19 jan 2026
INKOM: How do you make thousands of students truly feel at home in Maastricht in just four days?
By organising an introduction week that goes beyond just partying. INKOM, Maastricht’s official introduction week, is a four-day programme in which both new and existing students get to know each other, explore the city, and build a solid foundation for their student life. Behind the scenes, this requires flawless organisation, smart decision-making, and the ability to adapt year after year. We spoke with Lucas, responsible for marketing and communication within INKOM 2025, about how this works in practice.
What is INKOM and what does the introduction week look like?
INKOM is Maastricht’s official introduction week and is aimed not only at first-year students, but also at students who have been studying in the city for a longer time. Over four days, a wide range of activities is organised, varying from informative introductions to sports, culture, and large-scale parties. The goal is to introduce students to one another, to Maastricht, and to student life in an accessible and welcoming way.
Lucas Lomen
Board INKOM 2025
For first-year students, there is a structured daytime programme with breakfast and guided activities, helping them gradually find their way within the university and the city. At the same time, there is an extensive evening programme open to everyone, featuring parties and events that are accessible to both new and existing students. On Wednesday, first-year students even receive free access to the large event at the MECC. This ensures that students who do not follow the full daytime programme still feel involved in the introduction week.
Who is behind the organisation of INKOM?
Behind INKOM is a relatively small but closely collaborating team. Lucas joined the organisation for the first time this year and was responsible for marketing and communication. Together with two other team members, Dewi, responsible for internal affairs, and Iman, responsible for acquisitions, he formed the introduction board: one person focused on acquisitions, one on internal communication, and Lucas on external communication towards participants.
In addition to social media and communication via Tactile, Lucas was also involved in organising various events during the week and the student party in Maastricht. “The three of us ultimately manage a group of around thirty people,” he explains. “That means you have to switch quickly, have clear responsibilities, and be able to place a lot of trust in each other.”
What changes were implemented this year, and why?
After the earlier transition from five to four days of INKOM, the structure was once again significantly adjusted this year. This was mainly due to feedback from new students, who indicated that their needs regarding the programme had changed. A large part of the programme was carried over from the previous year: about eighty percent remained the same, while twenty percent was renewed. In addition, the university decided that several student associations were no longer allowed to participate. As a result, the order of events was adjusted. This had direct consequences for the programme and required flexibility from the organisation.
There were also organisational and technical changes. One of these concerned the way participants were divided into groups, an issue that had been discussed within INKOM for some time. In previous editions, this system regularly caused dissatisfaction, particularly among international students. This year, a different approach was deliberately chosen.
Why was the group system adjusted?
Maastricht has been struggling for years with a chronic shortage of mentors, with the problem being most acute among English-speaking mentors. In previous editions, students were automatically assigned to groups, which sometimes resulted in English-speaking students being placed in groups with Dutch-speaking mentors. This often led to complaints and dissatisfaction afterwards.
The solution was found in offering participants more freedom of choice. This year, students could choose their own mentor based on language and preference. In addition, there was the option to join a group without a mentor, which proved especially attractive to master’s students who often already knew Maastricht and had less need for intensive guidance. By pitching this new idea to Tim (Founder of Tactile), who was immediately enthusiastic, it developed into a new feature that could be implemented directly during INKOM. This new setup provided more clarity in advance and a better match between participants and mentors.
How was this new approach received?
Overall, feedback on the new group system was more positive than in the previous year. Students indicated that they appreciated being able to choose for themselves and therefore had a clearer idea of what to expect. At the same time, the mentor shortage remains a structural problem that cannot be solved in a single year.
“It’s now up to the next board to decide how to proceed,” Lucas says. “But I don’t expect we’ll fully return to the old system. This way of working has shown that it aligns better with the needs of many students.”
What other challenges arise during INKOM?
In addition to the mentor shortage, the timing of the introduction week plays a major role. International mentors are often not yet in Maastricht, as INKOM takes place two weeks before the start of the academic year. This makes recruiting English-speaking mentors extra challenging and is an issue the organisation will continue to consider in the future.
On a practical level, many things run surprisingly smoothly. For example, there are hardly any issues with accommodation, as associations arrange housing and students help each other out. This sense of involvement within Maastricht’s student community ensures that bottlenecks are often resolved quickly and informally.
What role do partners and technology play within INKOM?
Partners play a supporting role in the organisation of INKOM, with the municipality of Maastricht being particularly involved. In addition, technology is indispensable for keeping logistics, communication, and group allocations manageable at an event of this scale.
INKOM works with Tactile as a supporting system for registration and group allocation. This collaboration made it possible to technically facilitate the new group system effectively and to provide participants with a clear overview of their programme and group choices. Because many processes are automated and transparent, the organisation can focus on content and the student experience, rather than on manual adjustments.
What stays with you after four intensive days of INKOM?
For participants, INKOM is often the starting point of their student life in Maastricht: friendships are formed, associations are discovered, and the city quickly begins to feel familiar. For the organisation, it marks the conclusion of months of preparation, in which all decisions and adjustments come together in a short period of time.
For Lucas personally, it was a year of learning and adapting. “You see what works and what can be improved,” he says. “And that’s exactly what makes INKOM interesting to keep improving every year.” One thing is certain: a good start to student life does not happen automatically, but is the result of thoughtful choices, collaboration, and a willingness to keep innovating.
