In the course of this year we organized more than 150 network meetings in the Netherlands and Belgium. Then it might seem like everything runs together, but actually there is something to tell about every month. So that’s what we’re going to do in this overview.

January

We were guests in Bruges at Turbeau2Rock, the company of Franky De Smet-Van Damme, better known as the singer of Channel Zero. An inspiring evening for everyone and Franky remained active within the MetalBC afterwards.

February

During introductory meetings in Ulft and Antwerp the seeds were planted for future plans, one of which has already been launched: our monthly network meetings in Brasschaat.

March

The introductory meeting in Ghent ensured, among other things, that we could start our first German-language meetings in East Belgium later this year. Also the Member Night in Nijmegen, with our member Rijn Vogelaar as speaker, was highly appreciated by all attendees.

April

During the Roadburn Breakfast our members shared their knowledge about e.g. copyright, artwork, sound recording, label contracts, band photography and social media.

May

Thanks to our company visit at CoMate in Leuven, we even appeared on national television in Belgium. And we went to Ghost at the Ziggo Dome with about 60 members and guests. As part of the Ziggo Dome Business Club, so fully catered for in an exclusively accessible part of the balcony. Finally, we had a wonderful outing together: a cooking workshop in Utrecht.

June

An unforgettable networking meeting was at the prison in Veenhuizen, where we networked with inmates who will soon be released and are eager to get back to work. To conclude, Skroetbalg played as the first hard band ever within Dutch prison walls. Of course we were also present as a club at South Of Heaven in Maastricht, where we were able to offer our members a relaxed backstage area. At Jera On AIr we got a tour behind the scenes.

July

The BBQs we organized in the Netherlands and Belgium were literally a hit. We were also present at Pitfest in Emmen with our traditional networking lunch before the musical violence erupted. We were also very proud when we sat with 40 members and guests in a skybox for the Iron Maiden concert:

August

August, the month when other people have vacations, is actually a very busy month for us. After all, it is festival month! So we organized networking meetings at Alcatraz, Dynamo Metalfest and Summer Breeze. All of them on the VIP deck and fully equipped.

September

The last outdoor festival of 2025 for us was Baroeg Open Air in Rotterdam. And we knew it… At times the rain came pouring down, but fortunately our members and their guests were covered in the press/guest area.

October

The most important event of October was our annual conference. We welcomed no less than 140 attendees. The location, Noordkade in Veghel, was an experience in itself. The guided tour, which was the kickoff of the inspiring day, was very much appreciated. So were the t-shirts and patches the attendees received upon entry.

  • Yordi Dam was our first speaker and he delivered a hilarious ode to data visualization with hardcore punk as his subject.
  • Rens Tanis inspired attendees with, among other things, a “metal hand” as a mnemonic for five ways to keep a networking conversation going.
  • William Boeva told not only jokes, but above all a serious and personal story about the importance of inclusion.
  • Finally,Frank Heim gave us 10 tips for running your business based on principles that also work for his band Saltatio Mortis.

In between, there was more than enough time to get to know other attendees better. About 100 people had their pictures taken by our member Edwin Smits, both seriously and in metalpose. To conclude the day we were allowed to present the film ‘Hard, Harder, Ysselsteyn’ about Jera on Air for documentary festival Beholders. Afterwards there was a panel discussion with the filmmakers and various festival professionals. All in all, it was a very successful day full of inspiration and new additions to each other’s network!

November

Knowledge sharing has been our goal from the beginning. Therefore, in November we started expert sessions by our members. They will tour the Netherlands and Belgium to inspire their fellow members with their stories. Starting in November, we also organize monthly network meetings in Büllingen (Ostbelgien, in German) and in Roeselare, with the shooting range of our member Nico Demeyere as location. Of course, during the kick-off there was time for a shooting initiation. The more than 25 attendees did not want to say that twice!

December

Originally, our idea was not to organize any regional network meetings in December because it is already such a busy month. But our members decided otherwise: they just wanted to keep going! So December was packed with meetings in two countries. A great prospect for next year.

Of course we are looking forward to 2026!

  • In the Netherlands we will expand from 8 locations to 21 (and counting);
  • In Belgium we will meet in at least 7 locations in 2026;
  • Our Dutch and Belgian members regularly visit multiple meetings at different locations. This creates even more enthusiasm and networking power;
  • We have found German partners and will start in Germany in 2026;
  • We will officially start there in September. Our goal is to organize monthly meetings at 25 locations in Germany by then.