the last, roughly, fifty years. It is particularly nice to stroll across the Erasmus Bridge, where you can see our skyline with its enchanting little lights at both sides of the river. I always think of it as a beautiful and peaceful sight. I hope our guests will agree!” ISSUE 2
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Robodoc
The Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam has constructed a brand-new training centre with the purpose of training ‘the doctor of the future’. “The times of using scalpel and shears during operations are behind us”, says Professor Dr Bonjer, first Dutch professor of exploratory surgery.
elevision monitors, touch screens, streamlined high tech equipment, and six operation tables remind one of a space lab rather than an operating room. Yet, in this room, training is provided in a complete new method of performing surgery. The innovative aspect of the new technique lies in the fact that the doctorsto-be are taught to perform exploratory operations through an incision that is so small that it’s nearly invisible to the eye. Due to this fact, the patient will have less pain after this type of surgery compared to the old-fashioned exploratory operation. When performing exploratory surgeries, the surgeons apply newly introduced creative instruments and insert a small tube with a tiny camera and a needle into the patient’s body. The camera has a direct connection to television screens, allowing the surgeon to see precisely what he or she is doing.
Training centre for surgeon of the future
For the past ten years, medical science has tried to develop new techniques, in fields of not only exploratory operations, but also robot surgery and microsurgery to carry out difficult operations with utmost precision and less complications for the patient. Future doctors are made familiar with the latest equipment. Technological innovation in medicine stands high on the agenda
of Erasmus MC. The new training centre Skills Lab is a meeting point for doctors, engineers and the entire medical industry. “The ambition of Erasmus Medical Centre is to deliver surgeons who are trained in the latest patient friendly techniques; says Rien Meijerink, President of the Erasmus MC board of directors.
The Common Assessment Framework:
Towards a well tuned organization Every organization wants to be good at what it does. That’s not as easy as it may sound. An organisation after all, is a complicated accumulation of components, all with their own peculiarities and characteristics. Compare it to a car. If one of the engine parts doesn’t work properly it won’t get you anywhere. At least not with the speed you were anticipating…
So, how can you assess an organisation’s performance? How can you identify potential problem areas? In corporate business, several models exist that aim to improve processes and quality. They aim to measure efficiency and effectiveness by identifying key criteria that are directly linked to an organisation’s success or failure. In order to help public organisations with complex frameworks create continuous improvement, the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) has been designed. CAF is based on the renowned EFQM model, yet CAF is especially tuned to the public sector. It allows organisations to globally evaluate their organisation’s performance. Keywords: innovation, learning and results. The model is relatively simple. It contains a nine-box structure. Each box identifies key elements within an organisation, for example ‘Leadership’. In this box, a list of criteria and sub criteria is provided. All criteria allow management to not only get a
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instant overview of points of focus, but also to immediately assess the organisation’s performance. An important bonus: the process of selfevaluation and subsequent improvement is a valuable opportunity to create commitment and enthusiasm among employees. By pro-actively involving them, they will feel valued and included by management, which in turn may well lead to optimised performances. The model is the result of cooperation between the European Union Ministers responsible for Public Administration. It was initially introduced at the first European Quality Conference in May 2000 in Lisbon. Since then, the model has been slightly modified. The current version is based on organisations’ experiences with the first model, which have been monitored carefully. The European Institute of Public Administration keeps a database on the organisations that have used the Common Assessment Framework. They have submitted the results of their selfassessment. This is quite effective as a tool to assess its usefulness as well as a basis to share experiences. Sharing experience and sharing knowledge will prevent European countries from reinventing the wheel. And that’s exactly what the 3Q Conference is all about.
Down with bureaucracy Today’s keynote speaker, Al Gore, former Vice President of the US, has gained much praise for thoroughly reforming US federal government and its workforce, hereby reducing bureaucracy in public service and contributing to a citizen centred government.
