The 13th NBO Officer’s Seminar was held in Utrecht, Netherlands, on 30-31 January, 2026.
The Seminar was hosted at the headquarters of the Nederlandse Bridge Bond (Dutch Bridge Federation) at NDC Den Hommel. The European Bridge League extends its warmest thanks to NBB Director Berit van Dobbenburgh and NBB President Johan Pieters for their great hospitality and commitment which contributed greatly to the success of the event from a managerial, organizational, and also social perspective.
The organizer on the EBL side was Peter Belčák, member of the EBL Executive Committee and Chairman of the EBL Seminars Committe, who also moderated the sessions with great enthusiasm and effectiveness.
The Seminar brought together Presidents, vice-Presidents and Delegates from: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Sweden, Turkiye, Wales as well as representatives from the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL).
Presentations covered many aspects of EBL management, with EBL President Eric Laurant updating the audience on various EBL matters (including the current situation and perspective, the upcoming championships and the forthcoming General Assembly), while EBL Vice President & Treasurer Igor Chalupec went into details on financial management and the membership situation of NBOs in Europe. Francesca Canali shared the latest tools developed for Communication and Marketing, some of which are now ready and available for NBOs use.
The EBL Development Forum, led by Johan Pieters, presented results of four ongoing projects: Emmanuelle Monod and Elodie Bonnefoy Cudrazon on Erasmus+ – Petit Bridge, Alan Goodman on Kids Camps, Gordon Rainsford on Rebranding Bridge and Francesca Canali on Bridge Knowledge Hub. Stephanie Threlkeld (ACBL Manager of Education and Marketing) and Shaneka Cunningham (Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer) presented the latest marketing projects of the American Contract Bridge League.
Ida Grönkvist, Chair of the EBL Youth Committee, presented the committee activities across the five categories (Under 16, Under 21, Women Under 26, Under 26 and Under 31).
Oryah Meir, Chair of the Women’s Committee, delivered a report on Women’s Bridge initiatives and the upcoming Online Mixed Championships.
Other presentations included:
- an overview of the upcoming European National Championships and European Youth National Championships to be held in Riga, by Imants Paradnieks and Ilse Varpina, Latvian Bridge Federation,
- “Youth, Schools and Mindsport Education”, by Samantha Punch and Marcus Scotney
- “Recruiting volunteers” by Valérie Besse, French Bridge Federation
- “Project future” by Barbara Hanne, German Bridge Federation
- “Online events organizer guide” by Eric Laurant
Participants also took part in an interactive session on developing long-term vision for Bridge in Europe organized by the NBB and facilitated by professional experts.
The final session of the Seminar focused on WBF and EBL Matters, with WBF President Franck Riehm and EBL President Eric Laurant jointly presenting their vision of the future of bridge. It was also announced that the EBL Development Forum, which already has an intercontinental dimension with American Contract Bridge League managers being very welcomed members of the group, will merge into the WBF Development Program. Johanna Kowalczyk, WBF Development Program Coordinator, presented the group’s current projects.
The European Bridge League warmly thanks all participants for their engagement and valuable contributions throughout the Seminar.
