”93% of our network is now actively connected”

In this customer story, Jeroen Veen, owner of Horecabrains, shares his experience with the Bundeling platform and how it helps bring their network together.

Could you tell us a little about yourself and Horecabrains?

My name is Jeroen Veen and I’m one of the owners of Horecabrains. Horecabrains is a hospitality network with around 400 members and 800 hospitality venues across the Netherlands. Through our network, we offer our members both purchasing benefits and opportunities to share knowledge. We do this online through the Bundeling platform, as well as offline during events such as inspiration sessions and hospitality tours.

The Horecabrains network was founded by my father around 20 years ago. At the time, he owned one of the largest nightclubs in the Netherlands and wanted to exchange knowledge with entrepreneurs running similar businesses.

I also owned a hospitality business myself and quickly saw the value of having such a network. When my father decided to stop running it, I took over and broadened the network to cover the entire hospitality industry.

What do you use the Bundeling platform for?

For us, the most important thing is connecting our members so they can share knowledge with each other. The member directory makes that easy. During physical events, members often make new connections. With Bundeling, they can simply look those people up the next day and continue building their network.

Our noticeboard is also used a lot. Members post their own questions, for example about new products or when they need advice on a specific situation. It creates an easy way to bundle knowledge and experience from across the network.

We also make extensive use of the Events feature in the app. During our inspiration days, members can find more information about the speakers and the location where they are expected.

We organise events and trips throughout the year as well. Members can register directly through the Bundeling platform. We use different forms to collect information in advance, such as dietary requirements.

Finally, we regularly use the Poll feature. Every year during Horecava, we present an award to the Night Mayor of the Netherlands. Our members vote in the app for the artist they believe should receive the award. This year, Marco Schuitmaker was the winner.

How would you describe your experience with Bundeling so far?

We are very positive about Bundeling. Looking at the Horecabrains network, the platform has helped us connect our members online much more effectively.

We regularly hear from members that they are happy with the app, and that is reflected in both usage and adoption. Today, 93% of our network actively uses the app, and that number continues to grow.

Our partnership with Bundeling also goes beyond our own community. We recommend the platform to our members as an employee app for their own organisations, and we are seeing more and more of them start using Bundeling in that way too.