Maatschap voor Communicatie

What Maatschap voor Communicatie does

Maatschap voor Communicatie (MvC) is a Dutch strategic communication and participation advisory firm founded on 1 October 2000 and headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands, at Arthur van Schendelstraat 650 in the HNK building. The firm serves primarily Dutch public sector organizations, with named clients spanning municipalities (Haarlem, Gouda, Utrecht, Breda, Heerlen, Rotterdam, Lansingerland, Gilze en Rijen, Leusden), provinces (Gelderland, Noord-Brabant, Flevoland), national ministries (LNV/LVVN, BZ, SZW, IenW, OCW), the Tweede Kamer, and agencies such as Rijkswaterstaat, with selective work for healthcare, education, and nature-conservation clients. The firm operates with a team of approximately 15 specialized advisors under a Dutch "Maatschap" legal partnership structure, with Catelijne van Calsteren and Remmert van Haaften serving on the management team/partnership. MvC is a member of the Publiquest communication cooperative and has been recognized via a Sabre Award (2019, for Olie Alert Waddenzee with Leene Communicatie and VormVijf) and a Galjaardprijs 2024 nomination.

The firm's service portfolio is organized around five core offerings: Strategie en Advies (strategic communication advisory), Onderzoek en Analyse (research and analysis including qualitative interviews and surveys), Dialoog en Cocreatie (dialogue and co-creation), Realisatie (implementation and project organization), and Communicatie en Gedrag (communication and behavioral change). Service delivery leverages a portfolio of proprietary and adopted methodologies including Message House, the Strategic Communication Frame, CASI behavioral analysis, Lego Serious Play, Deep Democracy, Appreciative Inquiry, the Socratic dialogue method, and design-thinking approaches. The firm supplements client work with thought-leadership content via its "Schurende Vraagstukken" podcast distributed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Deezer, and Google Podcasts, and maintains a corporate website, LinkedIn, and YouTube presence.

Commercially, MvC operates a sales-led, relationship-based go-to-market focused on direct advisory engagements with government clients. Pricing is bespoke and quote-based with no public rate transparency. The firm reportedly works with 4-5 clients simultaneously using a team-based approach, with documented engagement sizes ranging from 5-municipality refugee-reception participations to 10,000-citizen European dialogues and €235,000 of PR value generated for a single exercise. Geographic operations span at least seven Dutch provinces (Utrecht, South Holland, Gelderland, Limburg, North Brabant, Flevoland, Overijssel). The firm has no disclosed external funding, no subsidiaries, and is owned and managed by its partners.

Name

Maatschap voor Communicatie

Legal name

Maatschap voor Communicatie

Website

https://mvc.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Maatschap voor Communicatie is a Utrecht-based Dutch strategic communication and participation advisory firm with approximately 15 advisors, serving Dutch municipalities, provinces, and national ministries using proprietary methodologies including Message House, Strategic Communication Frame, and behavioral analysis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategic Communication Consulting

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (54182), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Public Relations Agencies (541820)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

PR, Corporate Communications & Crisis Management (BPAFAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Program & Project Management (PMO) Consulting (BPAHACAL)

Keywords

• Strategic communication advisory
• Stakeholder engagement services
• Public sector consulting
• Citizen participation facilitation
• Behavioral change campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Strategic Communication Advisory: Professional consulting services providing strategic advice on communication, participation, and stakeholder engagement for government and public sector organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Maatschap voor Communicatie is a strategic advisory firm delivering communication strategy, stakeholder engagement, and participation process facilitation for Dutch public sector clients. The firm offers five interconnected service lines: strategic communication advisory, research and analysis, dialogue and co-creation, project implementation, and behavioral change communication, grounded in proprietary methodologies such as Message House, CASI, and the Strategisch Communicatie Frame.

Product overview

Maatschap voor Communicatie is a strategic advisory bureau for communication and participation, offering a unified set of consultancy services rather than a software product. Their portfolio consists of five core service offerings: Strategie en Advies (strategic communication advisory), Onderzoek en Analyse (research and analysis), Dialoog en Cocreatie (dialogue and co-creation), Realisatie (implementation support), and Communicatie en Gedrag (communication and behavior change). These services are delivered through proprietary methodologies and tools including the Message House, Strategisch Communicatie Frame, CASI behavioral analysis, Ringen van Invloed, Lego Serious Play, Deep Democracy, and Appreciative Inquiry. The firm also produces content through their 'Schurende Vraagstukken' podcast. Services target primarily Dutch government entities, municipalities, provinces, and ministries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategie en Advies (Strategy and Advisory) Strategic communication advisory services helping organizations create overview and determine direction using models such as the Strategic Communication Frame, Stoplichtmodel, Lemniscaat, and the proces/inhoud/relatie-driehoek. Targeted at government and public sector organizations.
• Onderzoek en Analyse (Research and Analysis) Research services including qualitative interviews, targeted conversations, and (online) surveys to understand what target groups think, experience, and need. Used by government clients to inform communication strategy and participation processes.
• Dialoog en Cocreatie (Dialogue and Co-creation) Process design and facilitation services that bridge differences and spark creativity using methods such as Deep Democracy, Appreciative Inquiry, Lego Serious Play, mediation, design thinking, and social design. Targeted at government and public sector clients.
• Realisatie (Implementation) Project organization and implementation services for participation processes, ensuring communication efforts produce results. The firm manages the execution of participation and communication projects for government clients.
• Communicatie en Gedrag (Communication and Behavior) Services helping clients connect, formulate their story clearly, and communicate effectively, including Message House, organizational narrative, CASI behavioral analysis, and strategic communication frameworks. Targeted at governments running behavioral change campaigns.

