Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions (NBTC)

Placement organization

Name of organization: Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions (NBTC)
Town/city: Cologne
Country: Duitsland
Website: https://nbtc.nl/en/site.htm

Student

Name of student: Deborah Krabbe
Specialist area: Tourism Management (EN)
Placement period: 2020-2021

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Destination Management Organization
Organization’s activities: NBTC works for and with partners in different industries on the country’s positioning, development and marketing. NBTC is working on a national vision on tourism (Perspective 2030) and is putting it into practice. NBTC connects, collaborates with and supports cities, regions and other parties.
Target group of the organization: NBTC is working on that
Company culture: There is definitely a hierarchy, as everyone always has to report to someone. However, it feels really informal. From the beginning on, colleagues were addressed with their first name and with the informal “Du” instead of “Sie”. Everyone is very welcoming and is also open for a little chat. Still, everyone knows when it’s time to be professional again.
Number of employees: 70
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working?

Market & Insight and Travel Trade

Brief description of your daily activities: I did not have any regular tasks but these were some of the activities I carried out:
I supported the preparation of the ITB. In this regard, I created factsheets, took care of two newsletters, served as the info point during the fair, and did the reporting afterwards. After the ITB, I created, among other things, some more factsheets, translated texts, and updated pages on the website.
Brief description of your company assignment: For my company assignment I have put great focus on the topic cycling. The goal is to provide cycling related information from Dutch regions to travel trade partners to enable new connections. This was done via researching and contacting partners.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: My supervisors Martin and Diana gave me a lot of freedom and therefore I was able to work really independently (this may also be due to the home-office situation). Not only my supervisors but also my other colleagues were really nice and supporting. I could always contact them by phone or e-mail whenever I had questions.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independence, team player, social skills, flexibility, accuracy
Additional company requirements for this placement? MS Office, writing and translating skills
English: Intermediate
Spanish:
French:
German: Mother tongue
Italian:
Other languages: Dutch (Basic to advanced)

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Car

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? As my placement took place online, I stayed at my parent’s place
How did you go to work every day? I worked from home

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? No
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents: Not applicable
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents?
Did you need certain vaccinations? No
How long in advance?

Language course

Did you take a language course before you started your placement? No
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? I would recommend a language course if you do not understand and speak any of the languages mentioned above

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € –
Accommodation (monthly): € –
Local transport (monthly): € –
General costs of living (monthly): € –
Costs of visa: €
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? The first three months I received a compensation of 300€. In the last two months I was paid hourly (German minimum hourly wage of 9,50€).
Furthermore, I traveled to Cologne on the first and last day. NBTC is open to compensate these costs.

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I did not need to prepare for the culture, as I am German.
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? No

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: 180465@buas.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Be open-minded, ask questions, show initiative and be confidence about your work!
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Cologne is a large and lively city. There is much to discover in the city and the surrounding area. Since I have not lived in Cologne, I unfortunately cannot say more.

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link