“It is the online gateway to our project. An inspiring and accessible way to attract stakeholders into the project.”

The Water Authority is working with about 40 types of stakeholders to match everyone's requirements and interests. Silvia: “There is a great diversity of stakeholders and you have to include everyone. I think you should in your role as a responsible government.

There is a difference between stakeholders with whom I actually sit around the table and other groups. This is partly due to the different interests. For example, I talk to nature organizations about how we can also strengthen the dyke for nature. Or with catering entrepreneurs in the port of Lauwersoog who want to retain clientele in the realization phase. These kinds of stakeholders are close to it.”

In addition, there is a group that does not have an immediate interest, but is willing to contribute ideas. These are, for example, holidaymakers who come to the dike. Hedwig: “In our communication approach, we mainly focus on those people. It is more about informing people, involving them in what is happening and seeing where the information needs lie. Here the experience part is at least as important as the technical information.”

Silvia: “The main purpose of the communication is to involve people in the project by showing what we do. While we're working out the plans, it can seem like little is happening outside. That's why we give a look behind the scenes. In addition, we show the entire width of the dike reinforcement. It's not a matter of adding a little clay and that's it." 

Hedwig: “We have a communication approach in which we use different means and channels to achieve the goals. For example, we have a project page on the website, we make animations, we have a newsletter, we use social media and we have the Online Visitor Centre. It is an important means of communication, where everything comes together.

You have to constantly trigger people to go there. That is why the visitor center works best in combination with other resources. As soon as we share it in the newsletter or on social media, you will see a clear peak. We see that in Google Analytics. What I find very interesting to see is that people linger much longer in the visitor center than on the regular web page. People don't experience such a visitor center as a website.”

As a visitor you enter a statue in which you can see the dike high from the air. Hedwig: “That image was a clear starting point. We want to show the entire stretch of dike. A conscious choice for attractiveness and recognisability. Because a large number of parts of the dyke reinforcement take place at a specific location, you can do that very nicely in such a photo pinpoints. " 

Silvia: “I am a huge fan of those 360-degree overviews. You can oversee the whole area. With the majority of people you come in better with images. This makes the Online Visitor Center the online gateway to our project. This pulls people into the project. The image contributes to the experience. In the visitor center we also have Wadden Sea sounds in the background, also intended to create that experience. 

It is not about the technical aspects of the dike reinforcement, it is about the entire environment. We want to give the feeling that you are there. The image contributes enormously to the experience. If you were to remove that, that experience would also be gone. Moreover, you can also easily move through the environment and there are all kinds of interaction options.”

Silvia: “For us, the experience is the added value of the Online Visitor Centre, because all factual information can also be offered elsewhere. But by presenting it in this way you appeal to a larger group and that group sticks around longer. We are very happy with it, because the feedback we receive is also positive.”

Hedwig: “Another advantage why we chose the Online Visitor Center is that it is accessible and practically feasible. It looks good, but it's not overly slick. There is a nice balance between adding experience and keeping it accessible and that fits well with a government organization.”

The project is now in the realization phase, this new phase requires a new visitor center. Because this dike reinforcement will be one of the most sustainable in the world, it is very important that this theme is central to the new visitor center.

Curious about the result, view our portfolio item here.