Looking back on the Red Carpet Dinner 2026

More than 300 international entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders and public sector representatives came together for Rotterdam’s annual Red Carpet Dinner 2026, held aboard Oceandiva. The evening celebrated the companies and people who have chosen Rotterdam as a place to invest, innovate and grow.

The evening started with an exclusive pre-event for Rotterdam’s New Arrivals who were personally welcomed by Vice Mayor Tim Versnel and received a personalised Feyenoord shirt, offering them a uniquely Rotterdam welcome.

Welcoming new companies to Rotterdam’s Life Sciences & Health ecosystem

We were particularly pleased to see several companies from the Rotterdam Square network among this year’s New Arrivals: Coronet Ventures, MSCMed, New Norm, Nexa UX and Assure Validation.

From healthcare and MedTech to digital solutions and validation, these companies bring valuable expertise and perspectives to Rotterdam’s growing Life Sciences & Health ecosystem. We are pleased to see them among this year’s New Arrivals and look forward to continuing to strengthen our connections with them.

An evening of connections

Throughout the evening, guests shared inspiring stories, made new connections, and explored the opportunities shaping Rotterdam’s future. The programme included a keynote by Nadia Fani of Coastruction, as well as insights from New Arrivals Eckhard Bruckschen of IOEMA and Koen van Breugel of Coronet Ventures Netherlands.

The programme was complemented by Vivienne ChuLiao, who performed a beautiful piano solo accompanied by visuals from Heleen Blanken as part of the performance by Scapino Ballet Rotterdam and the Shanty Choir Rotterdam, highlighting the diversity and character of the city.

For Rotterdam Square, the Red Carpet Dinner was a valuable opportunity to connect with companies joining Rotterdam’s international business and Life Sciences & Health ecosystem. By bringing businesses, investors, knowledge institutions, and public sector representatives together, events like these help create new connections and opportunities across the region.

A special thank you to moderator Melissa Ablett-Jordaan, Nathan Wiersma, and the Oceandiva team for making the evening a success, and to everyone who joined and contributed to the conversations and connections throughout the evening.

Want to discover more about Rotterdam’s New Arrivals? Explore the full overview on the Rotterdam Partners website

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