It’s still early when the first visitors begin to trickle into Theater De Flint in Amersfoort. Outside, there’s a crisp autumn scent in the air that instantly gives away what kind of day it will be: one that makes you want to dive deep into something.
Perfect timing, because the theme of the ManualMaster Congress ’25 on quality management fits seamlessly: “Going deeper.” More than 300 quality professionals make their way to Amersfoort to immerse themselves in quality, inspiration, knowledge sharing, innovation—and… cake.
Watch the aftermovie alongside and read on!
A soft landing of hospitality and energy
From the moment you step inside, warm music fills the space, and badges, coffee, and tea are served with a smile, together with homemade cake by Thamar. The Flint proves to be a perfect choice as the congress venue: light, spacious, and a buzzing exhibition floor. Everywhere you look, quality professionals are connecting and, after just one greeting, quickly slip into shop talk, dashboard tips, or the ever-familiar question: “So how do you handle document management, web forms, and risk management?”
A well-oiled machine
Precisely at 9:45 a.m., the dive bell rings and ManualMaster’s Fred Vahlkamp steps onto the stage. We are heading down, into the depths. With his familiar flair and humor, he welcomes the audience, walks through the program, and warns that filming is taking place. A few hands move to fix hairstyles, jackets are straightened. After all, as a quality manager, you want to meet the standard visually as well.
The music fades, and within seconds Hugo Bakker is on stage to kick off the hackathon. Where developers normally hammer away at code in dark basements, a full theater now watches as a new feature is implemented in no time in Trevally, the quality management software. Rafal, a developer at Yumasoft, has flown in from Poland for the occasion. He is brought in remotely and given a few hours. He succeeds, as becomes clear later in the day.
Ilja Botha takes over and explains the day’s logistics with military precision. When we need to be where, when the bell rings, and how to find the right breakout session where ManualMaster users explain their quality systems.
The congress feels like a well-oiled machine.
The power of AI
At 10:30 a.m., the main hall empties out. Like ants from an organized nest, everyone fans out toward the sessions. Managers from Boskalis, EMPWR Nutrition Group, JDE, Atrex, Ambulancezorg Amsterdam, the VanDrie Group, the Province of Utrecht, Bosch, and Bouw Dijkstra-Draisma explain to their audiences the role Trevally plays in managing and safeguarding quality within their organizations.
The AI session by Job Schopman from Trevally proves to be a popular choice among attendees. Job takes the stage at De Flint, combining solid content with hands-on interaction by getting the audience to work on writing prompts that set AI in motion.
He talks about the power of AI and what can go wrong with it. His anecdote about a Sinterklaas coloring page without Zwarte Piet, because AI is stricter about stereotypes than many parents, triggers chuckles and recognition. Prompt engineering suddenly no longer feels like an abstract concept, but something that can even derail the Sinterklaas experience.
Learning from each other’s pitfalls and successes
After lunch, the session by Ambulancezorg Amsterdam takes place in the Panorama Lounge. Ronald Bakker guides the audience through his daily reality: urgency, pressure, protocols, emotion, and the role of a quality management system when working in acute care.
He talks about their internal system BRAIN, which stands for Policy, Regulations, Agreements, Information, and Networks, and how document management and reporting culture are integrated into it. Laughter breaks out when Ronald says, “We are working on modernization, because out in the field employees say: I can’t find anything. You probably recognize that. A beautiful system, but nowhere to be found.”
The sense of recognition in the room is strong. This is exactly why quality professionals come together: to learn from each other’s pitfalls and successes.
“Better well copied than poorly invented”
Lunch is served on the exhibition floor, and the buffet is popular. “Good food,” as Bertine Koster, QA specialist at Fruity Line, later puts it. Between wraps, soup, and hamburger buns, knowledge and experiences about managing quality are shared. The exchange works. People watch, talk, and take notes.
