What Het Debatbureau does

Het Debatbureau is a Dutch professional services firm specializing in debate training, presentation and persuasion skills, event moderation, and large-scale debate organization. Founded in 2009 in The Hague by Frits Bloemberg, the company serves four primary verticals — government, business/corporate, education, and political organizations — across the Netherlands and on an ad hoc international basis, delivering services in Dutch and English. Its revenue is generated through customized training programs, interactive workshops, professional moderation and conference hosting, full event organization, and youth civic education programs including the country's largest high school debate competition ('Op weg naar Het Lagerhuis' / 'De Stem van Jong Nederland') involving 200 schools annually.

The company's core offerings are organized into training programs (debating, political debating, chairmanship, public speaking, presenting, business persuasion, works council persuasion, and moderation), workshops (debate fundamentals, political crash courses, historical speeches, storytelling, presentation first aid, campaign techniques), and professional facilitation services (moderators, conference hosts, debate leaders, the proprietary Lagerhuis Debat format, webinar moderation, strategy days, dialogue facilitation, and full event management). It also runs Model European Parliament and Generatie aan Zet for civic education. Delivery is human-led by experienced trainers and facilitators; the firm explicitly states no proprietary technology platform and provides no API or software product. Notable engagements include a Kofi Annan conference (800 participants), a debate with King Willem-Alexander, and a 2023 REAIM Summit session on AI and Defense with the Nederlandse Defensie Academie.

Het Debatbureau operates as a privately held, independently owned boutique firm with 13 employees, headquartered at Cornelis Jolstraat 109 in Den Haag. Its go-to-market is sales-led and direct, primarily through website contact forms, phone inquiries, and on-site delivery across the Netherlands. Pricing is largely quote-based with one disclosed rate of €650 per participant for an open-enrollment full-day storytelling training. The company holds no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or institutional investors, and reports training satisfaction ratings of 8.8/10.

Name

Het Debatbureau

Legal name

Het Debatbureau

Website

https://hetdebatbureau.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Het Debatbureau is a Dutch boutique professional services firm founded in 2009 in The Hague that delivers debate training, presentation and persuasion workshops, event moderation, and youth civic debate programs to government, corporate, education, and political clients across the Netherlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Communication Training and Event Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online Public Speaking & Debate Programs (Live/Recorded) (EDAMAOAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Speech & Debate Competition Preparation (Events, Extemp, Impromptu) (EDAMAOAF), Teacher/Coach Training & Curriculum for Speech & Debate (EDAMAOAL), Virtual Training, Workshops & Masterclasses (Interactive Sessions) (MPAGAOAJ), Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM)

Keywords

• Debate training services
• Public speaking workshops
• Event moderation services
• Presentation skills training
• Corporate communication training

Headquarters

HQ city

Den Haag

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Training Programs: Customized training programs on debating, presenting, public speaking, and persuasion skills for government, business, education, and political organizations. Programs range from half-day workshops to multi-session trajectories.
2. Workshop Services: Interactive workshops including debate workshops, political crash courses, historical speeches, storytelling, presentation skills, and campaign training.
3. Event Moderation and Hosting: Professional moderation, debate leadership, conference hosting, and event presentation services for congresses, debates, symposia, and other events.
4. Event Organization: Full or partial event organization including logistics, program composition, speaker management, venue selection, and catering coordination.
5. Youth Education Programs: Debate education and competition programs for primary, secondary, and higher education including Op weg naar Het Lagerhuis, Model European Parliament, and Generatie aan Zet.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Het Debatbureau is a Dutch professional services firm specializing in debate training, presentation skills, public speaking, persuasion training, and event moderation. The company delivers customized training programs, interactive workshops, professional debate and conference hosting, full event organization, and youth education debate competitions. Services are delivered to government bodies, businesses, educational institutions, and political organizations across the Netherlands and internationally, in both Dutch and English.

