Omnia will celebrate its third anniversary on 10 May 2025, having welcomed over 100,000 visitors since opening. This milestone is an excellent time to reflect on the achievements and the challenges in the last 3 years and look ahead at the plans and dreams of Omnia Manager - Chris van Kreij, who shares his insights in this interview.
These have been eventful years during which collaboration with various parties in Omnia has taken great shape. In the beginning, it was a pioneering effort and involved a lot of trial and error and staff rotation, but I'm proud of the team we have now and the close cooperation with our three main suppliers in Omnia. Looking at the events we've hosted, it spans everything from academic ceremonies (PhD defences, inaugurations, MSc graduations) to a broad range of scientific symposia in the Agri- Food and Lifesciences domain. We even hosted a world record for cooking with kids at EU School Fruit event. We've welcomed leaders, e.g. at Inspiration Dinner Economic Board 20222, and provided venue to TED Talks. Thus, the beauty lies in the diversity of the events we hosted and the social impact they have had.
What do you find the biggest professional success and what has been the most personally fulfilling aspect of your role?
Hosting the F&A Next conference, which brought over 700 visitors to Omnia was a big achievement. Collaborating with the team on this project was a joy, and hosting such a huge event allowed the client to reach a large group of people. What I find most personally fulfilling is fostering collaboration among different stakeholders. I want to be the oil in the machine, ensuring smooth cooperation within the Omnia team but also between WUR researchers and external parties to add content to events and share WUR insights with society.
What did you find the most challenging in this journey?
Finding the right approach for a successful and smooth operation, especially in close collaboration with the catering partner Hutten catering, to position the Restaurant & Faculty Club Novum within the Wageningen Campus hospitality landscape. This involved crafting an offering that creates added value for visitors, such as partnership with Unifarm, and using the products from De Verspillingsfabriek,
How is the added value created in Omnia's culinary approach?
We strive to be inclusive by accommodating all tastes and preferences offering our guests a choice of meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan options. For example, we ask whether they prefer their coffee with cow's milk or oat milk. We have also started following the Eat-Lancet principles-a plant-forward diet that includes more plant-based foods and fewer animal-source foods and is healthy, sustainable, and beneficial for both people and the planet. To integrate these principles into our menu and connect with local startups producing sustainable foods, we have partnered with Zwamcijsje which delivers plant-based 'Brabantian worstenbroodje', a snack filled with oyster mushrooms. Voedselbos from Droevendaal delivers various plants, such as lupine, a protein-rich crop, while Urban Funghi provides self-grown mushrooms. Also, Orbisk's innovative solution is used in the kitchen to reduce food waste.We have also recently joined Euro-Toques, an organisation of chefs in Europe that promotes and protects culinary traditions, high-quality food, and the use of natural, locally sourced ingredients. As a result, we are now offering classic dishes with a modern and innovative twist at Restaurant Novum.
Omnia is presented as a dialogue centre and a bridge between academia and society. Has that goal been achieved? Which events showcase this best?
Events like the Gelderlander political debate bring our slogan "Where science meets society" to life. The dialogue on framing polarisation in the food debate was another case in point, and so are Wageningen Dialogues programming and DocuScience gatherings.
Our renewed portrait gallery also reflects societal signals. Since adding display screens between the portraits, the feedback has been positive. We no longer receive emails from people feeling uncomfortable with the historical figures - exclusively male scholars - watching over them. The gallery has also become a meaningful backdrop for graduation photos and inaugural lectures. We also provide materials on WUR's diversity and inclusion efforts. Other universities facing similar portrait dilemmas have even visited Omnia to see our approach.
What event do you feel had the biggest real-world impact?
It's difficult to choose-smaller events with ten people can be just as impactful as large-scale ones. One standout example is a collaboration with an external party from the graphic sector, where we connected industry professionals with WUR researchers working on sustainable paper production from elephant grass. These connections exemplify Omnia's mission of linking science and society.
What improvements could help make Omnia even more successful?
Parking remains a common concern, but improvements are planned for 2025. We don't plan to build parking spaces at Omnia, but visitors can park at Unilever's P5 lot, which has 250 spaces, half with EV chargers. We're also improving the process-soon, visitors will receive a QR code via email for easier access. Additionally, we're working with local authorities to rename the nearby bus stop to "Omnia," making public transport more convenient.
I'd like to see Omnia's spaces consistently well-occupied throughout the year. The first quarter is usually quieter, so achieving more stability in bookings would be ideal. Increasing external events from 20% to 30-40% would also help strengthen the connection between science and society.
Additionally, Restaurant Novum still seems to be the best-kept secret of the Wageningen Campus, as many people don't realise that everybody is welcome from Monday to Friday to stop by for a coffee break or lunch (10:00-16:00). On Tuesdays and Thursdays we are open for dinner by reservation offering a great dining experience in a warm atmosphere.
Where do you see Omnia in three years?
Occupancy will have grown by 20%, and Restaurant Novum will be regularly open for dinner on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Additionally, Omnia will host an annual event bringing Dutch and EU policymakers to Wageningen to share insights and anchor this in their (political) agendas.
For a statistics overview: what can you share in numbers about sustainability, savings, visitor numbers, promotions, and events?
- We expect to welcome our 100,000th visitor in 2025
- 400 PhD defenses annually
- 25 inaugurations annually
- 1,500 diploma ceremonies annually
- 22.000 views for the informal promotional video Omnia-jaja, a loving parody of the Dutch Eurovision Song Contest entry of 2024
- No gas connection; we use heat/cold storage
- All electricity comes from green sources (solar panels on WUR buildings and wind turbines in Lelystad)
- Omnia was designed and built to the BREEAM Excellent standard
- A wet natural garden around Omnia provides inspiration for a climate-adapted landscape in 100 years
