Kring Nederlands Bedrijfsleven Barcelona

What Kring Nederlands Bedrijfsleven Barcelona does

De Kring (Kring Nederlands Bedrijfsleven Barcelona) is a non-profit association founded in 1970 that serves as the principal Dutch business networking club in Barcelona, Spain. The organization provides a community and event platform for Dutch-speaking entrepreneurs, professionals, managers, CEOs, and directors established in Barcelona and the surrounding region, addressing the need for business contacts, market intelligence, and cultural connection among Dutch expatriates operating in Catalonia. Its core offering is a recurring calendar of in-person gatherings rather than a technology product: monthly Kringavond networking evenings (held on the last Thursday of each month at rotating venues), an annual Kerstdiner (Christmas dinner), the Nationale Business Meeting (a national Dutch business event in Spain), and member-organized company visits and speaker sessions.

The organization runs on a subscription-based membership model supplemented by corporate sponsorship. Members pay recurring annual fees (exact pricing not publicly disclosed), with prospective members invited to attend an event as an "introducee" before committing. Sponsorship tiers include two main sponsors (Hoofdsponsoren) — ABN AMRO Mees Pierson and Bianca Soetens (Business Academy) — and a bench of member sponsors including OTIS Legal Group, Canon Business Center Barcelona 22@, Hilton Diagonal Mar, IFAR, El Palauet, Bar Lute, Barcelona Tips, and FreelanceCRA.com. The organization has no formal paid employees; operations are conducted by a voluntary board (bestuur) currently led by Chairman Lotte Engels, with board members Koen Hoogteijling and Richard Hoffmann also disclosed. The broader technology footprint is minimal: a WordPress website (dekring.org), email newsletters, a LinkedIn presence, a YouTube channel, and a podcast series (Kringgesprekken) — there is no proprietary platform or product technology underlying the business.

De Kring is institutionally embedded in the Dutch-Spanish economic ecosystem, collaborating with the Dutch Embassy in Madrid, NBSO Barcelona (Netherlands Business Support Office), and other Dutch and German-speaking business clubs. The organization is GDPR-compliant, holds Spanish tax identification NIF G98333677, and is registered as an association without profit motive (vereniging zonder winstoogmerk). Distribution is exclusively direct: members are acquired through referrals from existing members, the website, and event attendance, with no external investors, parent company, or institutional ownership disclosed.

Name

Kring Nederlands Bedrijfsleven Barcelona

Legal name

De Kring

Website

https://dekring.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

De Kring is a Barcelona-based non-profit Dutch business club, founded in 1970, that hosts monthly networking events, annual dinners, and the Nationale Business Meeting for Dutch-speaking entrepreneurs and professionals living in the Catalonia region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Networking & Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Business networking club
• Professional association
• Membership organization
• Dutch expatriate networking
• Monthly business events

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: De Kring generates revenue through annual membership fees paid by Dutch entrepreneurs, professionals, managers, and business leaders in Barcelona. The exact pricing tiers are not publicly disclosed on the website but are available to prospective members through the membership information page.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

De Kring is a Dutch-speaking business club in Barcelona that sells annual memberships giving Dutch entrepreneurs, professionals, managers, CEOs and directors access to a private professional network in Spain. Members receive monthly Kringavond networking evenings with speakers, an annual Kerstdiner, the Nationale Business Meeting, the Kringgesprekken podcast, and a member directory.

Product overview

De Kring is a business networking club, not a technology product company. It operates as a single unified membership service offering networking events, speaker presentations, and a podcast for Dutch entrepreneurs and professionals in Barcelona. The organization does not maintain a platform-plus-modules architecture but rather provides ongoing membership benefits including monthly Kringavond events, annual events (Kerstdiner, Sponsor events, National Business Meeting), the Kringgesprekken podcast, and member directory access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kringgesprekken: Podcast series featuring conversations with members and interviews about business and life in Barcelona
• Nationale Business Meeting (NBM)
• Kringavond

Products and services

• De Kring Business Club Membership Recurring annual membership for Dutch-speaking entrepreneurs, professionals, managers, CEOs, and directors in Barcelona, providing access to monthly Kringavond events, annual events (Kerstdiner, Nationale Business Meeting, ALV), the Kringgesprekken podcast, and the member directory.
• Kringavond Monthly Networking Events Monthly in-person networking evenings for De Kring members featuring a renowned speaker, presentation, networking reception, and dinner at surprising locations throughout Barcelona.
• Kringgesprekken Podcast

Quantifiable outcome

• Monthly events on the last Thursday of each month with renowned speakers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NBSO Barcelona (Netherlands Business Support Office)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Netherlands Business Support Office in Barcelona collaborates closely with De Kring on events, business support activities, and the annual Nationale Business Meeting. NBSO is part of the Dutch economic network in Spain.
• Dutch Embassy MadridcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Dutch Embassy in Madrid partners with De Kring for events including the Nationale Business Meeting and the Dutch Entrepreneurs and Managers Awards (NOP). The Embassy provides official support and recognition for Dutch business activities in Spain.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Holland House: Holland House is a Dutch-founded international business network that organizes events and facilitates connections for Dutch companies abroad. It is the closest global peer to De Kring because it serves the same Dutch-expat business community, operates a membership/event model, and runs programs in multiple countries where Dutch entrepreneurs are active.
• Cercle d'Economia: Cercle d'Economia is a leading Catalan business and civic association based in Barcelona that convenes executives, politicians, and thought leaders at high-profile events. Comparable to De Kring as a Barcelona-based business membership association that runs curated speaker-driven events, but with a broader Catalan scope rather than a Dutch expatriate focus.
• Cámara de Comercio Francesa de Barcelona: The French Chamber of Commerce in Barcelona is a membership organization serving French businesses and professionals in Catalonia through networking events, business services, and member programs. It is a direct peer to De Kring as a Barcelona-based nationality business club with a recurring event calendar and member directory.
• Cámara de Comercio Alemana para España (AHK Spanien): The German-Spanish Chamber of Commerce is a membership-based bilateral business organization that supports German companies operating in Spain via events, networking, and institutional partnerships. Comparable to De Kring in structure (foreign-nationality business club in Spain), sponsorship model, and embassy/consulate alignment.
• British Chamber of Commerce in Spain: The British Chamber of Commerce in Spain is a non-profit membership organization supporting British businesses and professionals in Spain through networking events, business services, and embassy-linked programming. It is directly comparable to De Kring as a nationality-based business club in Spain with recurring events, sponsorships, and member services.

Emerging players

• BNI España: BNI operates structured referral-based business networking chapters across Spain (including Barcelona) where members exchange qualified business leads through weekly meetings. Comparable to De Kring as a membership-based networking organization in Barcelona, though BNI is global, commercial, and structured around lead generation rather than Dutch cultural affinity.
• International Business Club Barcelona (IBC): International business networking groups in Barcelona serve expat and cross-border professionals with membership events. They are comparable to De Kring in event/membership model and target expatriate business audience, but are typically broader (multi-nationality) rather than Dutch-specific, and tend to be more informal and emerging.

Regional players

• Holanda Business Club Madrid: Dutch business networking circles exist in Madrid and other Spanish cities serving the same Dutch expatriate business community that De Kring targets. Comparable as a nationality-based business club with a membership/event model, but operating in a different Spanish region rather than competing directly in Barcelona.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/DeKringNederlandseBusinessClubBarcelona
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kring-nederlands-bedrijfsleven-barcelona

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Kring Nederlands Bedrijfsleven Barcelona