In the first weekend of October 2024, the second European Photo Managers Meet-up took place, this time in Amsterdam. Since the beginning of this year, I have been working on the preparations together with fellow photo organizers Karin and Joan, in collaboration with two other European colleagues and the Photo Managers in the USA. Determining the date, finding a location, seeking sponsors, organizing the program, setting the price, choosing restaurants, etc.
The location (carefully chose by us) turned out to be a hit: the OBA, the Public Library of Amsterdam, at Oosterdokskade. It’s close to Central Station and offers a stunning view. They have excellent meeting rooms (OBA Congress) with great facilities. The mini-conference was a big success; we gathered with photo organizers from 8 different countries. It was such a joy to meet one another and be inspired by the presentations and the conversations. There were talks on how to deal with videos, creating photo books—a favourite topic of ours!—discussions on “how many photos are enough,” and an impressive lecture by Nadja Ensink-Teich about her life-changing experiences and her precious photographs.
There were no fewer than 7 sponsors, and Foto Organizers Nederland (FON) was one of them. We sponsored, among other things, the banner and the badges. Another Dutch sponsor was Trigger, our partner in digitizing visual media, which is also expanding into Germany and Switzerland. Dutch photo organizers love bringing the photos, old films, and videos of our clients (and ourselves!) to Trigger, who then return them on a USB stick or external hard drive. The resulting digital files can be stored safely, organized, and enjoyed (again)! Take a look at Trigger‘s website, and if you need help making decisions and/or organizing your old materials, feel free to reach out—I’d be happy to assist!