​“We’d been somewhat active in the Benelux market before, but with this new endeavor we wanted to both respond to interest in Ipendo in a rapidly growing market as well as leverage our position in a region where a number of interesting companies are headquartered,” says Karin Kärvling-Söholt, VP of Global Sales and Marketing at Ipendo.

Ipendo BV Initiatives

Ipendo BV Sales Manager Koen Severijns, who joined the company in September of last year, has headed several initiatives to introduce Ipendo to the Benelux market in a personal and authentic manner. “To offer our clients the best solution, Ipendo has to understand both their current and future wishes and challenges. Flexibility is a requirement – software which only provides a solution for the current situation is a risk. Software must be prepared for the future,” says Koen.

Benelux Tours

As part of its initiative to reach out to the Benelux market, Ipendo BV visited cities in Belgium and The Netherlands, with stops in Amsterdam, Brussels, Utrecht, Antwerp, Eindhoven and other cities, inviting top personnel and IP representatives from numerous companies to attend open luncheon meetings to discuss their salient IP issues. “The IP departments want to promote awareness across their company and to involve the company more in what they are doing. They are looking for an open and transparent solution, creating an inherent match with the Ipendo Platform™”, comments Koen.

Webinars

Ipendo BV organized and hosted a series of one-topic Webinars targeting specific IP concerns of the Benelux market. “The Webinars allowed a lot of room for questions and discussions, and the Ipendo Forecast Lab and Innovation Management were hot topics,” reports Koen. “Trying to get a grip on costs is of course very important. General management wants to know what the IP costs will be. With the Forecast Lab it is possible to deliver a legitimate quote for future investments, even more critical in these harsh financial times. The Invention Disclosure Interface automates processes between departments. The departments feel more integrated. The pipeline of ideas is structured in such a way that it is attractive to submit new ideas. And the happy result – the company successfully innovates! ” These types of discussions allowed by Webinars and the tours are key to our understanding of this market,” says Koen, noting that additional tours are planned for October and November in Holland and Belgium. “Both the Webinars and tours were well received by the companies that participated and also served to strengthen the Ipendo brand in the Benelux.”

Collaborative innovation

 The Ipendo team views the first year of activity in the Benelux market as highly successful for Ipendo and its clients, yielding numerous mutually-beneficial opportunities and solid relationships. “The flexibility and the modern techniques offered by the Ipendo Platform™ are highly appreciated in this market,” says Koen. “Clients are surprised by the completeness of functionality and our philosophy regarding communication and collaboration.” Ipendo is looking forward to continuing and expanding its collaborative approach in the Benelux market. Adds Koen:

“The countries in the Benelux have great IT awareness and are open to new ideas. It is highly rewarding personally and professionally to work in a society desirous to enhance its IP processes through innovation.”

By Laurel Leigh & Koen Severijns