Looking back on the NVVB Annual Conference 2025
On April 16 and 17, we attended the NVVB Annual Conference. Together with our partner vrijBRP, we were present at the exhibition to demonstrate how municipalities can truly make a difference in the services they provide to residents.
Conference theme: friend or foe?
This year's central theme, '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 a rapid pace, the question is becoming increasingly urgent: how do we ensure that the human touch is preserved? In civil affairs in particular, smart applications can contribute to more accessible, efficient, and warmer services.
Digital solutions in action
During the conference, we gave demonstrations of our new election application. We showed how elections can be organized in a clear, secure, and digital manner, with a focus on user-friendliness and comprehensibility for everyone, including residents with low digital skills.
Workshop for the municipality of Heerenveen with vrijBRP
Our partner vrijBRP held a workshop together with the municipality of Heerenveen. 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 lessons learned. This was greatly appreciated by those present and led to interesting discussions about collaboration, making choices, and learning in practice. Read more about vrijBRP here.
Encounters and insights
What made the conference truly special for us were the encounters. We spoke with committed employees from Civil Affairs. There was room for questions, recognition, and shared concerns about the balance between technology and personal contact. This yielded valuable insights and new ideas that we will incorporate into our work.
A booth full of action and interaction
Visitors could spin the prize wheel and win cool merchandise and tickets to our own event: Shift2 to the Future. This fun element attracted a lot of visitors and created a lively atmosphere at the stand. Exactly what we had hoped for!
💜 Moving forward with a smile
We would like to thank everyone for the pleasant conversations, your curiosity, and the warm contact. And, of course, a big compliment to the Dutch Association for Civil Affairs (NVVB) for the tight organization and choosing an urgent and relevant theme.
We look back with a big smile and are full of energy to continue building a government that is digitally strong and remains human.