Hilde de Laet - Manager of Hidrodoe and Treasurer and member of the Ecsite Board - shares her Top Tips with us this month.

Listening to –

I really enjoy listening to music, mostly on the radio. It gives me energy and it's fun to sing along or dance. All my friends know that when ‘Maniac’ from Michael Sembello plays I can’t sit still. I also like music from musicals, like for instance Wicked or the Moulin Rouge. I also listen to podcasts about all kinds of subjects, this ensures that I continue to learn and be inspired.

Reading –

Another thing I’m really into. I have a lot of books. Mostly business, non-fiction books. And they are about different subjects like marketing, consumer psychology, customer focus, management, leadership, coaching, storytelling, communication and much more. I am very curious and eager to learn. 'A diamond in the rough' by Steven Van Belleghem is one of the last ones I’ve read. Very inspiring.

And besides that I also really like to read a good detective or crime novel. A real ‘who done it’. Isn't it wonderful to completely disappear into a story. I can recommend the thrillers of Department Q by Jussi Adler-Olsen.

Following –

I do follow a few people on Instagram and YouTube. Especially Mel Robbins brings interesting conversations. I like her 5-second rule and her Let Them Theory. I also follow Deepak Chopra for good meditations.

And via LinkedIn I like to follow colleagues from our sector from all over the world. Always nice to see what they are doing. Anyway, there are so many interesting people to follow, it's endless. But I also want to be able to disconnect from my smartphone every now and then and just follow my feet to wherever they take me during a nice walk.

Things keeping me up at night -

How the world is changing so rapidly, how fast technology is advancing with AI, among other things. Can you still keep up? Also the challenges that are coming our way, such as wars, polarization and increasing individualism. What certainly also worries me is the loss of biodiversity and climate change. Urgent and drastic action must be taken, but it seems to be going so slowly.

In addition to these global challenges, there are also things within our own science center Hidrodoe that sometimes keep me busy. Will people still find it fun and interesting to learn about water and science? Or are only high-tech and state-of-the-art exhibits or attractions attractive in the future? Should we invest in the latest technologies or not?

You see enough question marks and challenges, to which I would like to contribute in order to make a positive impact.

Somewhere I’ve been recently -

My last big trip was a tour around Iceland. Stunning natural attractions such as waterfalls, glaciers with massive floating icebergs, geysers, whale and puffing watching, ... fantastic. I also visited Perlan in Reykjavik, a big Nature Museum. With an Ice Cave and Glaciers Exhibition, a Northern Lights and Volcano show. And a section about Water in Icelandic Nature, which of course particularly appealed to me.

I also enjoyed the Directors Forum in Bristol as it was incredibly interesting. It is always nice to exchange with colleagues and to pick each other’s brains.

Somewhere I’m planning to go –

I am looking forward to my ski holiday in France. And in May I will go on holiday to Greece for the first time. And of course I’m already looking forward to the Ecsite conference in June in Warsaw. I can't wait to discover the Copernicus Science Centre and to meet with so many nice colleagues.

Very nice things to look forward to, for sure!