For months, the Larive Business Forum was a thing of the future, a date circled on the calendar, a slow-building anticipation. Then, in what felt like a single breath, the doors in Zeist swung open, the rooms filled, and almost as suddenly it was over. What a rush.

So what actually happened over those few days? Here are the numbers, and the impact behind them.

Over three days, 13 Larive Group partners travelled from seven countries, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam digitally, Kenya, Nigeria, Ukraine, and Georgia, to our headquarters in Zeist, the Netherlands. More than 40 companies joined them across the event. On the busiest day alone, over 10 companies sat down for 25-plus meetings: substantive, face-to-face conversations where switching rooms quite literally meant crossing borders. The topics were as varied as the people having them: the potential of agriculture in India, solar-powered water solutions across Africa, and alternative-protein opportunities spanning two continents.

We’re often asked what the Forum really is, and why time-poor executives should hand over part of their week to it. The most honest answer lives in the feedback we hear almost every year. The meetings were an eye-opener. A new way of looking at a market. And, counterintuitively, attendees tell us the Forum didn’t cost them time; it saved them time, compressing what can otherwise take months of exploratory research into a single, focused day.

In a nutshell, the Larive Business Forum brings the right in-country experts into focused, one-to-one conversations with companies serious about growing in emerging markets, drawing on a network Larive has built systematically since 1975, now spanning more than 25 countries.

But the Forum isn’t only about clients. Our Larive Group partners travel from far and wide to reach Zeist, and it is unequivocally worth their time. Alongside the client meetings sits an internal day built for the kind of exchange distance usually prevents: What lessons from Africa apply in Asia? Where do two very different markets turn out to share the same challenge? Some partners hadn’t met before; others hadn’t seen each other since the last Forum. The mindset in the room, though, was the same, and that shared mindset is what makes the cross-fertilisation work. It is quietly remarkable to watch a company’s representative leave with a wider scope and a firmer grasp of what is genuinely within reach.

And then, suddenly, it is over. The guests have checked out, the hotel rooms stand empty, the dust settles on the meeting tables. But everything that was said is still here, and now it falls to us to turn those conversations into impact, and that interaction into action.

As our Managing Partner Wouter van Vliet put it when asked what success looks like: “When all participants walk away with a new connection, a new insight, and a new spark to commit to.” That is exactly what happened.

If this sounds like your kind of room, consider this a warm invitation to next year’s edition. You can learn more on our prior article, or reach Claudy Luft directly at [email protected].

Because the old Forum saying turns out to be true: come with curiosity, leave with inspiration.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Larive Business Forum? It is an invitation-only event that connects companies directly with Larive Group’s in-country experts for focused, one-to-one conversations about entering or expanding in emerging markets, cutting through the noise to get to which markets, which opportunities, and which concrete next steps.

Where and when does it take place? The Forum is held at Larive International’s head office in Zeist, the Netherlands. The 2026 edition spanned three days, combining an internal partner day with client-facing meeting days. A new edition is held each year.

Which markets were represented in 2026? Thirteen Larive Group partners attended from seven countries: Bangladesh, India, Vietnam digitally, Kenya, Nigeria, Ukraine, and Georgia, covering Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Who should attend? Executives and decision-makers responsible for international growth, market-entry planning, M&A scouting, partnership development, and supply-chain diversification across emerging economies, typically in sectors such as agri-food, FMCG, automotive, energy, and equipment manufacturing.

How is it different from a conference? Rather than crowded agendas and standardised presentations, the Forum is built around exclusive 1:1 sessions with experts who have boots-on-the-ground experience in your priority markets, giving each participant personalised, high-impact attention.

How do I join the next edition? Read the Larive Business Forum page or contact Claudy Luft at [email protected] / +31 30 693 32 21.