Connections and discussions at the Maastricht Debate Watch Parties
How to get the electoral blood flowing better than with a fiery debate? On the 29th of April, both the Brussels and Den Haag offices organised a Watch Party of Politico and Studio Europa’s Maastricht Debate for a large group of young professionals, who were not left disappointed as the Spitzenkandidaten (or leading candidates) engaged in a battle of rhetoric. The Watch Parties saw over 90 total attendees and with time to connect, discuss and to see an engaging debate, it was a great success.
Introductions and connections
In Brussels, the Watch Party was organised through our Young Professionals Network (YPN) initiative and opened with a network drink and some Mediterranean delicacies. The venue quickly filled up with young professionals from a variety of organisations, such as the European Commission, Euractiv, EPFIA, EIT-Food and EIP-AGRI, with ample room to exchange and discuss. Before the opening of the debate, Managing Partners Ad Nagelkerke and Edwin Hecker gave an introduction on the work of Schuttelaar & Partners, and Junior Consultant and YPN Representative Jack Templeton discussed YPN and the importance of the EU elections.
Similarly in Den Haag, there was a network drink before the start of the livestream. Several clients and company representatives were present as Managing Partner Peter Thijssen introduced Schuttelaar & Partners before the debate commenced.
The debate
The debate was stacked with representatives from almost all European parties. The parties represented were the Party of the European Left, European Green Party, European Christian Political Movement, European People’s Party, European Free Alliance, Party of European Socialists, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party and the Identity and Democracy Party. In one and half hours filled with arguments and buzzing one-liners, Spitzenkandidaten from across the electoral spectrum tested each other’s views. The debate was very engaging and at times really heated up, which drew cheers, laughs and scoffs from our audience. As a result, there were plenty of memorable statements to discuss afterwards. Multiple attendees expressed how happy they were with the organisation and that they looked forward to future YPN events.
About the Young Professionals Network
The Young Professionals Network (YPN) is an initiative of Schuttelaar & Partners, started as a means of offering young professionals in Brussels an easy way to navigate the large number of events happening in Brussels on a daily basis. Utilising our extensive international network of young and upcoming Public Affairs, communications and policy professionals, we are able to organise engaging events aimed at connecting young workers from different organisations and sectors, and stimulate collaborations between them.
Do you have an innovative idea and are you looking to reach a broad network of young professionals? Or are you simply interested in attending the next YPN event? Do not hesitate to reach out to me or my colleagues with questions or collaboration ideas! If you are interested in learning more about EU public affairs and want to stay up to date on future events, don’t forget to follow the Schuttelaar & Partners International LinkedIn page and the YPN LinkedIn page.