Choosing an internship is an important (and fun!) step in your career. Since our founding nearly 15 years ago, Conceptional has hosted interns for a 6- or 12-month program that provides hands-on experience and education across the various projects and services we provide. Many interns continue to work with us following their initial time with us. This includes three of our current team members: Claartje Verschoor, Hidde Verschuren and Luca Scholpp, all of whom are hotel school alumni. In this blog, they share their experiences and highlights of the internship.
Both Hidde and Claartje studied the foodservice minor at the Hotel School Maastricht and became familiar with concept development here. Claartje: 'Concept development offers the opportunity to work for a range of clients and get a glimpse of different companies within the foodservice industry'. For Luca, concept development gave him the chance to step outside his comfort zone and express his creativity, and he was drawn to Conceptional's impressive international portfolio of clients.
All three experienced the internship as a challenging but instructive period. Luca: 'I enjoyed the tasks and responsibilities I received and I was constantly learning and developing professionally. One of the great things about interning at Conceptional is that the team allows you to build your skills and pushes you to challenge yourself and grow. Each person is different and good at different things, and this is something that Conceptional understands better than many other companies. You can shape your internship experience however you want.'
For both Claartje and Hidde, the internship at Conceptional further sparked their interest in sustainability within food service. Claartje began pursuing a master's degree in the subject after her internship, while Hidde helped develop and launch our Sustainable Food Route service. In addition, all three indicated that the diversity of work and projects for large customers was enormously instructive and fun to experience. Claartje: 'During my internship, I was able to work on projects such as Roompot, Meneer Smakers, Albert Heijn and Ahoy'.
We are a small company with an open and friendly atmosphere in the office, but also outside the office. Luca: 'Our team is bursting with creative spirits and we enjoy working together on different projects every day'. To enhance team building, we organise many sporting and creative events throughout the year. Claartje and Hidde are both part of this Party Committee and organise monthly fun events from surfing and padel to, last month's visit to prison island, a 24-room escape room-like adventure. Hidde: 'A common phrase is; work hard, play hard. I experienced this most during my internship through the many fun team activities, visits to Kompaan the brewery around the corner and the daily communal lunch at the office. My highlight was a long weekend with the team in Valencia'. In addition, we all work in the same space, some of us sport together before work, and some of the team take a daily walk around to stimulate our creative thoughts and keep each other informed about the various ongoing projects. The Conceptional culture is also characterised by the many nationalities within the team, with half of the employees coming from outside the Netherlands.
Because of the diversity of both internal and external projects, the three made clear that each day brings opportunities for personal and professional growth. Claartje: 'Having to be able to switch quickly between completely different projects and work, and being flexible in my schedule in the process, has sharpened my skills in planning and communicating with colleagues'. Hidde: 'I only really noticed after my internship, when I started explaining and directing things to the new interns myself, how much I, as well as all of our interns, had grown. I have now supervised 7 interns and enjoy contributing to the personal and professional growth of others'.
Each of these three former interns chose to work at Conceptional because of the positive work environment and the challenging and exciting projects Conceptional has been successfully executing for nearly 15 years.
Claartje chose to pursue a master's degree in Sustainability just before Hidde took over as the intern responsible for researching the sustainability service that Conceptional was developing. This recently-launched service, the Sustainable Food Route (SFR), was the driving force for Hidde to continue as a Junior after his internship. Over the past year, he has been actively involved as a contact person in major sustainability projects for Schiphol Airport and the Efteling. At the start of these two projects, Claartje was contacted about returning to the team, which she did in October of 2023, eager to make an impact in the world of food service together with Hidde and Conceptional.
Hidde: 'The main reasons I continue to enjoy working here are the enormous opportunities and confidence I have gained over the past three years'. Luca made the move to Junior last February. Luca: 'In life, I don't want to do repetitive tasks; I want to keep learning and challenging myself. When I received an offer from Conceptional, I reflected on how much I had learned and developed over the previous year, and I was excited to see what heights I could reach in the future'.
Conceptional's head office is located in The Hague. In addition, two colleagues work from Spain.
Hidde: 'The city of The Hague has surprised me the most of all. I have now been living in The Hague with my boyfriend for almost two years and we have genuinely fallen in love with the city. The dunes, the beach and the city's many parks make The Hague so unique.'
Claartje: 'I was born in The Hague, so of course my opinion is hugely positive. I live right in the city centre and still discover and test the best spots for eating and drinking every weekend'.
Claartje Verschoor, Hidde Verschuren & Luca Scholpp
Hidde Verschuren
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