The Amsterdam tourism sector is facing multiple challenges when it comes to designing and implementing a sustainable visitor economy. An economy that is geared towards quality tourism, tackling nuisance, conscious of cost of living and sustainability in the city.

The sector is comprised of a wide spectrum of public and private stakeholders, and a city council that imposes strict legal frameworks. Small- to medium sized enterprises as well as major players such as Schiphol, NS, Booking, Expedia, AirBnB, Koninklijke Horeca Nederland and Uber are facing common challenges in manoeuvring within the Amsterdam context of increased regulations, and a new reality post-COVID.

I was asked to facilitate and guide a multi-stakeholder dialogue session, exploring common grounds and seeking avenues for further partnerships and  collaboration in the future. A complex, public-private agenda with varying interests and angles. The session was intended as an initial exploration of common interests and willingness to collaborate based on complementary areas of expertise in order to achieve a thriving, sustainable tourism economy in Amsterdam.

The results of the session were beyond expectations; a very successful meeting that established the foundations for further thematic collaborations in the near future.

My professional background in forming multidisciplinary consortia (OMA/AMO, architecture & urban design) and catalysing public-private coalitions for social impact innovation (Coalitions for Impact) equipped me with a unique skillset to successfully lead complex multi-stakeholder sessions.

Thanks to her extensive experience and perfect preparation, Safiyeh knows how to moderate complex conversations with charisma, attentiveness and flair, always with a solution-oriented approach – regardless of the complexity of any of the topics she is dealing with. Under her inclusive leadership, we were able to have a constructive conversation between groups with opposite positions and interests. Something that would not have happened without her presence. As far as I am concerned, every conversation and every organisation or individual would benefit from involving an excellent facilitator like her. 

Client (confidential)

Interested in booking Safiyeh as a moderator for a stakeholder dialogue? Reach out for more information.