Review of the NVVB Annual Conference 2025
On April 16 and 17 we were at the NVVB Annual Conference. Together with our partner vrijBRP we were on the exhibition floor to show how, as a municipality, you can really make a difference in the services you provide to residents.
Theme of the conference: friend or foe?
The central theme this year,"Technology and the human touch in Civil Affairs: friend or foe?", set the tone for substantive discussions. At a time when digitization, automation and AI are developing at lightning speed, the question is becoming increasingly urgent: how do we ensure that the human dimension is maintained? Especially within civil affairs, smart applications can contribute to more accessible, efficient and warm services.
Digital solutions in action
During the congress we gave demos of our new election application. With it we showed how elections can be organized clearly, safely and digitally, with attention to user-friendliness and comprehensibility for everyone. Also for residents with low digital skills.
Workshop municipality of Heerenveen with freeBRP
Our partner vrijBRP gave a workshop together with Heerenveen municipality. Ria Soet and Klaas Hoekstra spoke candidly and practically about their migration to vrijBRP. Participants were given an honest insight into their approach, considerations and learning points. This was greatly appreciated by those present and resulted in great conversations about cooperation, making choices and learning in practice. Read more about vrijBRP here.
Encounters and insights
What made the conference really special for us were the encounters. We spoke to committed employees of Civil Affairs. There was room for questions, recognition and shared concerns about the balance between technology and personal contact. This provided valuable insights and new ideas that we take into account in our work.
An action-packed and interactive booth
Visitors could spin the prize wheel and win great merch as well as tickets to our own event: Shift2 to the Future. This fun element ensured lots of traffic and a great atmosphere at the booth. Exactly what we were hoping for!
💜 With a smile ahead
We would like to thank everyone for the pleasant conversations, your curiosity and warm contact. And of course a big compliment to the Dutch Association for Civil Affairs (NVVB) for its tight organization and choosing an urgent and relevant theme.
We look back with big smiles and at the same time are full of energy to continue building together a government that is digitally strong, and remains human.