Access Economy Summit
What if borrowing, renting and sharing everyday items were easier than buying?
Across Europe, entrepreneurs, cities and researchers are already building the services that make this shift possible, from libraries of things to rental platforms and sharing stations. The success of these services will be vital to enable Europe to meet its circular economy goals, while also helping to make life a little more affordable and community driven for its citizens. The challenge is making them convenient, desirable and financially resilient enough to compete with a click on "buy now", and no single sector can do that alone.
On 23 March 2027, the Access Economy Summit brings these different sectors together in The Hague for a day of keynotes, panels and breakouts on what it takes to make rental and sharing the obvious choice: more convenient, easier to adopt, financially viable and backed by cities.
The Summit is open to all sharing and rental enthusiasts from across the business, municipal and research landscapes, and will gather partner organisations from the EU funded Access Hubs, Digital Kiosks and Good Cities projects.
Final speaker list and event location to follow soon.
The Access Economy Summit is supported by the European Union through the Interreg Europe Access Hubs, Digital Kiosks and Good Cities projects, and co-funded by the City of The Hague.
Programme
08:30 – 09:00 | Registration and welcome coffee
Pick up your badge and delegate pack and have a first coffee.
09:00 – 09:20 | Opening and welcome
Your MCs welcome you to The Hague, followed by an opening pitch on why access-based consumption matters for Europe's circular economy.
09:20 – 09:30 | Welcome from the City of the Hague
09:30 – 10:00 | Why the access economy and why now (Keynote)
What does the future of a sharing city look like? This keynote sets out the full scope of the access economy and its potential across sectors, with real examples from across Europe, and looks at why collaboration between stakeholders is key to its success.
10:00 – 11:00 | Session 1: Making the access economy more convenient
Price and convenience are the main drivers of adoption for circular services, and access is not yet the convenient choice. Founders and practitioners discuss how services can become frictionless, how business models can adapt to how people actually behave, and how access services can be designed to fit into daily routines.
11:00 – 11:30 | Break
11:30 – 12:30 | Session 2: Accelerating the uptake of access economy services (Keynote and conversation)
Too many citizens do not know what is available in their own city, and even fewer try it. An expert from another industry, shared mobility, shows how their sector changed everyday behaviour at scale. A moderated conversation with guests from an adjacent industry and the access economy follows, with your questions: what needs to shift to turn curiosity into habit?
12:30 – 13:45 | Networking lunch
13:45 – 14:45 | Session 3: How do we make the economics work? (Panel)
Access services rely on work that a retailer selling a product never has to do: inspection, cleaning, repair and maintenance. Entrepreneurs, both successful and less so, debate what makes access business models work and whether they can be financially self-sustaining.
14:45 – 15:00 | Introduction to the breakouts
The hosts of the three breakouts introduce their EU projects and challenges, so you can choose your session and head there during the break.
15:00 – 15:30 | Break
15:30 – 16:30 | Session 4: The role of the public sector (Breakouts)
Cities and regions across Europe are experimenting with sharing stations in libraries, subsidised memberships and sharing neighbourhoods. What should the public sector focus on to deliver the greatest impact? Choose one of three parallel breakouts, hosted by the EU projects Access Hubs, Digital Kiosks and Good Cities:
Stakeholder collaboration: building local access ecosystems
Infrastructure: bringing access into neighbourhoods
Policy and public support: how cities can stimulate access services
16:30 – 17:00 | Share-backs
Each breakout host shares the main findings with the whole room.
17:00 – 17:20 | Wrap-up
The MCs bring the day together with the key takeaways and next steps.
17:20 – 18:30 | Networking and aperitivo