Maastricht Minutiae » Events

Social Media Day & Maastricht’s Bid for Cultural Capital 2018

Amanda — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 08:19:03 +0000

Wednesday’s evening I joined a couple dozen people in Maastricht for a celebration of Social Media Day. We gathered in the rather warm upstairs room at Cafe de Twee Heeren to listen and talking about social media and, more pointedly, Maastricht’s bid to be the European cultural capital in 2018. Although the group was organized by Jules & You (a student organization), the ages were well mixed, which gave a nice variety of perspectives. The event was actually arranged by the excellent European Journalism Centre and individual volunteers. Jules & You was the original location, which was changed because of a larger than expected turnout.

Ultimately it was a nice event, although most of the talks covered things I already knew since I spend a lot of time on Twitter and Facebook as it is. I would have liked to hear more of a discussion of blogging, but so it goes. I was intrigued by the presentation from Maas-media, which is a participatory journalism organization in Maastricht, and how they’re trying to encourage the cyclical consumption and creation of media by the general public instead of the old-fashioned simple consumption models. A number of interesting tools were also shared including: SocialMention, Tweetboard, and Reclaimprivacy.

The broader discussion of Maastricht’s bid for Cultural Capital and how social media can be used to promote it was interesting as well. The European Capital of Culture is designated once a year to give a city the chance to showcase and invigorate cultural development. As you might imagine it is a prestigious designation and has strong socio-economic consequences for the winners. Maastricht wishes the bid to promote not only the city but also their unique border region.

In the LinkedIn workshop, we discussed how the LinkedIn group about the bid was only in Dutch, which excludes internationals, as well as French and German speakers from bordering countries. Sueli suggest that something needed to be done to allow people from many language background to feel comfortable participating if Maastricht’s bid was truly going to be representational. I really like that idea; even if LinkedIn doesn’t offer any sort of translation tools. But with a good enough translation tool and maybe a team of translators to help out with mistranslations, a multi-lingual forum could be very interesting. And more accessible.

We also discussed, vaguely, ways to increase the cultural activities happening in the city that would attractive a broader section of the population including possibly having non-Dutch theater performances, etc. I’m usually hungry for English-language activities, so I can totally get behind that.

Curious about other efforts being made by the official VIA2018 organization (I hear a lot about it from other people), I dug up their website only to discover that it offers translations in French and German, but not English. Part of me can understand. Dutch, German, and French are the official regional languages of South Limburg and the “Maastricht Region”, and I haven’t really gone out of my way to be involved. But to be frank, this tells me that my opinion and participation as an expat is not welcome. It also tells me that international students, the same ones being discussed as vibrant and full of ideas at Social Media Day, are going to be discouraged as well. And some of them are better prospects to be come long-term residents, bring business, etc. than someone like me. It is a half-measure to tell internationals that you want their participation, but then close them out of formal conversations.

Maybe before any social media efforts are put in place, the people in charge of Maastricht’s bid for cultural capital in 2018 need to decide just who they want involved and start sending the right messages. Not necessarily to me, I know I may not be their target audience, but for the students and internationals who have made this area their permanent home.

Join Me at Social Media Day 2010

Amanda — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:53:17 +0000

Next Wednesday, June 30th is Social Media Day and Jules & You is sponsoring a meetup in Maastricht to “celebrate the revolution of media becoming a social dialogue”. The event will be held at the Jules & You office and will include a short presentation, 4 mini workshops, and information discussions about social media. There will also be a video interview of thoughts on how social media can help Maastricht’s 2018 City of Culture bid.

Given that Jules & You is a student support organization, I expect the attendees to mostly be younger than me, but the subject matter is interesting enough that I think anyone who enjoying blogging or other social networks will find something valuable. Dan & I are planning to attend and if Social Media Day sounds like fun, we’d like to meet up with you too. Just comment below or send me an email. There is also a Facebook page with some more information and a place to RSVP your attendance.

We hope to see you there!

PinkPop 2010: Wanna Join Us?

Amanda — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 06:00:34 +0000

We purchased our weekend passes, so I can safely talk about this without you all snapping up my spot. PinkPop, one of the largest rock/alternative concerts in the Netherlands takes place practically on my doorstep; and we’re attending again this year!

About PinkPop

This year PinkPop celebrates its 41st year as the largest and longest running open-air pop music concert in the Netherlands. Started in 1970 (by the same gentleman who runs it today I might add), PinkPop quickly grew from a one day concert to a three-day musical extravaganza. The concerts take place in Landgraaf and feature 3 stages of music starting around 12 or 1 pm and running until 11 pm at night each night. Both international and national musicians are solicited to play, resulting in an impressive collection of musicians every year. The concert is sponsored by a large number of big name corporations and charities. Most prominent are Amnesty International and Oxfam, who sell merch at the show to raise money for their respective programs. Watch for the pink hats!

Wild Times in 2009

PinkPop was my first music festival last year and I absolutely loved it. The large space in Landgraaf was set up with three separate stages fall enough apart not to interfere with each other, but still highly accessible. Several water (and beer & food stations) were available to keep people full and hydrated, and people were just chilling out everyone enjoying the music. The space directly in front of the stage might look like a mosh-pit, but as you moved back the crowds thinned and the experience became much more casual. Lots of different fashions were on display, but there was no pressure to have dressed one way or another like a more focused concert might.

Last year has beautiful weather as well (I got a nasty sunburn). This was apparently a huge abnormality, so I’ll be bringing my raincoat again this year just in case. And probably something to sit on as well.

Who’s Playing?