Quantifiable outcome

• Helped 5 municipalities successfully with refugee reception participation
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers26 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• PubliquestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPubliquest is the communication cooperative that Maatschap voor Communicatie is a member of. Projects are often executed under the Publiquest flag, providing access to a broader network of communication professionals.
• Leene CommunicatiemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner on multiple projects including Olie Alert Waddenzee and information campaign projects. Leene provides communication expertise for joint client engagements.
• VormVijfmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStrategic design agency developing all communication materials for projects. Collaborated on multiple government communication projects including Olie Alert Waddenzee and Rijkswaterstaat campaigns.
• WingsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner contributing to well-founded methodology for societal dialogue projects, including the wolf dialogue project.
• MoventemsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing methodology expertise for the European citizen dialogue project Kijk op Europa.
• VitibucksupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDesign partner for Nelson Mandela park project, providing design expertise for visualizations and park design.
• Pony Design ClubsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDesign partner for Nelson Mandela park project collaboration.
• Beeldtaal FilmmakerssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFilm production partner creating vlog series 'Samen Slim op Weg' for Rijkswaterstaat smart mobility communication.
• Tobias Bos MediaproductiessupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMedia production partner for IMVO policy project, developing video content.
• SoundfocussupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAudio/sound partner for IMVO policy project.
• Lysias AdviessupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAdvisory partner providing secretariat services for Taskforce Wonen en Zorg.
• CONNECT CommunicatiemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunication partner for Waterschap Limburg collaboration on water safety and climate adaptation communication.
• AvisosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Waterschap Limburg project collaboration.
• KuiperCompagnonssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUrban planning and spatial development bureau that developed the environmental vision for Gemeente Heerlen based on participation results.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Leene Communicatie: Dutch strategic communications firm collaborating with MvC on multiple government projects (including the Sabre Award-winning Olie Alert Waddenzee). Comparable boutique scale and Dutch public-sector client base, with overlapping service offerings in PR and strategic communication.
• De Argumentenfabriek: Dutch consulting and training firm specialising in strategic dialogue, structured thinking and policy communication. Highly comparable to MvC's Strategisch Communicatie Frame and dialogue/methodology services for public-sector organisations.
• VormVijf: Dutch design and strategy agency that develops all communication materials for joint MvC government projects (Rijkswaterstaat, Olie Alert Waddenzee). Operates in the same niche of strategic communication design for public-sector clients, with complementary rather than overlapping delivery capabilities.
• Publiquest: Dutch communication cooperative of which MvC is a member. Projects are frequently executed under the Publiquest flag, providing access to a broader network of communication professionals serving Dutch government clients — a direct collaborative peer in the same niche.
• BKB Agency: Established Dutch full-service public affairs and communications agency serving government, semi-public and corporate clients. Broader than MvC in scale but competes for the same Dutch public-sector strategic communication mandates.
• HVR Group: Dutch advisory firm focused on public-sector management and communications, where MvC's MT member Catelijne van Calsteren previously worked for five years. Direct comparable in scale and service offering for Dutch government clients.
• CONNECT Communicatie: Dutch communications agency collaborating with MvC on Waterschap Limburg climate adaptation communication. Comparable scale and public-sector/governmental communications orientation.
• Roger Otten Participatie Advies: Dutch specialist participation and stakeholder-engagement advisory serving municipalities and provinces. Direct niche competitor in citizen participation processes, a core MvC service line.

Regional players

• Involve UK: UK-based participation and democracy specialist consultancy delivering citizen engagement, deliberation and stakeholder dialogue work. Thematically aligned with MvC's participation services but serving UK rather than Dutch public-sector clients.

Broad incumbents

• Kantar Public (Netherlands): Large international public-sector research and communications consultancy with Dutch operations serving government clients on citizen engagement, policy evaluation and communication strategy. Competes with MvC on larger government mandates where broader research infrastructure is required.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCR1EVE9Za2MrmJgkTJsIbiw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maatschap-voor-communicatie
• Xx.com/Maatschap

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maatschap voor Communicatie