Henriette Bos, Quality Assurance & Compliance Coordinator at Nobian, says she encountered a broad range of topics. “What I was looking for, I found. Especially information about setting up a dashboard. I find that a very interesting topic because I am working on it myself. How can I make it even more beautiful and better?” At the Boskalis presentation, she gained plenty of inspiration for setting up a management system. “That could very well serve as an example for us.”
Among the visitors is also Bo Stevens from Denkavit, application manager and attending a ManualMaster congress for the first time. His first impression? “Very positive and well organized.” What did he come for? “Inspiration. The lessons from others, the pitfalls they have fallen into. You learn from that.” Bo takes a down-to-earth view of quality management and follows a practical motto: “Better well copied than poorly invented.”
A touch of nostalgia from the depths
The congress feels like coming home to a world of quality thinking, process optimization, and that characteristic mix of enthusiasm, professionalism, and well-considered improvisation that ManualMaster is known for.
A museum set up with ManualMaster attributes and milestones takes you back in time and brings to the surface, from the depths, a touch of IT nostalgia that many will recognize.
The exhibition of customer-designed dashboards, used to guide users through their quality systems, with colorful tiles and icons, attracts a constant stream of curious visitors.
On the exhibition floor, quality managers learn more about the Trevally quality management software and about Certifeye, the platform that offers solutions in the field of certifications. Many visitors are tempted to capture themselves as eternal students at the ManualMaster Academy photo booth wall, or try their luck in a grab machine to win one of Thamar’s cakes to take home.
No fewer than 75 improvements
After an extensive lunch, the main hall fills up once again. The spotlights turn to sales manager Johan de Rooij, who presents the Autumn Release ’25, Trevally 3.05. It almost feels like an Apple keynote, but with better inside jokes about how quickly developments in quality management, and therefore at ManualMaster, are moving.
The Autumn Release includes no fewer than 75 improvements to the software’s interface and functionality. Apple could take a lesson from that. Flowcharts, the Q-learning and Risk Management modules, AI features, and data security are just a random selection, but all of them come with valuable updates.
It feels as if Trevally is not only keeping pace with the times, but is slightly ahead of them.
And then… Bas Nijhuis
The icing on the cake: Football referee Bas Nijhuis steps onto the stage. Exactly the right moment for a bit of lightness.
Bas starts off relaxed and gradually wins over the room. His stories jump from football pitches to dressing rooms, from Turkish stadiums to bakeries and back again. He talks about making mistakes, trust, communication, dealing with negativity, and above all staying true to yourself, no matter how deep you are in it.
The audience devours his anecdotes. About supporters wishing him hell during his warm-up and directing the most disgraceful insults at his mother. About being cursed at by a fan in a wheelchair at De Kuip. About the misunderstanding involving a set of false teeth and his encounter on the pitch with star player Cristiano Ronaldo, who begged him to award a goal that was, in fact, an own goal. “You see some things on the football field.”
Humor with depth
Beneath the humor lies depth. Bas explains how important it is to be able to trust your team, to be allowed to make mistakes and recover from them, and not to let negative energy from the outside take the lead.
The audience listens in rapt attention. It is not just funny, it hits home. Quality professionals recognize it immediately. Dealing with pressure, expectations, and misunderstandings turns out to be surprisingly close to their daily work.
Time for a drink
After his performance, applause fills the entire hall. A perfect finale to a day that was as educational as it was enjoyable.
Visitors slowly make their way to the exhibition floor, where drinks are being served. Business cards are exchanged, plans are made, ideas are discussed, and dashboards are analyzed once more. The energy is high, and the inspiration runs deep.
A successful congress?
The visitors are clear. Henriette from Nobian: “Great atmosphere, a wide range of topics, and I found exactly what I was looking for.” Bertine from Fruity Line: “Informative, sociable, and great food.” And Bo from Denkavit: “Very positive. Well organized. Inspiring.”
They dove deep and came back richer.
