King Willem-Alexander will come to the port in Meppel on Wednesday, January 17. That afternoon, Her Majesty will be briefed on sustainable entrepreneurship, economic developments in the port area, cooperation and responding to changing transport flows. He also takes the boat to the city center.
Port of Zwolle, as the port in Meppel is called, is the joint port company of the municipalities of Zwolle, Kampen and Meppel. This is where water, rail and roads come together.
During his visit to the port, Willem-Alexander will visit various companies. He is given an explanation about the role of hydrogen, sustainable construction and the reuse of materials resulting from the demolition of buildings and cargo ships.
In addition to entrepreneurs and employees, students are also present who are doing internships at the companies. They talk about their experiences and their future plans.
The king’s visit starts at boat builder Alumax Boats. “This is a reward for entrepreneurship, a crowning achievement,” says the spokesperson for Alumax Boats about the royal visit. But the number of visitors is becoming too much for the company. “We wanted to receive fewer visitors this year. The highlight was Minister Schreinemacher’s visit last year. Sometimes we are like an open-air museum with all the visitors. That’s fine, but we wanted the crowds to be less. Then we heard just before Christmas that the king is coming.”
The king will also visit the Circular Entrepreneurship Field Lab, which is located near the center, by water taxi. Here entrepreneurs and students work on developing, testing and producing new (food) products.
RTV Drenthe visited the Fieldlab in Meppel last July. View the images below: