IETM’s 30th Annual Plenary Meeting was held from the 24th until the 27th of November in Utrecht (NL). During the organisation of the meeting the motto was “If you close all the windows and doors, a house will very quickly start to smell.”

It was a reaction to the two political murders (Pim Fortuyn 2002 and Theo van Gogh 2005) after which the Netherlands was becoming a bastion. The issues around community relations with the country's 900.000-strong Muslim population and issues around Dutch multiculturalism - already fraught - became incendiary. This is why Utrecht felt the need to throw open the windows for fresh air and to fling open the doors to honour the idea of hospitality.

The Utrecht Plenary Meeting counted a total of 598 registered participants coming from 43 different countries. From the total delegates 42.3 % came from the Netherlands, about 40.3 % from West and North Europe and about 10.7 % from Central Eastern and South-East European countries and 6.7 % outside Europe.