I’m a little more in touch with music this year, so I actually recognize several of the artists performing at PinkPop this year. We’re extremely excited about Green Day playing, but I’m also looking forward to seeing Mika, Rammstein, and Pink along with lots of other bands I probably just know by their music. Fans of the classic superstars will be interested to hear that Slash of Guns-n-Roses fame will also be playing (Sunday). Get the full list on their program page.

Pinkpop is very accessible for expats, music is universal and most of the musicians typically sing in English, but I think anyone who is into this sort of music would find it a great deal. A full 3-day weekend pass is available for only 140 EUR per person (and includes camping space, although we live close enough not to need it) and if you only want to attend for one day the tickets are 75 EUR. Considering the cost of seeing one person in concert these days; that’s not too shabby.

I would love to meet up with some folks on one or all three of the days; or even just for drinks at some point. Please drop me a line through the contact form if you’re interested.

Museum Weekend is Coming

Amanda — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 14:00:10 +0000

We missed out on Museum Weekend last year, but it is upon us again and if you’ve never taken advantage of the Dutch Museum Card, then this is your chance to visit some museums for free on April 10 & 11. A couple of hundred museums, all public ones, participate in the program, although most of them are in the Northern parts of the Netherlands. If you want to maximize your museum access, plan a weekend in Amsterdam where there are loads of participating institutions.

If you are in the Maastricht area, you’ll have to do more traveling between museums but you can probably catch a handful of museums depending on where you go. Swing by my article on Maastricht Region to see what museums in Limburg are participating.

A Few Participating Favorites

Amsterdam Historical Museum's deceptive entrance.

Bonnefanten Museum: An excellent art museum in Maastricht with a real mix of art including some great modern works. Museum Weekend will save you the € 8,00 adult entry fee.

Amsterdam Historical Museum: Deceptively small from outside, the historical museum has a huge collection well worth a few hours of exploration. Well organized and covers a lot of ground. Entry is typically €10,00 for adults.

Verzetsmuseum Amsterdam: The Resistance Museum of Amsterdam is one of my absolute favorites in Amsterdam. It is a multimedia exploration of how the Dutch people responded to the Germany invasion and occupation during World War II. Entry is €7,50, but you can get in for free during Museum Weekend.

Do you have a favorite museum you think people should visit? Share your suggestions in the comments.

Happy Exploring!

Breda Stripbeurs: Quick Convention Report

Amanda — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:46:32 +0000

This weekend Dan & I trekked North to take in our first Dutch comics convention at the Breda Stripbeurs (in Breda of course). Taking place on March 6th and 7th, this convention was a good, medium-sized introduction to Dutch conventions and the European comic scene.

General

Silvester prints some truly beautiful and representative examples of European comics.

Breda Stripbeurs struck me as a medium-size convention, with a gym-turned-convention floor and a handful of events on a single stage. Genres, big publishers, indie creators, and merch sellers were mingled throughout the floor with a couple of signing booths. American comic-lovers may recognize Mike Mignola (Hellboy) and Adi Granov (Iron Man) who were both in attendance as guests. The space was airy and clearly has plenty of room for expansion. Our Dutch friend that we met there hadn’t attended before either; so we don’t know if it is larger or smaller than the previous year.

As with so many events I attend in the Netherlands, I found the Stripbeurs to be a casual affair; focused primarily on buying and selling things rather than presentations or workshops (a pity in my opinion). Vendors we spoke to were friendly and, when they learned of our own comic ambitions in Walking the Lethe, very encouraging. Although there were no other expat publishers there (that we knew of) the environment was welcoming to international visitors and creators. Of course the convention also had several kids and children activities available. Comics in the Netherlands are truly for all ages and the Breda Stripbeurs commanded a wide age range.

An astounding fact we learned from one vendor is that, unlike big U.S. comics, most quality European comics are still hand painted. Even more amazing, they can be done in anything from acrylics to giant oil paintings and frequently take up to one year to complete a 44-page book. Even comics that publish more often rarely are released less than 3 months a part. What a different in attention to detail and focus on the art vs. storytelling speed and pacing. Could it be that European audiences are more patient with their favorite heroes than U.S. ones?

Games

A winter-themed board for a Games Workshop game.

There was not a big gamer presence at the Breda Stripbeurs, but there were a few booths. Games Workshop and Warhammer, a war simulation game where you play with painted figurines, has a strong presence in the Netherlands and they were teaching people to play with short skirmishes. I don’t play, but the scenery was impressive.

The 501st Legion (a famous Star Wars Stormtooper cosplaying group) apparently attended on Sunday but we missed it.

Independent Comics

Strolling around the floor of the convention.

Dan and I took some time to seek out independent comics creators. We had a nice chat with the folks of Drop Comics, as well as Windmill Comics. Both are publishing comics in print, and in the case of the issues we picked up, in English. Some editing from a native speaker is in order; its difficult to write in a foreign language, but I did find Drop Comic’s prequel to their new ACE intriguing.

A small section also hosted some manga-style artists and mini-comic creators (easily distinguished by their hand-bound books). We didn’t get the chance to talk to anyone in this section. A pity because they weren’t particularly busy; just never looked up. We were a little surprised to see no webcomic creators, but there does seem to be fewer webcomickers based out of Europe.

Dutch Convention Season

If the number of fliers thrust upon us is any indication, the Dutch comics convention is just getting underway. We’re currently gearing up for our first vendor event at the UK Mini and Webcomix Thing in London, but these are a few other events in the Ntherlands that I know are coming up.

Oost Nederlandse Stripboekenbeurs: March 20
Stripbeurs Arnhem: April 17-18
Stripdag in Gouda: May 2
Strip Spektakel: June 26-27

Want to meet us at a comics event? We don’t have anything else planned at the moment but we’re always excited to meet new faces and love comic conventions. Drop us a line via the Contact page or leave a comment below.