Nomination.

While on holiday in Greece, I receive an email from Visit Eersel. ‘Dear entrepreneur, I would like to draw your attention to the Brabant Hospitality Award’. Ingrid, the iniatator of the Award, mentions that entrepreneurs from Eersel and the surrounding area are missing!

The entrepreneur in me immediately springs into action. Participating is more than just a chance to win an award. Participants also gain access to an exclusive inspiration programme. The Kick-off is on 1 December 2025 in the former St. Petrus Church in Vught, which has been converted into a library, reading café and event location. Well, let’s go for it! BoksheideBuiten is registered for the nomination. Exiting, because when will we receive an email from Brabant Partners to let us know if we have been selected? We read in the terms and conditions that you can add your corporate colours to the Brabant Hospitality logo, and we immediately send an email to say that we would like to take advantage of this creative opportunity. A few days later, the email arrives confirming our nomination. I proudly send Ingrid a replay  email and, with smiles on our faces, we continue our tour of the Greek countryside on our Vespa scooter.

Holy Mary.

The time has come! On 1 December, we step inside the authentic St Petrus, where we receive a very warm welcome. In the café, we are offered a drink and a fresh pastry of our choice, which is quite a dilemma 😋, but it tastes delicious. The sun shines through the old stained-glass windows, showing them off to their best advantage.

We look for a place to sit and join our colleague Arjan Fokker. He is a gardener and has been running a camper van campsite in the nearby village of Duizel for a few years. We get talking; it’s nice to meet like-minded people. Arjan tells us that he would have liked to come with his wife Jacquelien (but that wasn’t possible?).

Hostess and project leader Ankie Joos warmly welcomes us all. Ankie introduces the expert jury: Nicole Scheffers (Efteling (chairperson), Heleen Huisjes (director Brabant Partners), Lenneke van Gerwen (Auberge du Bonheur, winner of the Brabant Hospitality Award ’19), Hanneke Koppers (director-manager of Omroep Brabant), and Twan Musters (director Koning Willem 1 College).

As we leave the church, we pause for a moment to reflect on the Virgin Mary, and I decide to follow my instinct and have my photo taken with Mary as my guardian angel.

The days pass and I discover that our logo needs to be adjusted in a few places, so I send an email to our website builder, Great Saty App, RoomRaccoon and Brabant Partners. Good work takes time, so patience is a useful trait, but despite that, it would be nice if everything were ready before Christmas 2025.

Being visible on Google, sharing posts on Instagram and Facebook, that’s what it’s all about: welcoming more guests to our paradise and ensuring they have a fantastic time in a relaxed atmosphere. For a number of years, I have been following the younger generation to experience and learn how these people think, what is important to them, and what they look for when booking a holiday home.

This should increase our chances of winning the Brabant Hospitality Award!