Stichting Rotterdam Festivals

What Stichting Rotterdam Festivals does

Stichting Rotterdam Festivals is a Dutch non-profit foundation (stichting) established in 1993 and headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The organization is publicly commissioned by the Municipality of Rotterdam to coordinate the city's event policy, promote cultural participation, and support the local cultural sector. It serves four primary stakeholder groups: cultural organizations and festival organizers (which receive advisory services, permits guidance, financial support, and promotional platform access), the citizens of Rotterdam and visitors to the city (who access cultural programming information), and the Municipality of Rotterdam itself (which receives policy advisory and sector coordination services). The organization operates with approximately 20 employees from an office in the Groot Handelsgebouw adjacent to Rotterdam Centraal station.

The foundation's core product is Uitagenda Rotterdam, the city's comprehensive cultural events calendar distributed via a bimonthly print magazine, website, three email newsletters (Uitmail, Museum Uitmail, Kids Uitmail), and social media channels, supplemented by outdoor advertising partnerships through CAR. The MyRF partner portal handles financial support applications and event calendar submissions from cultural organizers. The Publiek & Impact Dashboard provides audience research and economic impact analytics based on the WESP-methodiek, while the proprietary Culturele Doelgroepenmodel (Cultural Segmentation Model), developed with Whooz B.V.'s Whize-database, classifies cultural audiences into segments such as 'Nieuwsgierige Toekomstgrijpers' (Curious Future Grabbers) to enable targeted programming.

The revenue model is non-commercial: Rotterdam Festivals is funded primarily through municipal subsidies under a public commissioning arrangement, supplemented by service-related fees. Financial support to qualifying cultural events is passed through from municipal budgets. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, consistent with its non-profit status. The organization's go-to-market is community-led, operating as a central coordinator within Rotterdam's cultural ecosystem rather than as a competitive vendor, with distribution channels limited to the Rotterdam domestic market.

Name

Stichting Rotterdam Festivals

Legal name

Stichting Rotterdam Festivals

Website

https://rotterdamfestivals.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stichting Rotterdam Festivals is a Dutch non-profit foundation, publicly commissioned by the Municipality of Rotterdam since 1993, that coordinates the city's festival calendar, distributes financial support to cultural organizations, and operates the Uitagenda Rotterdam cultural events platform serving residents and visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Event Coordination Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Music & Dance Festivals (Non-Commercial/Local) (MPAGAEAH), Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA), Cultural & Community Festivals (Ticketed) (THAJAFAI), Community Theatre & Storytelling Festivals (MPAGAEAI)

Keywords

• Cultural event coordination
• Festival promotion services
• Audience research
• Cultural policy advisory
• Event calendar management

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Sector Funding: Rotterdam Festivals is commissioned by the Municipality of Rotterdam to coordinate event policy and promote cultural participation. The organization receives public funding for its operations.
2. Financial Support Services: Rotterdam Festivals provides financial support to qualifying cultural events and festivals that meet their criteria, funded through municipal budgets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stichting Rotterdam Festivals is a publicly commissioned non-profit foundation that coordinates Rotterdam's festival and cultural calendar, supports cultural organizations with funding, advisory, and permits guidance, and conducts audience research for the cultural sector. It operates Uitagenda Rotterdam (a citywide cultural events calendar) and the MyRF partner portal, alongside audience research tools such as the Publiek & Impact Dashboard and the Culturele Doelgroepenmodel.

Product overview

Rotterdam Festivals operates as a cultural coordination and promotion organization offering a platform of interconnected tools and services. The core offering is Uitagenda Rotterdam, the city's comprehensive cultural events calendar available via print magazine, website, and newsletters. This sits alongside the MyRF partner portal, which handles financial support applications and event calendar submissions for festival organizers. The Publiek & Impact Dashboard provides audience research and economic impact analytics to cultural organizations, while the Culturele Doelgroepenmodel offers audience segmentation — all designed to support Rotterdam's cultural sector with data-informed decision-making.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Uitagenda Rotterdam: Comprehensive cultural events calendar and promotion platform for Rotterdam, including magazine, website, social media channels, and email newsletters (Uitmail, Museum Uitmail, Kids Uitmail)

