November 17, 18, 19, 2023 it was that time again; Texel was transformed into Conversion Hotel. A 3-day event where passionate digital optimizers share their knowledge, experiences and skills in Product, UX, Marketing and Data. It's a weekend full of great presentations, valuable insights and great people. We as a crew helped make it a successful weekend again this year and we certainly succeeded. That's why we created an event report for you with the highlights and insights.

Day 1: disappointment, sales and collaboration

The day started with a delicious crew breakfast at Grand Hotel Opduin after which we got everything ready to perfection to get off to a good start. The day before, we wrote all the welcome cards to put in the rooms. And our clients even found a limited edition OD bottle 😉 on the bed. Upon arrival at Texel, guests were checked in by the crew and at 14:15 the program began. 

Ton Wesseling kicked off the weekend and after this the first keynote speakers began. Michael Aagaard talked about disappointment, Tim Stewart gave a presentation on Sales and PCMC and Lucia van den Brink taught us about the collaboration bonus. After this, it was already time for a delicious 3-course dinner at the beautiful hotel and we ended the day with break-out sessions and convivial drinks. 

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Day 2: Take your seat 

Day 2 of this weekend is packed with even more great keynote speakers. There is no time to waste so the day started early. André Morys began with his presentation on the future of experimentation. Following this, he shared Simone Neeling her impressive story and how she deals with lung COVID and explained Annegien Bruins Slot, winner of the 2022 pitch competition, explains why SEO and CRO should work together. 

After the delectable lunch, it was time again for some breakout sessions. These ‘unconference’ sessions last 50 minutes and can be organized by all participants. As a result, the offerings are very diverse. A Serious Lego + beer tasting, a session on Neurodivergence in the workplace or a deep-dive into statistics: everything passes by. Afterwards, there was time to walk around the island and take a dip in the pool or in the cold sea. 

The final speaker of the day took the stage after dinner. Karl Gillis spoke in his own funny way about why you should listen to your users and, above all, stop doing stupid things. “Just stop doing stupid things” he kept shouting. OD founder Ton Wesseling then closed the day by explaining the next morning and gave the go-ahead for snacks, drinks and dancing. 

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Saints and Guilds 

Conversion Hotel is a special event. And like every year, there is a competitive game element. All participants were divided into groups (Guilds) beforehand. These Guilds all had their own Saint; these were speakers from previous years or people who have been important to Conversion Hotel over the past 10 years. Each Guild was given a booklet containing assignments to be completed by Saturday 00:00 am. Stickers could be earned by asking questions, participating in an unconference, doing something good for someone else, organizing an unconference or playing games. And the best part is: each sticker is worth 2 euros for a local charity and so together we collected 2600 euros for Texel!

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Day 3: out with a bang

The floor was still a little sticky from that night's party and guests were a little slower getting out of bed. Nevertheless, everyone was looking forward to the final speakers of the event. Ton started the day with the presentation of awards. After this it was really time for the last 3 keynote speakers. Joanna Wiebe talked about conversion copywriting where she emphasized that everything starts and ends with the client. Next came Els Aerts took the stage and outlined the 7 deadly sins of user research. Greg Shapiro ended with a roast on Conversion Hotel. The sponsors gave away their prizes (Apple Watch and hotel voucher) to the game winners, and Ton Wesseling closed the event with a thank-you speech.

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In conclusion 

As every year, participants receive a shirt on the last day. Some already had 7 hanging in their closet from years before. And to finish, we took a group photo (which you've probably seen past on LinkedIn, it's been shared 50+ times). After a final lunch, guests caught the ferries back to the mainland. The socials were buzzing with #CH2023 posts and we had a lot to reflect on with all the great comments. 

We learned and shared a lot again this weekend. Because we feel it is important that this knowledge not be lost, we have again taken notes from all the keynotes. These will be shared on Conversionhotel.com and you will get an update via email if you are on the mailing list.

More CH2023? 

We look back on a wonderful weekend where we met many new people and gained a lot of knowledge. We thank the people who contributed and also the people who participated in this great event. 

Go to www.conversionhotel.com/ch2023 for more information about the event, short summary videos and the photos. 

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