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Wittenborg Prepares for EAIE 2025 in Gothenburg

https://www.wittenborg.eu/wittenborg-prepares-eaie-2025-gothenburg.htm

Wittenborg’s Stephen Orme Shares Insights Ahead of EAIE 2025 in Gothenburg

Wittenborg is gearing up for one of the biggest higher education events in Europe: the 35th edition of the EAIE (European Association for International Education) conference. This year’s edition will be held at Svenska Mässan in Gothenburg, Sweden, from 9 to 12 September. Following last year’s gathering in Toulouse, France, the move to Scandinavia promises a fresh dynamic and new opportunities for the international higher education community to connect, collaborate and share ideas.

The 2025 conference theme, 'GO-create', perfectly ties in with this, as it challenges participants to think about collaboration, cooperation and co-creation. Gothenburg’s commitment to sustainability also makes it an ideal location for the EAIE community to gather, explore key issues and create a shared vision for the future.

“Going to Scandinavia presents a very different dynamic than if you went to Spain or had it in the Netherlands. And probably the other benefit is that we’re likely going to hear a lot of ABBA!” said Stephen Orme, who was appointed Head of Business Development and Operations at Wittenborg earlier in 2025.

Orme has been involved with EAIE committees since 2008 and will attend the event both as a representative of Wittenborg and as one of the five EAIE board members. He will be joined by Wittenborg President Peter Birdsall, and the school’s team will be at Nuffic’s NL Pavilion to discuss study-abroad programmes, international partnerships and opportunities for collaboration.

Reflecting on the event, Orme said: “The annual EAIE conference is the biggest in international education in Europe that we have. It’s mainly to connect with people face to face, but also to explore new opportunities.”

Last year’s EAIE was attended by over 7,000 participants from 110 countries, which is why Orme is particularly looking forward to meeting many people and picking up discussions where they left off. “Of course, this is the first time I am also representing Wittenborg,” he added.

In the increasingly complex environment of higher education, Wittenborg, as a private business school and one of the most internationally oriented in the Netherlands, can play its part and identify how changing dynamics could present openings: “This is a great chance to look for strategic partnerships or strategic opportunities as a private business school. I think this is interesting for us to reach out and have conversations at the right level.”

This year’s EAIE conference offers a packed programme, including workshops, networking events, plenaries and poster sessions. Keynote speakers include Melati Wijsen, founder of Bye Bye Plastic Bags, and Swedish journalist and digital futurist Andreas Ekström. Workshops take place on the Tuesday before the main conference and require pre-registration, while sessions throughout the week are open to all participants.

For Orme, the conference is also a reminder that EAIE is more than just one annual event: “Many people associate EAIE with the conference, but it is much more than that. It’s a member association with more than 3,400 individual members working in the sector who can benefit from resources, professional development and networking opportunities throughout the year.”

As a board member, Orme helps shape this vision: “The board of EAIE is responsible for developing and executing the association’s strategy. That includes increasing member benefits, creating resources and representing our members at the European level. In June, for example, we were invited by the European Commission to meet the Director General in Brussels to discuss high-level topics that really impact the sector. So there’s also an advocacy role, where we sit at the table with other associations and policymakers.”

Wittenborg has a long-standing presence at the EAIE conference, and this year Orme is particularly excited to represent the school. “I’m thankful to Wittenborg for supporting me as an EAIE board member. I’m happy that Wittenborg sees the value of this significant network,” he said.

Birdsall also shared his perspective on the importance of EAIE. Participating in the conference has been part of Wittenborg’s international strategy for many years. Reflecting on his own experiences, he noted that he attended some of the very first EAIE conferences back in the 1990s, when international education was very different from today.

He emphasised that while the trade fair has grown enormously and now provides opportunities to meet agents and other service providers, the essence of EAIE remains the same: it is an international community of educators who have international education at heart. For Birdsall, it offers a valuable chance to connect with like-minded professionals and learn about new developments.  

“This year, I’m looking forward to meeting some of our Erasmus partners, joining discussion groups about the impact of artificial intelligence on internationalisation and international education, and to a small extent, exploring Sweden as I’ve never been there before.”

WUP 19/08/2025 
by Erene Roux 
©WUAS Press 

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#SDG17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal
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#Internationalisation
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#EAIE