Putting people first! I Al Gore, former Vice President of the US
f anyone has experience in introducing major innovations in Government and Public Service, it is Al Gore. In 1993, former president Bill Clinton appointed him to examine the structure and performance of Federal Government. Gore designed a substantial survey, asking citizens questions about the Administration and public service. He is famous for his central focus to put people first: “You cannot improve customer service unless you truly listen to the customer. This government wide Customer Satisfaction Survey is intended to assess the progress made in the last five years. Now we need to determine, from the people’s perspective, how we are doing, and how we can do better.” The results, published in the National Performance Review (NPR), were an important step in the achievement of a citizen centred government. The Vice President made no less than 384 recommendations, designed to reduce bureaucracy and to increase efficiency and effectiveness, hereby creating a Common Sense Government: a government focusing on results and customers. Al Gore’s Government Reform was focused on four central points: downsizing, streamlining, restructuring and privatizing.
The first one, downsizing, implied an intended 12% cut back of the Federal Government. In the end, Gore exceeded his own expectations by eventually reaching a cut back of no less than 15.4%, equal to 330,000 positions. The second focus, streamlining, meant an evaluation of all procedures, with the purpose of making them more straightforward and less complicated. The principle of restructuring involved a reform of agencies’ and departments’ structures. The object of his final measure, privatization, was to farm out several services to the private sector, that are better performed there. In several European countries, there is an ongoing discussion about performance and commitment in relation to the reward of civil servants. Al Gore was an early advocate of performance based pay. “Instead of providing automatic pay increases based on seniority, federal managers’ pay would be determined by how well they do their jobs, and meet the people’s needs. This won’t cost taxpayers an extra penny, but it will ensure that today’s tax dollars are far better spent”, Gore says in his speech at the International REGO (Reinventing Government) Conference in Washington. One of Gore’s passions is the internet. He has put relentless efforts into supporting the accessibility of technological opportunities to citizens and making them aware of the opportunities related to the ‘internet super highway’. During his Vice Presidency, he
made sure all libraries and schools were connected to the World Wide Web: “I see a 21st Century economy where innovation and high technology not only fuel high-paying jobs, but help connect more families to our prosperity.” Next to making technological advances available to citizens, he also regards technology as a vital tool for reforming and streamlining Public Administration. He was the one who proposed that more government information and services should be offered on-line. Additionally, he believes that it is very important to bring government closer to the people, by decentralising government. “…But the concept is the same: empower governments not in some distant national capital, but in the places where people live and work, so it can be more responsive to their needs.” Al Gore is not only committed to his political ideals, he is also dedicated to environmental issues. Unlike others he considers the idea that a healthy environment and a healthy economy can’t go together to be outdated. He has fervently argued in favour of clean air, clean lakes and the protection of forests and he is a solid believer in the idea that a clean environment will in the long run benefit the economy. All in all, we can safely state that there is more than one side to Al Gore. His extensive experience in innovating Public Administration and his unyielding energy in pursuing his ideals are remarkable. ISSUE 2
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Many organizations across Europe find themselves struggling with ways to measure their staff performance, concentrating more and more on customer needs. Tomorrow’s master class ‘School improvement: Self assessment and self sufficiency‘ explores the EFQM Excellence model, one of the most versatile and used throughout the continent.
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egardless of sector, size, structure or maturity, to be successful, organisations need to establish an appropriate management system. The EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) Excellence Model is a practical tool to help organizations determine where they are on the path to Excellence. It assists them in signaling and understanding the gaps, and offers stimulating solutions.
basically “Oh, we didn’t think of it here so it cannot be of any good”. I think that if we can overcome that and share approaches, then we can encourage people around Europe to think about the same issues and share possible solutions”. Other key aspects to success when applying this model are readiness to change and passion for one’s work. “If people feel that what they are doing is valuable and valued
they will most likely be passionate about it. The big problem rises when they feel they are simply bureaucrats, stamping things, pushing papers back and forth. I think as long as people are helped by their leaders and feel they are contributing to their community they’ll feel a sense of passion for what they do”. A definite expert in the area of Quality management, Mr Haynes stresses the importance of Conferences such as 3QC: “I think it’s important to encourage people to review what they do and not be satisfied with what they’ve been doing. The important thing about the excellence model is that it can be used in any kind of organisation to good effect and promote the exchange of experiences between such diverse entities as a bank and a school.”
