Redesigning Organizational Processes at RAI Amsterdam
A Critical Evaluation of organisational learning in an organisational event process
L.M.A. van der Heijde (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
Shahrokh Nikou – Mentor (TU Delft - Responsible Marketing and Consumer Behavior)
Bart Bluemink – Mentor (TU Delft - DesIgning Value in Ecosystems)
J.P.M. Gerritsen – Mentor (RAI Amsterdam)
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Abstract
This thesis explores how learning within post-show meetings can be improved in an organisational event context. Although these meetings are intended to capture learnings, in practice insights often remain implicit, fragmented, or are not shared beyond the immediate team. As a result, valuable experiences are lost, mistakes are repeated, and organisational learning remains limited. The aim of this project is to design an intervention that supports teams in articulating, structuring, and sharing learnings more effectively within the existing workflow of post-show meetings.
To understand the problem, a combination of qualitative research methods was used, including observations, interviews, and analysis of current post-show practices. The findings revealed that learnings are often described at a surface level, remain tied to specific events, and are rarely translated into actionable or transferable insights. In addition, a lack of structure, ownership, and follow-up limits their organisational impact.
Based on these insights, the LOOP method (Learning through Organisational Ownership and Processes) was developed. This method introduces a structured reflection process within post-show meetings, consisting of guiding questions, a labelling system (Local, Valuable, Recurring, Risk), and clearly defined roles such as facilitator and owner. The method is designed to support teams in moving from describing events towards articulating underlying learnings, while also enabling the positioning and sharing of these learnings within the organisation.
The prototype was tested in a real meeting setting to evaluate its effectiveness. The results showed that the structured questions supported deeper reflection and clearer articulation of insights. The facilitator played a key role in guiding this process, and the labelling system supported the organisation and potential dissemination of learnings. At the same time, the test highlighted the importance of clarity in question phrasing and the need for facilitation to ensure depth in reflection.
Overall, the LOOP method demonstrates how a lightweight, structured intervention can enhance the quality and visibility of learning within existing organisational processes. By embedding learning into the rhythm of post-show meetings, the method contributes to more consistent, transferable, and actionable knowledge. In doing so, it supports both team-level learning and the structural embedding of organisational learning.