Open Day is a biennial event that welcomes the entire region to spend a day on High Tech Campus Eindhoven, opening the doors to Brainport’s seminal companies and research labs – including Philips, TNO and Holst Centre – the vibrant startup community, SMEs and multinational companies who all call High Tech Campus home.
Open Day is about showcasing companies of the future who are turning technology into business. It’s about putting on display the vibrant ecosystem and the natural beauty of High Tech Campus. This year was special, as we are celebrating the 25th anniversary theme: Rewind & Fast Forward. We did a little bit of both at Open Day 2024.
But mostly, it’s about fun.
The event included five zones at HTCE. Several Campus companies, including Philips, TMC, Signify, Shimano, VitalFluid and the Workplace Vitality Hub, opened their buildings.
NXP did not open their own headquarters during Open Day. They did, however, have an impressive presence, showcasing their technology in multiple displays, including a self-driving car centrally located at The Strip.
In total, 50 companies joined, all rolling out their demo’s, games and innovations at the Conference Center, AI Innovation Center, outside at The Strip or in the Workplace Vitality Hub.
For most, Open Day was just about catching up the outside world on what's going on at High Tech Campus. There were too many activities to list individually here, but Campus was positively buzzing with activities for tech enthusiasts of all ages. We spotted newborns, school-age children, teens, retirees and Campus employees with their entire families in tow.
Think of Open Day not just as a peek into emerging tech, but into how humans engage with the technology.
At the AI Innovation Center, for example, a young girl – maybe four years old – puts on the VR headset at the Playsight exhibit, clutches the controls and masters training meant for adults working in a fulfillment center. Something, it turns out, a lot of adults struggle with. The little girl needs about 30 seconds to figure it out without coaching.
There's your insight into the future of tech in the form of a special section for startups in the AI Innovation Center, where 11 companies participated. What surprised us was how much the engagement with all the startups, with lines of people waiting to talk with team members and check out the tech.
Many companies were doing business, including Axelera AI, with Karin den Heijer answering queries from a representative of a South African platinum mine about the company's AI-enhanced technology that can do things like spot workers who aren't wearing protective gear or who are wearing it incorrectly.
That was just one stop.
One of the most popular exhibits was the Redesign Life Foundation's VR driving simulator and electric racing kart display at The Strip. Redesign Life is redesigning the foundations of the way people experience sustainable mobility, said Chairman Peter-Paul Laumens. Oh, and you got to virtually experience driving an electric formula car. “We had a constant queue,” Laumens said.
An ecosystem is comprised of many players, and Open Day wasn’t just about the tech. Attendees also participated in cricket and tennis clinics. They could also try out the latest technology in cycling and fishing … then head to the lake to row or kick around the football at the Philips pop-up shop.
The PSV team bus shuttled visitors to all the zones, and the crowd flocked to the Conference Center to meet Phoxy and get their photos taken with the PSV championship plate.
Just for fun, we had a pink gorilla meeting the kids. The kids weren’t shy and eagerly fist-bumped or hugged the lovable giant. Then there were the “robotmen” who made you look twice to make sure your eyes weren’t deceiving you.
At The Farm, the bees didn’t notice the crowd; they just kept on making their High Tech Honey. The High Tech Farmers showed off their community gardens, and the High Tech Sheep mowed the field at their normal leisurely pace.
The Internationals Market had a constant flow of visitors learning about programs and activities for the many internationals who work at Campus.
The High Tech Campus crew and volunteers kept the flow going, giving out information about zone activities and demos and stamping the scavenger hunt cards for the younger set. They were so enthusiastic that many went for five stamps instead of the three required to receive their light-up yo-yos, a nod to the “rewind” part of our anniversary celebration theme.
Open Day was part the High Tech Ontdekkingsroute/High Tech Discovery Route, organized by Brainport Development, where multiple hotspots in the Brainport region opened their doors.
In short, Open Day 2024 was a resounding success. We’ll do it all again in two years.
Hard telling where technology will take us in 2026. But you can bet the innovations happening every day at Campus will be on full display once again.
See all the photos here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBuznT