The Brainport Eindhoven region is gearing up for the Dutch Technology Festival (11 + 15 – 18 June), the successor to the Dutch Technology Week. This celebration of technology is different from previous editions in several ways. Not least because of the new name. Besides that, this year, the events will take place at a central location in the Klokgebouw in Eindhoven. However, a lot remains the same. Technology is and will be the common thread and there are plenty of well-known headliners in the line-up.
High Tech Discovery Route – Saturday, 11 June
To get in the mood before the festival starts, you can take a look behind the scenes at high-tech companies at six locations in the region as part of the High Tech Discovery Route. What is there to do and see exactly? “It’s about experiencing in a hands-on way what all the high-tech companies are working on and how that affects our daily lives,” says Monique de Wit, project manager of the Dutch Technology Festival.
You can drop in at six locations: Brainport Industries Campus, High Tech Campus, High Tech Helmond-De Peel, Philips Museum, Thermo Fisher Scientific and VDL ETG. Participation is free and no registration is required.
Central Area – Wednesday, 15 June – Saturday, 18th of June
On Wednesday, the technology spectacle will unfold in the Klokgebouw. The Central Area is open to everyone every day throughout the festival. And don’t expect to see static rows of stands. Because there is a good chance that Spot, the robot dog that can detect gas leaks with an acoustic camera, will sniff your leg. Or visit the TikTok space where you can make the coolest videos and photos with holograms. Then grab an ice cream at Bistro in Vitro, where one of the ice cream flavors is meat-flavored ice cream. Yes, you read that right: meat-flavored ice cream. At this Next Nature Network activity, you can join the conversation about the future of meat-eating. “This is just a small sample of all the different activities,” says De Wit.
Night of the Nerds – Wednesday, 15th of June
The festival kicks off Wednesday with a live edition of Night of the Nerds. The organization’s mission is clear: to celebrate technology and encourage young people to be creative using it. “That’s where innovation stems from. If you don’t dare to try anything new, you won’t progress any further. You get ahead if there is someone who veers to the right when everyone else is looking left. That’s what we want to encourage,” says Maurice Schmitz of Night of the Nerds
Impassioned techies introduce young people to the worlds of Creative Coding, the MetaVerse, gaming, robotics, Tech for Good projects and much more. For starters, there is the Sonic Pi workshop, where the participants can make a dance track. “Actually, creating such a track is a form of programming. You drag codes onto the screen. The most enjoyable thing is when they throw the tempo completely out of whack,” says Schmitz with enthusiasm.
Mission Tech – Thursday 16th of June
Thursday, the Klokgebouw is set aside for elementary school students from grade 5 through to grade 8 (9 -12 years old). “The purpose of Mission Tech is mainly for the kids to go and do stuff. The whole Klokgebouw will be transformed into one big technology experience,” says Lianne van den Wittenboer, project manager of Education at Brainport Development.
The event is a joint initiative of companies and educational institutions from the region to give children the opportunity to experience technology. For instance, Fontys Automotive will demonstrate how a pulley works. “Just try to pull a truck forward with twenty people. You can’t do it with a rope, but you can with a pulley. How is that possible?”
“The whole Klokgebouw will be transformed into one big technology experience.”
Lianne van den Wittenboer
Quiz Night XL – Thursday 16th of June
Under the banner of the Dutch Technology Festival, Julinka van Keulen organized and presented the first Quiz Night XL on behalf of Number 42 back in 2012. She finds it really special that she is allowed to organize an evening for the brainiacs of the Brainport region. “Of course, it is important to get new talent enthusiastic about a career in technology, but we should put the people who are already studying or working in the sector in the spotlight as well. The fact that we are allowed to do that is an honor for me.”
The premise is simple: an evening of a wide variety of questions about science and engineering. A team may be composed of up to five people. Participation costs €85 per team. Tickets can be purchased here. ” During the first editions, we tried to program all kinds of things around the quiz. An afterparty with a DJ, stand-up comedy, you name it. We have since figured out that people are really coming for the quiz. We’ve stopped doing those extra things, our efforts are now one hundred percent devoted to creating the quiz.”
DT Talks – Friday 17th of June
On Friday, the floor is for students from MBO (vocational training schools), HBO (University of Applied Sciences) and WO (academic universities). During the DT Talks, speakers delve into the world of 20×0. During the morning program, astronaut, doctor and scientist André Kuipers and professor Maarten Steinbuch share their views on sustainable mobility. While during the ‘open lunch table’, students can pose their questions to the two men.
The afternoon will focus on the role of technology in healthcare and the energy transition. Hans de Jong, former CEO of Philips, entrepreneur Peter Ros and lecturer Fieke Geurts will talk about how they see the role of tech within the context of social challenges. How do we ensure that healthcare remains affordable? And how can we become climate neutral? There is the opportunity to talk to the speakers during the closing reception.
You can register for the program through this link.
Gaming and Esports – Saturday 18 juni
Minecraft, League of Legends, FIFA, Fortnite: on Saturday a spectacular gaming event will take place in the Klokgebouw. Visitors can meet the best gamers, presenters, casters and esports players of the Benelux and see them in action. Gamers compete against each other in various gaming formats. But you also get to show what you’re made of. During the Minecraft Showdown, for example. The two best players from the preliminaries compete in the finals for the title live on stage.
“The aim of this day is to show how much fun it can be to build up the kind of technical skills that are needed both in gaming and in the high-tech sector,” De Wit explains. “Gaming is popular and has a huge platform. When developing a game, there are lots of parallels with the technology that’s used in the high-tech sector.” Tickets for this event can be purchased here.
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