In the Netherlands, there is a vast shortage of scientific/technically skilled people. Students foster negative views on the subjects. How can we turn this around and let children develop a real interest in science and technology? How can we let children develop a real interest in science & technology? Last year, we created the 3rd edition of the festival:

Clear KPIs for this year's edition:

- Deliver an event with at least 20,000 visitors

- A minimal visitor rating of 7.5/10

- Encourage youngsters to consider 'future paths’ in science

- Convince & encourage teachers to give more science lessons

- Turn the festival into a partner-supported initiative

- Show visitors, press and bystanders that science & technology are essential societal progress

- Put Shell in a leading role in promoting STEM education (science, technology, engineering, mathematics)

Generation Discover Festival. 35,000 visitors. Five days. One action-packed festival of science and technology to inspire the next generation. A place where youngsters explored the opportunities & excitement science & technology brings. Full of experiences and hands-on workshops such as; building future cities, solving cyber crime mysteries and racing a DIY-built salt water cars. Learning by doing. A place that trigger curiosity and encourages kids to go explore. A rewarding way of truly sparking the interest of the next generation.

Shell is a company that has science & technology at its core. The fact that we came up with an event as a solution to tackle the vast shortage of technically skilled people in the Netherlands was surprising. We managed to amaze youngsters and give them many good reasons why to fall in love with science, innovation and technology. We encouraged teachers to spend more time on the subject.

Insight

Our world is facing a serious challenge. Two billion more people and a double demand for energy, water and food. Shell plays a key role in the global energy market. New talent like engineers, scientists and inventors are crucial. But in the Netherlands, a knowledge-based economy, demand exceeds supply. Students foster negative views on the subjects. How can we let children develop a real interest in science and technology?

Key message

Generation Discover Festival. A five day, action-packed festival to celebrate science & technology to inspire the next generation. A place where youngsters explored the opportunities and excitement science & technology offer.

Target audiences

Primary school kids at the age of 8-12

School teachers, to spend more time on the subjects

Assets

The festival puts Shell in a leading role in promoting STEM education in the Netherlands and be seen as the driver/initiator to tackle the shortage.

At the start of the festival, visitors were welcomed through an interactive audiovisual tunnel were they were introduced to the festival's narrative. After this immersive experience, visitors were able to explore the domes; a futuristic, innovative appeal that gives the festival a modern look & feel. Inside the domes, visitors experienced all about energy, bringing their own creative ideas to life. From crafting and test-drive a self-built windmill to building and racing a toy car that runs on salt water. The visual story is a very thought-through mix of attractive visuals, challenging interactions and relevant narratives that combined content with adventure, suitable to both kids & adults. Finally, there was a main stage where live science shows were hosted.

Festival results

* 35,000 visitors in 5 days

* 8.8/10 rating by visitors

* An increase of 36% of the kids now aspiring a technical or scientific career

* 84% of the teachers that are willing to teach more science subjects in class

* 25 industry partners

* The shell brand appreciation number went up from 6.3 to a stunning 7.5 after the festival

Media results

* 308 media publications

* 4 video blogs - online

* 98% neutral to positive tonality

* 116.728.225 total reach (impressions) offline and online

We wanted to do something special to truly spark the interest of the next generation to consider a career path in one of these fields. That is how we have placed Shell in a leading position when it comes to advocating STEM education in The Netherlands.