EFQM brings excellence within reach
Schools
on the
move
Andrew Haynes, Quality manager for the Lloyds TSB Group PLC, will be hosting tomorrow’s master class, sharing his experience in translating and applying this model into schools all over Great Britain. For the last seven years, Andrew Haynes has worked on deploying resources to more than 5,000 schools and colleges in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. His interest in Quality Management was born a long time ago, while working for the Lloyds TSB Group, who sponsors and promotes this programme, free of charge. The company has invested over £1,000,000 as part of a major social responsibility programme. The process involves inviting people in schools to review their performance according to the main principles of the model: leadership, policy, strategy, processes, people, partnership and resources. Customer results –in this case pupils and parents-, people results –staff and other people involved-, society results –the local and national community- and key performance results are the criteria used to measure the final outcome. “The programme has been received very positively, although it doesn’t work for everybody. The ideas that underpin the use of this model are pretty common; there is nothing secret or special about it” says Mr Haynes. When asked if there were any obstacles in applying this model in new member states, he explained: “The big obstacle we have to overcome is the “not invented here” syndrome, which means Q-NOTE PAGE 10
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Scholenfoto bewegende roltrappen
Rotterdam Culture Walk Nothing better for a weary mind than a stroll down town. Especially when this ‘city walk’ brings you to a generous hand full of Rotterdam’s cultural landmarks. Q-NOTE takes you by the hand and leads you to art galleries, museums, sculptures and architectural masterpieces. Not to mention the occasional outdoor café to rehydrate and catch your breath….
Y The Rotterdam citymap on the service page of this issue will show you exactly how to walk.
our walk starts right in front of the conference venue ‘The Doelen’. With your back to the main entrance take a left and walk towards the traffic lights. There you go left again at the far side of the street (Westersingel). Along the waterfront, sheltered by the trees, you’ll find a permanent open air exhibition of contemporary sculptures. Continue walking along the Westersingel until you reach the T-junction with the West Zeedijk. Go right until you see celebrated Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas designed ‘Kunsthal’ and descend into the ‘Museumpark’ at your right hand. Scattered across the ‘Museumpark’ you’ll find the famous museum Boijmans van Beuningen with Oldenburg’s soft screw dominating the sculpture garden, the kids
cultural workshop ‘Villa Zebra’ and the Dutch Insitute of Architecture; NAI. While having some refreshments on the terrace of Café Coenen (named after the designer of the NAI building, now government architect, Jo Coenen) you may wonder briefly about Auke de Vries’s installation, an unusual sculpture rising abruptly from the adjoining pond. Leaving Café Coenen’s terrace you turn left and walk in between Boijmans and the small but beautifully whitewashed Chabot Museum, dedicated to Dutch expressionist Henk Chabot to the bridge crossing the Westersingel. After crossing the bridge you’ll find yourself in Rotterdam’s quintessential ‘culture street’ the Witte de Withstraat. The Dutch Photography Museum is across the street from TENT, an exhibition centre for national
and international contemporary art. Galleries, pubs and restaurants alternate with shops, hotels and hairstylists for the ultrahip and cool. You could easily spend a whole afternoon here but let’s face it, you have to get back to the conference so on you go to the T-junction with the Schiedamsedijk where you momentarily pause to enjoy the view over the open air maritime museum in the ‘Leuvenhaven’. Here it is easy to realize how Rotterdams history and present are intertwined with water and ships. You will be tempted to turn right, towards the river, the smell of salt water and the cry of the seagulls. But you can’t. Not now at least. You have to turn left towards the Coolsingel. After passing the glass and steel World Trade Centre, the monumental Post office and City Hall you cross the street to the ‘Stadhuisplein’ (city hall square) and walk trough the crowded but traffic free shopping street back to the ‘Schouwburgplein’. Admire the stainless steel, elevated square with its sculptural streetlamps (you can actually move them up and down!) and realize that you’re back where you started: the conference centre at The Doelen. ISSUE 2
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Service page Have a good time! Today is the first full blown conference day and maybe you’ve decided to try out one of the restaurants we’ve suggested in Q-NOTE 1. For those of you who are more interested in restocking of fluid calories we’ll give some pointers on where to wine and even explore the dancefloor in Rotterdam. Also on this servicepage: signing sessions and Interaction Café. And ofcourse the cartoon….