Products and services

• Uitagenda Rotterdam The comprehensive cultural events calendar and promotional platform for Rotterdam, covering all cultural activities in the city. Available as a bimonthly print magazine, website, social media channels, and three email newsletters (Uitmail, Museum Uitmail, Kids Uitmail). Serves as the primary tool for cultural institutions and festival organizers to reach their target audiences.
• Publiek & Impact Dashboard A data platform enabling cultural organizations to conduct audience research and visualize the effects of cultural visits. Provides insights on audience composition and economic impact calculated per the WESP-methodiek, with comparison benchmarks against other organizations in the sector.
• MyRF (Rotterdam Festivals Partner Portal) Partner portal providing access to Rotterdam Festivals accounts, applications for financial support, and submissions to the B/C event calendar. Registered partners can manage applications and track their submission status.
• Culturele Doelgroepenmodel (Cultural Segmentation Model) A self-developed audience segmentation model for the cultural sector, used to map and increase cultural participation in Rotterdam. Developed in partnership with Whooz B.V. and its Whize database, it classifies audiences into cultural target groups to help organizations understand and serve their visitors better.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 800,000 visitors engaged with major citywide cultural events
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• NN North Sea Jazz FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 July 2026NN North Sea Jazz Festival collaborated with Dunya Festival through Rotterdam Festivals coordination, programming joint performances at Dunya Festival as part of North Sea Jazz's 50th anniversary celebrations.
• Dunya FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 July 2026Dunya Festival hosted joint programming with NN North Sea Jazz Festival in 2026, marking their return to the city after 13 years. The collaboration included local talent programming on the Perron Firmeza Stage.
• Whooz B.V.coreTechnology or IntegrationWhooz B.V. provides the Whize-database that powers the Culturele Doelgroepenmodel. Rotterdam Festivals receives visitor data linked to the Whize-database to generate statistical audience insights. Whooz processes data only for this linkage purpose and does not use it for their own purposes.
• Gemeente Rotterdam (Municipality of Rotterdam)coreOthersThe Municipality of Rotterdam commissions Rotterdam Festivals to coordinate event policy and stimulate cultural participation. The organization operates under public mandate to support and promote the cultural sector.
• Raad van Advies (Advisory Council) MemberscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Advisory Council consists of marketeers and communication specialists from cultural partner institutions including Jeugdtheater Hofplein, Maas theater en dans, House of Urban Arts, Kunsthal, Conny Janssen Danst, and others. They actively advise on the direction and strategy of Uitagenda Rotterdam.
• Culturele Partners (Cultural Partners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural organizations in Rotterdam that partner with Rotterdam Festivals for collective cultural marketing through Uitagenda Rotterdam. Partners include major cultural institutions, theaters, museums, and festival organizers across the city.
• Rotterdam Brass Band SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual collaboration partner for NN North Sea Jazz Festival's educational outreach, with musicians providing workshops and joint performances.
• MojominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMojo is the organizer of NN North Sea Jazz Festival, collaborating with Rotterdam Festivals and Dunya Festival for citywide cultural programming.
• Bureau VermaeckminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganizer of Dunya Festival, working with Rotterdam Festivals and NN North Sea Jazz to develop the festival's return to Rotterdam.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Holland Festival: Established large-scale international performing arts festival in Amsterdam. A broader incumbent in the Dutch festival landscape with overlapping cultural-promotion objectives, though operating as a single festival producer rather than a multi-festival coordinator like Rotterdam Festivals.
• NN North Sea Jazz Festival: Major Dutch music festival and partner of Rotterdam Festivals (collaborated on 50th anniversary programming in 2026). Comparable as a flagship Rotterdam-area cultural event organizer but operates as a commercial promoter rather than a city-wide coordination foundation.

Others

• Rotterdam Partners: Rotterdam's city marketing and convention bureau. Operates as an adjacent enabling organization within the Rotterdam cultural/tourism ecosystem, with overlapping municipal commissioning and stakeholder relationships.
• Cultuur Ondernemen: Dutch sector support organization that advises cultural entrepreneurs on business models and sustainability. Functionally adjacent to Rotterdam Festivals in supporting the Dutch cultural sector's professionalization, though focused on entrepreneurial capacity rather than festival coordination.
• VNPF (Vereniging van Nederlandse Podiumfestivals): Dutch association of performing arts festivals. Represents the institutional ecosystem that Rotterdam Festivals serves and participates in, comparable as a sector-stakeholder organization within Dutch cultural policy.

Direct peers

• Stichting Amsterdam Festivals: Dutch city-level festival coordination foundation for Amsterdam with a parallel public mandate to coordinate, promote, and support cultural festivals and events. Closest structural peer to Rotterdam Festivals given similar nonprofit foundation model, municipal commissioning, and Dutch cultural policy context.
• Stichting Festivals Nederland: Dutch industry association representing festival organizers across the Netherlands. Comparable to Rotterdam Festivals as a sector-coordination body within the same Dutch cultural policy ecosystem, though operating as a membership/advocacy organization rather than a city-coordinator.
• Edinburgh Festivals: City-level umbrella organization coordinating Edinburgh's world-famous festival cluster (Fringe, International, Book, etc.). Mirrors Rotterdam Festivals' role as a coordinator, promoter, and supporter of a dense municipal festival ecosystem under public-interest mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rotterdam-festivals

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Stichting Rotterdam Festivals