Nienke van der Malen has more than 20 years' experience in the events industry, working across various roles in hotels, travel tech and destination marketing. After graduating from Hotelschool The Hague, she began her career at IHG in Germany as a sales manager for meetings. She later moved to Spain, where she developed a passion for technology while working at a travel start-up. Back in the Netherlands, she led commercial activities as Director of Sales for a hotel chain before heading The Hague Convention Bureau, where she introduced a new business strategy, branding and partner management approach.

As the founder and CEO of Conferli, Nienke focuses on streamlining conference matchmaking by connecting associations, venues and destinations through independent benchmarking and data-driven insights. Her work aims to improve transparency in the events industry, making it easier for associations to find the right destinations and financial support. She is actively involved in research on evolving industry needs, including the Subventions for Change survey, which explores how financial support models are shifting and what this means for the future of association conferences.