Interaction Café Visit the 3QC Interaction square. Participate in debates, or lean back and enjoy a cup of coffee. The opening hours will be clearly indicated on the clock outside the Interaction Café.
Where to Wine Apart from tulips, wooden shoes and football, Holland
For the more adventurous among you there
is famous for its pubs. And rightly so. O.k. Paris has it’s
is offcourse the possibility to drink and dance
neighborhood zinc’s and London it’s public bars but they’re
at the same time. After all, Rotterdam is the
either too small or they close too early so if you’re into serious
dance capital of The Netherlands. Close to The
drinking, Rotterdam is the place to be.
Doelen are two of the most popular clubs.
To make it easy for you we’ve divided the overwhelming pub
Take an extra supply of oxigen, shake your
volume into three categories. So whether you’re feeling young
booty and have a real good time...
at heart, slightly matured or really adventurous there’s always something there.
3. Off Corso
Young
turn of the century twist. The music is loud enough to get the adrenaline pumping
to communicate in sign language because the
but still allows you to have
music is so loud. Great atmosphere though.
a half decent conversation.
Binnenweg.
Kruiskade 22, T +31(0)10
Old
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4113897.
2. Dizzy
4. Thalia Lounge
As you may have gathered from the name Dizzy
Rotterdams upmarket danceclub for the well heeled and o
is a jazzcafe in its most traditional form. No
so happy few. Have a sip in the champagne bar before
Dixieland or contemporary noise but good old
indulging yourself in some serious dancing. You may
Charlie Parker and the like. At Dizzy old is by no
even be allowed in the VIP-room. The dress code is smart
means dull. ’s Gravendijkwal.
casual. Friday night would be the perfect time to give it a go… Kruiskade 31, +31(0)10 2142547.
be available. These last two will be signing copies of their books. Robin Gerber, author of ‘Leadership. The Eleanor Roosevelt Way’, will be present on Thursday from 4:25 pm till 4:45 pm. On Wednesday, Elaine Sihera will be signing copies of her books, ‘Managing the Diversity Maze’ and ‘Money, Sex & Compromise’. Check for further details at the Donner stand. Additionally, the Donner stand offers books about Holland; Dutch mentality, culture, art and the famous Rotterdam architecture. The titles offered have been selected because of their connection to the conference themes, as well as their stimulating content. One of the titles ‘Why people don’t trust the government’ certainly triggers the imagination… Prices vary from € 20 to € 120. Donner accepts cash, credit card and electronic payment.
Q-NOTE PAGE 12
to go if you’re into seventies and eighties music with a
Musical hotspot where the cool and hip gather
‘Managing the Diversity Maze’
Donner, the biggest bookstore in Holland is located in Rotterdam. During the conference, Donner will be present at the Doelen. Several titles will be sold, with a great variety of subjects related to the conference, such as leadership, user perspective, e-government and quality management. In addition, books by different participators like Christopher Pollitt, Elaine Sihera and Robin Gerber will
Located in a former movie theater, Off Corsois the place
1. Rotown
Donner bookstore organizes signing sessies
Today Elaine Sihera will sign your personal copy of her book ‘Money, Sex and Compromise’ between 10.30 - 11.00 and 15.05 - 15.35. ‘Managing the Diversity Maze’, another Sihera book will also be on offer. If things really get busy she’ll do another signing session between 16.50 - 17.00.
Adventurous