5 reasons to attend Amsterdam Business Forum 2026
On 18 September 2026, we bring six exceptional speakers together at Taets Art and Event Park in Amsterdam. Here are five reasons you’ll want to be there in person.
For decades, leadership has been built around performance and efficiency. But as technology accelerates, humanity becomes your edge.
In a world that is increasingly shaped by AI, many leaders are rethinking what truly drives performance: people who feel seen, trusted, and connected.
That is exactly what Amsterdam Business Forum 2026 is about: People Centered Leadership. Leading with empathy, clarity, and connection. A different kind of power, one that puts people back at the heart of companies.
On 18 September 2026, we bring six exceptional speakers together at Taets Art and Event Park in Amsterdam.
Here are five reasons you’ll want to be there in person.
1) Place people back in the heart of your company
When technology accelerates, it’s easy to overfocus on tools and speed. People Centered Leadership brings the focus back to what makes organizations work: people who feel seen, trusted, and connected.
“I’m not a human resource. I’m a human being.” ~ Henry Mintzberg
2) Rich mix: different worlds to one stage
ABF2026 brings together voices from across generations, disciplines, and continents:
✅ Ahmed Aboutaleb (NL) - Former Mayor of Rotterdam
✅ Diana Kander (UA & USA) - Serial Entrepreneur & innovation expert
✅ Steven Bartlett (UK) - Host of The Diary of a CEO
✅ Jacinda Ardern (NZ) - Former Prime Minister of New Zealand
✅ Seth Godin - (USA) - Living legend in marketing and leadership
✅ Eva de Mol (NL) - Leading tech investor
What makes this line-up special is the contrast. You’ll hear from people who have built companies, led nations, shaped culture, invested in innovation, and navigated high-pressure environments where leadership is tested in real time.
Expect fresh angles on curiosity, creativity, empathy, culture, and what it takes to lead when the context keeps changing. Hosted by the amazing Ikenna Azuike.
3) The people in the room raise the value of the day
Amsterdam Business Forum is a gathering of 3,000 leaders.
That means the room itself becomes part of the experience.
You’re surrounded by people who are also shaping teams, culture, strategy, and decisions. That creates a different kind of energy: conversations that are practical, honest, and unexpectedly useful. Between sessions, you’ll pick up perspectives from other industries, organisations, and leadership styles.
And because the day includes side sessions, networking moments, and a closing reception, there is real space to connect, not just “say hi and rush off.”
4) The program is designed around the leadership tensions you face right now
Amsterdam Business Forum 2026 is not a collection of separate talks. The day is structured around three blocks that reflect real leadership challenges:
- The human role in digital organizations
- Human leadership in times of tension and polarization
- Building human-centered organizations: culture, teams, purpose
This structure helps you connect dots across talks, instead of collecting loose insights. It also makes the day feel coherent: you move from “what is changing” to “how to lead through it” to “how to build something that lasts.”
So you’re not only inspired. You also leave with a clearer way to think, talk, and act as a leader.
5) You’ll leave with perspective, not just inspiration
Great ideas are everywhere. But real clarity is rare.
Amsterdam Business Forum 2026 is designed as a one-day reset: a moment to step out of the daily rush and look at leadership from a wider angle. You’ll return with sharper language for what you want to build, and with insights that help you make better decisions about culture, performance, and the way people work together.
We all know: the biggest value of a day like this is what happens after. The ideas you keep coming back to, the conversations you continue, and the shifts you make because something finally clicked.
Not more noise, more direction.
Join us in Amsterdam
Amsterdam Business Forum 2026 takes place on 18 September 2026 at Taets Art and Event Park, Amsterdam.
A one-day reset for leaders who want to build organizations where people thrive and performance follows.
P.S. Coming with your team?
If you attend with colleagues, the day tends to land differently. You share the same speakers, the same examples, the same moments, which makes it easier to translate insights into action afterwards. It also strengthens your internal network: you connect outside your usual routines and conversations.
