Expat Republic Den Haag

Business doesn’t have to be a solo sport.

BASE 2026 brings founders, creators and changemakers to Amsterdam for a day of real conversations, practical learning, and the kind of connections that turn into actual business.
We keep the room to around 150 people on purpose. Small enough that you’ll actually talk to people. Curated enough that the people you talk to are worth talking to.

Theme 2026: Co-Creation, Building Better Businesses Together

This year we look at how entrepreneurs, organisations, communities and partners work together to build stronger businesses, more relevant solutions, and healthier ecosystems. Less grinding alone and more building together.

The four pillars
Everything at BASE is built around four things every founder has to get right:

BUILD: Resource management and strong foundations
ADVANCE: Sales and marketing that connect
SUSTAIN: Finance and profitability with impact
ELEVATE: Innovation that drives growth

What the day looks like

• Main stage sessions — speakers who’ve built it, not just theorised about it
• Workshops and masterclasses — small groups, hands-on, something you can use straight away
• Expert Q&A sessions — 30 minutes, your questions, direct answers
• Curated networking — we make introductions on purpose, not by accident
• Closing drinks — where a lot of the good stuff happens anyway

Who’s in the room
BASE is intentionally curated. Expect founders and decision-makers from small and mid-sized businesses, startups and scale-ups, usually teams of 1 to 20.

• Founders and business owners
• C-level and leadership from growing companies
• Consultants, coaches, creatives and professional service providers
• People working in tech, marketing, sustainability and beyond

What they have in common: values-driven, building for the long term, and more interested in collaborating than competing.

Built around what founders actually asked for
We surveyed our community about what they’re working on right now. Sales and finding clients came out on top, followed by marketing and visibility, and building strategic partnerships. Scaling sustainably and getting systems in place came next.

The BASE 2026 programme is built directly around those answers.

What people tell us they come for
Meeting potential collaborators and partners. Face-to-face connection instead of another video call. Learning from people who’ve done it. Peer support from founders who get it. And business development that doesn’t feel like being sold to.

Searching for a rental home in the Netherlands can feel like a puzzle when the market is new to you.

In this free one-hour webinar, the Welocate team explains how renting works here, from understanding Dutch rental contracts and costs to finding a home that suits you and securing it. The guidance is in plain English, and you can bring your own questions, so you leave with a clear plan for your search.

Thinking about buying your first home here, but not sure if 2026 is the right
time?

Fair question. Buying a home in the Netherlands can feel confusing at first. The rules are different, the words are weird, and the market can move fast.

In this free webinar, Welocate and ABN AMRO Bank will help you make
sense of it all.

We will explain how the Dutch housing market works, what steps to expect,
how much you may be able to borrow, and which costs can catch buyers
off guard.

You will also get simple tips to help you avoid common mistakes, from
bidding too fast to missing key checks.

Whether you want to buy soon or just want to understand your options, this session will help you take the next step with more confidence.

Salary, dividends, deadlines. Sort them before December 31 does it for you.
Run your own BV? Then you’re a DGA (directeur-grootaandeelhouder), and every year you face the same puzzle: salary or dividends, what to deduct, what to set aside for your pension. Many of these choices lock in on December 31. Get them right and you keep more of what your company earned. Miss them and next year’s tax bill will let you know.