Some work trips you come back from and quickly forget. This wasn't one of them.
On 25 May, Prepr CEO Jouko Huismans and CXO Bernard Jan Boekholt travelled to Stockholm for the first edition of the MarTech Summit Stockholm, which brought together 200+ senior marketers, digital leaders, and technology specialists from across the Nordics and Europe. Three days later, they returned to Utrecht with new connections, fresh perspectives, and a few ideas they're still thinking about.
But the summit wasn't the only item on the agenda.
As Prepr continues to explore opportunities in the Nordic market, the visit was also a chance to meet local agencies, have honest conversations, and understand firsthand how Swedish digital teams are approaching customer experience, personalization, and the growing role of AI.
Day one: the easiest trip we've had in a while
The trip got off to an unusually smooth start.
No security queues, no delays, smooth arrival at Stockholm Arlanda, and the final stretch into the city on a Lime scooter turned out to be faster and cheaper than the bus or metro. And honestly, more fun.
It's not exactly the kind of thing people travel across Europe to write about. But there's something about a trip that just works that puts you in exactly the right headspace for what comes next.
Stockholm made a good first impression.
Coming from the Netherlands, both Jouko and Bernard Jan immediately noticed how familiar the city felt. The culture, the directness, the practicality. There was a sense of order to everything, though perhaps a little more than they were used to at home.
As Bernard Jan put it: "Sweden feels like the Netherlands, but more organised. Which is a high bar. Somehow they cleared it."
