Create the future

Gain insights into the forces that shape an innovation ecosystem and discover the dynamics that determine whether emerging technologies truly create impact. Learn from our cases of ecosystem development and experience The Ecosystem Game, a case-based, interactive game that helps you uncover key agents, domains and value streams in a fun and insightful way. This session will show how strong ecosystems accelerate emerging technologies, and what this means for collaboration, roles and value creation in the future of work.

nlmtd: Thijs Sprangers

Speaker: Peter Boom (Haskoning)

In this expert session we discover how innovations such as inspection drones, track monitoring, automated maintenance can support the Dutch rail industry ambitions on safety, reliability, efficiency and capacity.

Together with Haskoning we take a look at the eco system of implementing innovative technologies and explore the impact of scaling pilots: changing processes and policies, changing roles and skills, impact on company culture and what governance and change approach is needed.

Outcome: Ideas on how to scale innovation pilots in a complex ecosystem with increasing productivity demands.

nlmtd: Rob van Dijk

In this working session, we’ll share insights from Tech Discovery research and real-world cases across industries already deploying robotics, AI, and adjacent technologies. Rather than focusing on theory, we’ll explore how businesses are approaching the future of work today—what’s moving from pilot to operations, where value is being captured, and where challenges remain.

Together, we’ll examine key questions: What do organizations expect in the next year? And in the next five? Which changes need to start now? And where should the primary focus sit—on technology, or on the human side of transformation?

Speaker: TBC

In this expert session we present a sharp trend analysis of the (future) labour market and what it means for organisations facing structural scarcity.

With ModellenWerk, we unpack the drivers—demographics, skills mismatch, technology, mobility and worker preferences—and turn them into five decision factors to act now.

Outcome: a practical playbook to increase capacity via productivity, talent ecosystems, reskilling and smarter workforce planning, plus indicators to track whether you’re winning the scarcity game.

nlmtd: Rob van Dijk

Speaker: Vanessa Flink

An interactive session showcasing how future scenarios help organizations visualize the impact of technology and changing work models. By using existing, carefully crafted scenarios, participants will experience what this means for their organization, people, and strategy, and the choices needed today to remain relevant.

With rising costs, labor shortages, and driverless technology on the horizon, the status quo of public transport is being challenged. We are moving toward an autonomous future. But what does that actually look like? 

Get inspired and join the conversation. In this interactive session, we won’t just predict the future; we will help design it. Together, we’ll explore how technology can empower the workforce and ensure that public transport stays ahead of the curve while continuing to serve our communities effectively.

nlmtd: Nijs Korevaar

In an era where technological breakthroughs and societal megatrends converge exponentially rather than linearly, our traditional frameworks are no longer sufficient. As a specialist in future transitions, Axel Jansen (Lead AI competence network @ VU Amsterdam) shares the future skills leaders need to navigate a world of constant, systemic disruption. He demonstrates why ‘University 4.0′ – a fundamentally new ecosystem for talent development – is a critical link in this transformation.’

In many maintenance environments, valuable time is still lost searching for documentation, procedures and technical information. In this session, experts from KLM Engineering & Maintenance show how AI is helping engineers access the right information faster and work more efficiently. We demonstrate how LLM-based AI supports maintenance operations today, and explore the next step: spatial computing that connects digital knowledge directly to the physical maintenance environment. Through a real KLM use case, we discuss how these technologies are already improving maintenance and what the future may look like.