Origins

It is 2007. Jacob de Graaff works as a general manager at the Apollo Museum Hotel. Like so many people, he and his colleague Emile Hofenk regularly had Friday afternoon drinks in the center of Amsterdam. In addition to existing colleagues, former colleagues also regularly joined. People dropped out, new people joined - the group not only became even cozier, but also larger.

At one of the Friday afternoon drinks Jacob and Emile came up with the idea to take the drink to a higher level. With fine snacks, well-filled glasses, a DJ and the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes in another hotel. It should be a real networking drink, but just as informal and accessible as the traditional Friday afternoon drinks they knew.

Armed with a good dose of enthusiasm and a list of e-mail addresses of people from the Amsterdam hotel world, Jacob and Emile sent out the invitation: Friday, October 26, 2007, Hotelvrijmibo, Hotel Vondel in Amsterdam. The response was overwhelming. With an attendance of 190 people, the first official Hotelvrijmibo was an immediate resounding success.
Melle Pegman, who worked at the Hilton Amsterdam at the time, soon joined the Hotelvrijmibo team. First as ambassador, later as co-owner. Melle and Jacob now initiate Hotelvrijmibo four times a year, at constantly changing locations in the capital. Usually in hotels, but also in museums and other event locations.

Hotelvrijmibo invariably has a high turnout and is visited by hundreds of people every time. The organization of the evening itself is entirely in the hands of the party hosting that evening.

In November 2017, the 10-year anniversary of Hotelvrijmibo was celebrated in Hotel Arena. The party attracted a record number of visitors and was so well received that it was decided to make it an annual tradition: Hotelvrijmibo XL. Every last drink of the year, often around November, is extra grand with a wide range of entertainment, multiple stages, a special location and a suitable theme. The Hotelvrijmibo XL attracts visitors from all over the country. During the Hotelvrijmibo XL in 2019 in the NH Collection Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, more than 2000 hotel colleagues came together.

The founders

Jacob de Graaff, founder and owner

The driving force behind Hotelvrijmibo is Jacob de Graaff (1975). Jacob graduated from the Hotelschool The Hague in 2000 and worked in various hotels in the following years, including the InterContinental in Miami, the Eden Hotel Group and the Radisson SAS in Amsterdam. In 2007 Jacob opted for entrepreneurship: in addition to being the initiator of Hotelvrijmibo, he is the owner of Hotelprofessionals, the Dutch job site for people who work in a hotel. In 2013 he started the Hotel Leaders Network, a platform that focuses exclusively on senior management within the hotel industry - general managers, hotel managers, CEOs and regional directors.

In addition to being the initiator of Hotelvrijmibo, Jacob and business partner Melle also own Hotelprofessionals, the Dutch job site for people who work in a hotel. In 2013, Hotel Leaders Network was founded, a platform that focuses exclusively on senior management within the hotel industry - general managers, hotel managers, CEOs and regional directors. In addition, Melle and Jacob have a recruitment and selection agency for the hospitality industry and hotel industry, called MJ People.

Melle Pegman, co-owner

In 2010 Melle Pegman (1985) joined the organization of Hotelvrijmibo. Like Jacob, Melle studied at the Hotel School in The Hague, from which he graduated in 2009. He followed a successful career path in the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel and in that capacity became an ambassador for Hotelvrijmibo.

His enthusiasm for the concept was so great that he initially decided to organize HotelFridays together with Jacob, a bimonthly social networking event in London – the British version of Hotelvrijmibo. Not long after that, Melle became co-owner of Hotelvrijmibo.

Melle is also the owner of Hotel Professionals and MJ People and, together with Jacob, devised the Hotel Leaders Network platform.

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