Partners in Congress Organisation - PCO

What Partners in Congress Organisation - PCO does

Partners in Congress Organisation B.V. (PCO) is a privately held, full-service Professional Congress Organiser headquartered in Maastricht, Netherlands, founded in 2010 (originally as Pauwels Congress Organisers, rebranded in June 2023 following its founder's retirement). The firm specializes in end-to-end congress and event management for European medical, scientific, corporate, and governmental clients, delivering everything from preliminary planning, budgeting, venue selection, and programme/speaker coordination through to participant registration, abstract handling, exhibition management, hotel reservation, accreditation processing, on-site coordination, and post-event evaluation. PCO operates a portfolio of 30+ ongoing society secretariats and annual congresses across 16+ European countries (including Netherlands, France, Germany, Norway, Portugal, Italy, UK, Ireland, Romania, Poland, Switzerland, Greece, Sweden, Belgium, Croatia, and Spain), with marquee events such as the European Vascular Course (2,000+ attendees from 50 countries), the 29th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Biomaterials (~1,000 participants), and the European Veterinary Dental Forum.

The company's technology stack is built around bespoke administrative systems developed in-house, including an online participant registration module with payment processing, an abstract submission and reviewer portal, an integrated hotel reservation system, exhibition handling modules, a custom mailing/newsletter/certificate/survey distribution system, and an Online/Hybrid Congress Platform supporting live streaming, pre-recorded presentations, digital poster sessions, and virtual exhibitions. PCO holds Erkend Congresbedrijf (Certified Professional Congress Organiser) status, re-certified in 2024, and is anchored by Preferred Supplier arrangements with Universiteit Maastricht and a long-standing relationship with MECC Maastricht.

PCO's revenue model is project-based professional services: clients contract either full A-to-Z congress organization or modular service packages (e.g., registration-only, abstract handling-only), with multi-year recurring engagements typical for ongoing society secretariats. Pricing is custom-quoted per project and not publicly disclosed; the firm explicitly does not operate on a commission basis (any commissions it secures accrue to the client). The company maintains a 9-person core team of project managers plus freelance project managers and hostesses, and is privately owned by three individuals (Ilona Vermeeren, Susan Verkou, and Lahdy Lauvenberg) with no external institutional investors.

Name

Partners in Congress Organisation - PCO

Legal name

Partners in Congress Organisation B.V.

Website

https://pcopartners.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Partners in Congress Organisation (PCO) is a privately held, full-service Professional Congress Organiser based in Maastricht that plans and executes medical, scientific, corporate, and governmental congresses across Europe, serving European professional societies with end-to-end event management and ongoing secretariat services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Congress Organisation Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Meeting & Conference Planning (Internal/External) (THAHACAB), Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK), Registration, Housing & Travel Desk Services (Delegate Logistics) (THAHACAJ), Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM), Onsite Operations & Event Staffing Management (THAHACAL), Government & Public Sector Congress & Summit Planning (THAHACAC)

Keywords

• Professional congress organizing
• Event management services
• Conference planning
• Congress secretariat services
• Abstract handling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Maastricht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Congress Organization Services: Full-service professional congress organization for medical, scientific, corporate, and governmental events. Services include planning, registration, venue management, speaker coordination, sponsorship handling, exhibition management, and on-site coordination. PCO explicitly states they do NOT work on commission basis - all commissions benefit the client.
2. Ongoing Secretariat Services: Continuing administrative support for professional societies including member administration, board meeting organization, AGM preparation, and member/sponsor communications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Partners in Congress Organisation (PCO) is a full-service Professional Congress Organiser based in Maastricht, providing end-to-end congress and event management for medical, scientific, corporate, and governmental clients across Europe. Services span planning, budgeting, venue selection, programme/speaker coordination, sponsorship, accreditation, participant registration, hotel reservation, abstract handling, exhibition management, and on-site coordination. Clients can engage PCO for complete A-to-Z organisation or select modular service packages.

Product overview

Partners in Congress Organisation (PCO) is a full-service Professional Congress Organiser (PCO) based in Maastricht, operating across Europe. The company offers a unified suite of congress and event management services, encompassing advisory services (planning, budgeting, venue selection, communication, programme/speaker coordination, sponsorship, accreditation) and operational modules including Participant Registration, Hotel Reservation, Abstract Handling, Exhibition Handling, and an Online/Hybrid Congress Platform. The core offering is the comprehensive congress organisation service, which clients can engage in full (A to Z) or in selected portions. PCO also operates a proprietary custom mailing system for newsletters, certificates, and surveys.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• European Veterinary Dental Forum grew from 250 to 500+ attendees in 5 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• MPIminorOthersIndustry membership organization for meeting and event professionals. Provides networking opportunities, industry resources, and professional development for PCO staff.
• Maastricht Convention BureauminorOthersLocal destination marketing organization for Maastricht conventions and meetings industry. Supports PCO in promoting Maastricht as a congress destination.
• Rotterdam PartnersminorOthersRotterdam convention and meetings bureau partnership for cross-promotion of Rotterdam and Maastricht as European congress destinations.
• Universiteit MaastrichtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPreferred Supplier status for the university. PCO organizes congresses at university facilities and provides event management services for academic conferences.
• MECC MaastrichtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing relationship with the MECC Maastricht convention center for hosting large-scale congress events. Staff have prior experience at MECC.
• Emilio Perez Graphic DesignminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGraphic design agency responsible for PCO's visual identity and design work. Located in Geleen, Netherlands.
• 3W MediaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWebsite design and realization partner responsible for PCO's web presence and digital platforms.
• Jonathan Vos PhotographyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMaastricht-based photographer providing professional event photography for congress documentation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kenes Group: Global Professional Congress Organiser headquartered in Switzerland, specializing in medical, scientific, and professional associations. Highly comparable to PCO's niche as a society-focused PCO serving European and international medical organizations.
• C-IN: Czech Professional Congress Organiser providing association management, congress organization, and hybrid event services across Europe. Comparable mid-sized PCO serving European scientific and medical societies.
• Congrex Switzerland: Association management and Professional Congress Organiser serving European medical and scientific societies. Directly comparable in offering full-service secretariat and congress organization to association clients across Europe.
• KIT Group: Germany-based Professional Congress Organiser focused on medical and scientific associations. Closely comparable in service portfolio (registration, abstract handling, hotel reservation) and European medical-society client base.

Broad incumbents

• BCD Meetings & Events: Large global corporate meetings and events agency with growing association PCO capabilities. Competes for European association and corporate event mandates, though its core strength is corporate rather than scientific society work.
• MCI Group: Large global events and association management firm offering full PCO services across multiple verticals and geographies. Overlaps with PCO's association/congress work but operates at significantly larger scale with broader corporate and association portfolio.
• GL Events: Global integrated event industry group combining venue management, exhibition services, and congress organization across Europe. Overlaps with PCO's on-site operations and venue coordination but operates at very different scale as venue owner.
• AIM Group International: European-headquartered congress organizer and event management company serving associations, corporations, and healthcare clients. Comparable in serving medical associations but with much broader geographic and service scope than PCO.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/pcopartners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/partners-in-congress-organisation-pco

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Partners in Congress Organisation - PCO