Product overview

Het Debatbureau operates as a unified service offering centered on debate training, facilitation, and event organization. The core portfolio consists of three main pillars: (1) Training Programs including debating, political debating, chairmanship, public speaking, presenting, business persuasion, works council training, and moderation; (2) Workshops covering debate basics, politics courses, historical speeches, storytelling, presentation first aid, and campaign techniques; and (3) Professional Services including moderators, conference hosts, debate leaders, Lagerhuis debates, webinars, strategy days, dialogue facilitation, and full event organization. Additionally, the company runs extensive youth education programs including the largest debating competition in the Netherlands (Op Weg naar het Lagerhuis), Model European Parliament, and age-specific training from primary through higher education. The company also offers an educational arm with dedicated teacher training and school leadership workshops. All services are available in Dutch and English, serving government, businesses, educational institutions, and political organizations across the Netherlands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Training Debatteren (Krachtig Debatteren & Overtuigen) Core training program focused on improving debating and persuasion skills in a small group setting, rated 8.8 by participants. Designed for professionals seeking stronger debate capabilities.
• Training Politiek Debatteren Specialized training for municipal council members on political debating techniques.
• Voorzitterstraining Training for committee chairs in political settings on chairmanship and meeting facilitation.
• Training Krachtig Speechen Public speaking training focused on delivering powerful speeches.
• Training Krachtig Presenteren Presentation techniques training for professional settings.
• Training Zakelijk Overtuigen Business-focused training on persuasion skills.
• Training De Overtuigende Ondernemingsraad Training specifically designed for works councils to improve their persuasive communication.
• Training Gespreksleiding en Modereren Moderation and facilitation skills training for professionals leading discussions.
• Debatworkshop Interactive workshop to learn the fundamentals of debating.
• Spoedcursus Politiek Intensive workshop on politics, experiencing the political world in one session.
• Workshop Historische Speeches Workshop focused on rhetoric through analysis of historical speeches.
• Workshop Storytelling Workshop teaching storytelling techniques to create memorable narratives and strengthen communication.
• Workshop Eerste Hulp Bij Presenteren Practical workshop providing essential presentation techniques and tips, including use of digital tools like PowerPoint.
• Spoedcursus Campagnevoeren Workshop teaching essential campaign techniques for political or business campaigns including social media.
• Gespreksleiders Dienstverlening Professional moderators and facilitators for conferences, debates, and symposia.
• Dagvoorzitters Dienstverlening Professional conference hosts for congresses and symposiums from start to finish.
• Debatleiders Expert debate leaders who facilitate discussions on professional topics, organizing approximately 100 debates annually.
• Lagerhuis Debat Dynamic British House of Commons-style debate format, specialty of the organization.
• Gespreksleiding Webinar Professional moderation services for online webinars.
• Heidag Strategy day facilitation and organization.
• Begeleiding Dialoog Facilitated dialogue, brainstorming sessions, and independent external facilitation.
• Evenementen Organisatie Full-service event management from objectives setting to program composition, logistics, and day-of hosting.
• Op Weg naar het Lagerhuis (De Stem van Jong Nederland) The largest debating and speech competition in the Netherlands for youth, involving 200 high schools annually.
• Model European Parliament Educational program engaging students in European parliamentary simulation.
• Debattraining Basisonderwijs Debating skills training for primary school students.
• Debattraining Voortgezet Onderwijs Debating skills training for secondary school students.
• Debattraining Hoger Onderwijs Debating skills training for HBO and university students.
• Docententraining Training programs specifically for teachers on debating instruction.

Quantifiable outcome

• Training rating of 8.8

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BNNVARAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHet Debatbureau collaborates with BNNVARA on the 'Op weg naar Het Lagerhuis' television program, developing debate topics and providing training and coaching for participants. This is the largest debate and speech competition for Dutch youth, featuring prominent politicians as debate opponents.
• LNVH (Landelijk Netwerk Vrouwelijke Hoogleraren)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHet Debatbureau provided moderation services for the LNVH Spring Symposium at Nemo Science Museum, facilitating debate sessions on academic topics including the 'Iedereen Professor' campaign.
• Gemeente LeidenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized the Leidsch Debat Festival at Leiden city hall with five participating schools from the region.
• Fonds 1818minorOthersCommunity foundation that helped make the Leidsch Debat Festival possible through funding support.
• HOPE XXLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHet Debatbureau organized the Glazen Kluis (Glass Prison) event for HOPE XXL at Hortus Botanicus, where students engaged in philosophical discussions with prominent guests.
• Nederlandse Defensie AcademieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on debate session during REAIM Summit 2023 at World Forum Den Haag, discussing AI applications in military contexts.
• Spitz Congres & EventsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEvent organization partner that co-organized the webinar with the Minister and State Secretary of Infrastructure.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Toastmasters International: Global non-profit organization running public speaking and leadership clubs in 145+ countries. Comparable as the dominant scaled platform for practicing debating, public speaking, and presentation skills, though it delivers via member-led clubs rather than fee-for-service corporate training like Het Debatbureau.
• Dale Carnegie Training: Global corporate communication and public speaking training franchise with a long history of in-person corporate programs. Comparable because it sells similar communication, persuasion, and presentation skills training to corporate and government clients, but operates at much larger scale and broader scope than Het Debatbureau.
• Boertien Vergouwen Overduin: Dutch corporate training provider offering management, communication, and personal effectiveness programs to enterprise and government clients. Comparable as a Dutch competitor for corporate communication training budgets and a possible consolidator if Het Debatbureau ever sought an exit partner.
• Schouten & Nelissen: One of the largest Dutch professional training providers, offering communication, leadership, and personal effectiveness programs to corporate and government clients. Comparable because it competes in the same Dutch market for corporate communication training budgets, but with a much broader curriculum beyond debate-specific skills.
• BMC (Training & Advies): Large Dutch training and advisory firm focused on the public sector, with strong offerings in communication and influencing skills for government clients. Comparable because it targets Dutch ministries and government agencies (overlapping with Het Debatbureau's government vertical), though broader in scope and much larger.

Direct peers

• Speakers Academy: Dutch speaker bureau and training organization offering speaker representation, presentation training, and event moderation services. Closely comparable to Het Debatbureau because it operates in the same Dutch market and combines speaker bureau, training, and event-hosting functions in a similar integrated offering.

Others

• Spitz Congres & Events: Dutch conference and event organization partner named in Het Debatbureau's own data as a co-organizer of ministerial webinars. Comparable as an adjacent event-services provider that occasionally partners with or competes for event moderation and organization budgets in the Dutch institutional market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hetdebatbureau
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HetDebatbureau
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/het-debatbureau

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Het Debatbureau