Ron Kaufman is one of the world’s leading motivational keynote speakers on the topics of achieving service excellence, increasing customer satisfaction, retaining loyal customers, and building sustainable service cultures. Rated one of the “Top 25 Who’s Hot” speakers by Speaker magazine, Ron presents powerful insights and global best practices from working with clients in every industry and on every continent for more than thirty years. His energetic keynote speeches have inspired millions, frequently earning standing ovations from audiences of all ages. In 2018, GlobalGurus rated Ron the #1 customer service guru in the world. Ron travels worldwide to speak at company meetings, industry conferences, and association events throughout the year.

Ron is author of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller, “Uplifting Service! The Proven Path to Delighting Your Customers, Colleagues and Everyone Else You Meet” and 14 other books on service, business and inspiration. He is the founder of Uplifting Service, a global education and consulting company that enables leaders and organizations to build sustainable cultures that win the hearts and minds of customers, colleagues, and partners.

Rotterdam, located in South Holland, is a major port city at the North Sea and the second largest city in the Netherlands (after Amsterdam), with a population of over 630,000. It is Europe’s largest port and the main center of the country’s shipping industry. Rotterdam is a major hub for commerce, economics and logistics, hosting the headquarters of renowned multinational corporations such as Unilever, Maersk, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, Allianz and Petrobas. Since the city center was almost completely destructed during World War II, its architecture is currently largely modern, featuring several skyscrapers such as the 790-meters Erasmusbrug and the 158-meters New Orleans Tower, as well as many modernist buildings like the Van Nelle Factory (which is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site) or the residential and office building Markthal. Rotterdam is also a major center for education and research, famous particularly for the Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Willem de Kooning Academy and the Shipping & Transport College. In 2001, Rotterdam was designated the European Capital of Culture (together with Porto, Portugal), being home to well-known museums including the Museum Bojimans Van Beuningen, the Wereldmuseum, and the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, and hosting international festivals such as the Summer Carnival, the Dance Parade and the International Film Festival.

Rotterdam as a Conference Destination

Rotterdam is a major center for international conferences, conventions and summits. Some of the most notable ones include: the Nudge Summit, an event focused on business and sustainability; Process Excellence Europe, a large conference about business, customer experience and customer service strategies; the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals European Conference, a venue for experts in blockchain and supply chain finance, disruptive technology, human capital, innovation and robotics; and the EuropeanaTech Conference: Gorgeous Data, Glorious Technology – The Digital Face of Culture, one of the largest conferences in the Netherlands focused on digital culture heritage and the
impact of innovative technologies on the future of culture.

Rotterdam Food Options for Conference Delegates

There are many excellent restaurants you can choose from during your conference in Rotterdam, including: Joelia (Phone: +31 10 710 8034) and Parkheuvel (Phone: +31 10 436 0766), two upscale restaurants serving a large variety of gourmet Dutch and international dishes; Old Dutch (Phone: +31 10 436 0344), famous for its traditional Dutch cuisine; Japanese Cuisine Yama (Phone: +31 6 21372451), offering rich selections of delicious Japanese dishes; Pho Hanoi (Phone: +31 10 846 9308), a fantastic Vietnamese restaurant; Trattoria A Proposito (Phone: +31 10 213 2334), an Italian restaurant specializing in dishes from Southern Italy; and l’Entrecôte (Phone: +31 10 229 2931), one of the best French restaurants in the city.

Rotterdam Attractions for Convention Attendees

There are many highly rated tourist attractions to visit after your conference in Rotterdam, including: the Cube House, an experimental architectural piece designed in the shape of a cube by architect Piet Blom; the Erasmusbrug, an iconic suspension bridge known as ‘the Swan,’ designed by Ben van Berkel in 1996; the Bojimans van Beuningen Museum, an art museum operating since the 1930s and containing large collections of Dutch and European artworks dating back to the Middle Ages; the Witte Huis, Europe’s first high-rise building, constructed in 1889; and Wereldmuseum, an ethnographic museums housing over 1,800 objects from a large variety of different cultures.

Conference Center Venues

Rotterdam, Netherlands has a large number of great conference centers and facilities, such as:

Ahoy Rotterdam (Location: Ahoyweg)
Beurs-World Trade Center (Location: Beursplein)
English Meeting & Conference Center (Location: Stationsplein)
Postillion Convention Center WTC Rotterdam (Location: Beursplein)
Regardz (Location: Weena)
World Hotel Wings (Location: Rotterdam Airportplein)