MomenTUm is the ceremony in which TU/e ​​honors its graduates annually and simultaneously awards prizes to the best theses and lecturers. This year’s edition took place on September 26 and cost TU/e ​​approximately 335,000 euros. That's a fifth less than in 2024, when the event cost 408,000 euros.

Even though MomenTUm costs tens of thousands of euros less this year than previous editions, 335,000 euros is still a lot of money for a party. TU/e ​​also says it is aware of the price tag for MomenTUm. "Partly for this reason, significant cuts were made to MomenTUm as part of the recent university-wide Multi Annual Budget project (MAB, intranet link)," says spokesperson Ivo Jongsma.

The 20 percent cut compared to MomenTUm 2024 will save TU/e ​​73,000 euros. The total budget of 335,000 euros for the 2025 edition includes almost 200,000 euros for the party that takes care of the organization, chosen via a tender process. Individual costs that TU/e ​​still bears are about 135,000 euros, such as the costs for restrooms, first aid, and graduate caps.

Impact

Grandstands and technology are always major budget items, says MomenTUm organizer Liesbeth Castelijns, so she took advantage of opportunities for savings there. For example, she replaced the grandstand on the Ceres side with rows of chairs. There were also fewer cameras this year, and there was no live camera recording. Everything was visible on the screens from a single-camera angle.

"In addition, there are fixed costs like the permit, insurance, cleaning, electricity, and the registration system, and those are difficult, if not impossible, to cut back on." However, small things were found where savings could be made, besides the stands and technology. For example, the catering was provided by students, and there was no aftermovie. And the trotters – large signs with nominated lecturers on them – were not moved to the High Tech Campus after the event. This saved on transportation costs.

To possibly secure a stronger financial foothold in the future, TU/e is looking into attracting sponsors. "We don't have any at the moment," says Castelijns, "but we are exploring the possibility of this for future editions."

Tender

MomenTUm is a tendered event, meaning that the contract is open to event organizers. They submit a quote, after which the best candidate, based on a weighting of price and quality requirements, is awarded the contract. A tender may be mandatory if a contract exceeds a (European) tendering threshold, but an organization can also tender voluntarily. This can, for example, result in a more competitive price. Castelijns explains that she re-tendered precisely because of budget cuts, to save on MomenTUm. "We didn't have to tender yet; we could have extended the contract with the previous partner."

Upper Limit

The 2025 and 2026 MomenTUm editions were awarded to Artishock, a marketing agency from 's-Hertogenbosch. The tender specified a maximum price that TU/e ​​is willing to spend for the external organization of MomenTUm: 400,000 euros for two years.

But isn't it unwise to disclose the budget? Parties could then make their offers very specifically based on this upper limit. The spokesperson disagrees. "This was deliberately included to indicate an upper limit and prevent us from receiving offers that exceed it." 

Value

In 2018, TU/e ​​launched MomenTUm as a way to celebrate its graduates, and the event has become an integral part of the university's annual calendar. According to Castelijns, we shouldn't underestimate the value of MomenTUm for the community. “The most important thing is that our graduates and their parents have a day they'll never forget. After all, they are ambassadors for the university.”