AUGUST 28, 2026 · UP EVENTS AMSTERDAM
THE PROGRAM.
August 28, 2026. Four focus areas. A Main Stage. Speakers who've earned the right to speak. Real conversations, and an evening that keeps going long after the last session ends.
AUGUST 28, 2026 · UP EVENTS AMSTERDAM
August 28, 2026. Four focus areas. A Main Stage. Speakers who've earned the right to speak. Real conversations, and an evening that keeps going long after the last session ends.
The festival runs from 16:00 to 23:00. That's a deliberate choice. Young professionals shouldn't have to choose between their work and their development. The evening format means you can do both, and still show up fully for what matters here.
Walk-in from 15:30. Program runs 16:00 – 23:00. Speaker details and session titles will be announced closer to the event.
Most events give you knowledge and wish you luck applying it. The Pressure Cooker Sessions are different.
In groups of 6 to 8, you work on a real challenge brought in by a partner organisation, under genuine time pressure. Not to come up with the perfect answer. To come up with a concrete recommendation.
Every result gets collected. The most promising directions get shared with the partners who own the challenge. And as ORAM Next Gen Festival, we actively work to build the coalitions, connections and momentum needed to move things forward, including lobbying where it's useful. This session is open to all attendees. Because of the format, we work with a maximum of 40 to 50 participants per session.
0–5 min
What is actually the challenge here? Not the symptom. The structural tension underneath it.
5–15 min
Who are the players? What are the competing interests? Where does the system get in its own way?
15–30 min
Two or three realistic directions. Real trade-offs, not wishful thinking.
30–40 min
The most viable direction and one concrete action that can start now. Not "we should explore this further." An actual next move.
The program is the structure. The conversations around it are often where the real value is created.
The sessions end. The evening doesn't.
Odette Hayas closes the festival with a Progressive and Dark Progressive House set. Amsterdam-based, internationally recognised, with releases on Future Sound of Egypt and performances alongside Aly & Fila, Ferry Corsten and Chris Metcalfe. The right note to end a day that was always about more than just the content.
