'DB Events is in the capillaries of the city'
DATE
22 July 2024
TEXT
Jasper Gramsma
IMAGE
Brian Mul
There is hardly a happening in the residence that Peter Boelhouwer and his DB Events are not involved in. "Bringing people together is the best thing there is," he says.
ZThe Hague would be but a dull place without DB Evenementen. Whether it is production support for 'The Life I Live', Vlaggetjesdag, the entry of Sinterklaas or the National Countdown: this 'oldest events agency in town' does its bit everywhere. "We are like a one-stop shop for complete events where you can also get individual components such as consultancy and security," explains the energetic Peter Boelhouwer (47). He is sitting behind his cup of tea on a terrace on the Denneweg and regularly waves to passing acquaintances. Next to him sits son Jesse (24), who, like his brother Sam (22), is moving up in the family business.
'By now there is a festival almost every weekend'
"In the 15 years I have been doing this, so much has changed; now there is a festival somewhere in the city almost every weekend," Boelhouwer proudly takes stock of his entrepreneurship. And he is still never bored. "Bringing people together is the best thing there is. That can be with music, with folklore, with good food and drink... All kinds of elements that connect, we magnify. Because we are in the capillaries of the city, we know exactly the right tone for each message to reach the right audience - also outside The Hague."
Potpourri
The Royal Christmas Fair, a fixture on the event calendar for years, is a good example, according to Boelhouwer. "It is a nice potpourri of exclusive clothes and affordable souvenirs, of culinary bites and snacks, and of good wine and chocolate milk. That attracts both a Hague family coming to Lange Voorhout for an outing and that quality tourist." Appealing to such a broad target group fits in with the objective of the municipality, which, like other authorities, regularly commissions Boelhouwers. With a wink: "That also has to do with the fact that we budget tightly - it is public money, after all."
'In everything we do, we involve local entrepreneurs'
At least as important as visitors to the Royal Christmas Fair - and all those other events, such as The Ocean Race, the Westwood Festival and Haagse Wereld Hapjes - is the spin-off for the Hague economy. For that, Boelhouwer has plenty of focus. "In everything we do, we involve local entrepreneurs. That way we can put on a nice event that has support and they can gain new customers: win-win." Suddenly, an anecdote springs to mind. "Last year, an entrepreneur who has a business on Noordeinde sold her snacks at the Christmas market. What do you think? She doubled her annual turnover!"
Connection
Social concerns, big and small, are thus omnipresent in Boelhouwer's work. And that sometimes brings with it a balancing act. "At the entry, black Pete was a sensitive issue for a long time," he looks back. "Because we were able to remove the resistance with a connecting attitude, it is now a celebration without black pete and fortunately also without a negative atmosphere again." Of a different order, but also with connection as an important theme, is the Stadmakersfestival that DB Events organised in September for the second year in a row with numerous makers in the city. "Look, there's Sjaak Bral," says Boelhouwer. "He can tell it better."
The comedian, who also chairs the festival day, sits down, orders coffee and starts talking about 'city making', which is a real European movement. "There are a lot of initiatives by neighbourhoods and residents who try to get things done on their own: a cultural centre, a garden around the waste containers, you name it. But together you are much more decisive, for instance if you have a good network. Think of those city makers as discs in a shuffleboard: they are all in front of the right holes, they just need to be thrown in. Well, that's where I hope to make my contribution."
Cake
Unbeknownst to them, the municipality is releasing funds to promote city-making. "That will also be addressed during the festival. That knowledge has to stick," Bral said, sprinkling some more metaphors. "We need to move towards a blueprint, a recipe. That way there is no need to keep reinventing the wheel, but everyone can bake that cake. Get it?" Still, the cabaret artist makes a small comment: "Sometimes people are very quick to look at the town hall, while you can also work with parties in the town. Just look at how the city embraced Escher this year! A great example of city-making. Just like what Peter is doing, by the way."
Back to the smiling Boelhouwer. With such a diverse portfolio, is there anything left for him to wish for? "Well, if there is anything I would like to create, it is an old-fashioned beautiful jazz festival around the Lange Voorhout," he dreams. "I am in talks with the organisers of 'Jazz en Route' on the Noordeinde to work with residents and the BIZ Denneweg to grow their event. Maybe that will allow us to leave behind the lack of that wonderful North Sea Jazz Festival for good."
text Jasper Gramsma / image Brian Mul
There is hardly a happening in the residence that Peter Boelhouwer and his DB Events are not involved in. "Bringing people together is the best thing there is," he says.
ZThe Hague would be but a dull place without DB Evenementen. Whether it is production support for 'The Life I Live', Vlaggetjesdag, the entry of Sinterklaas or the National Countdown: this 'oldest events agency in town' does its bit everywhere. "We are like a one-stop shop for complete events where you can also get individual components such as consultancy and security," explains the energetic Peter Boelhouwer (47). He is sitting behind his cup of tea on a terrace on the Denneweg and regularly waves to passing acquaintances. Next to him sits son Jesse (24), who, like his brother Sam (22), is moving up in the family business.
'By now there is a festival almost every weekend'
"In the 15 years I have been doing this, so much has changed; now there is a festival somewhere in the city almost every weekend," Boelhouwer proudly takes stock of his entrepreneurship. And he is still never bored. "Bringing people together is the best thing there is. That can be with music, with folklore, with good food and drink... All kinds of elements that connect, we magnify. Because we are in the capillaries of the city, we know exactly the right tone for each message to reach the right audience - also outside The Hague."
Potpourri
The Royal Christmas Fair, a fixture on the event calendar for years, is a good example, according to Boelhouwer. "It is a nice potpourri of exclusive clothes and affordable souvenirs, of culinary bites and snacks, and of good wine and chocolate milk. That attracts both a Hague family coming to Lange Voorhout for an outing and that quality tourist." Appealing to such a broad target group fits in with the objective of the municipality, which, like other authorities, regularly commissions Boelhouwers. With a wink: "That also has to do with the fact that we budget tightly - it is public money, after all."
'In everything we do, we involve local entrepreneurs'
At least as important as visitors to the Royal Christmas Fair - and all those other events, such as The Ocean Race, the Westwood Festival and Haagse Wereld Hapjes - is the spin-off for the Hague economy. For that, Boelhouwer has plenty of focus. "In everything we do, we involve local entrepreneurs. That way we can put on a nice event that has support and they can gain new customers: win-win." Suddenly, an anecdote springs to mind. "Last year, an entrepreneur who has a business on Noordeinde sold her snacks at the Christmas market. What do you think? She doubled her annual turnover!"
Connection
Social concerns, big and small, are thus omnipresent in Boelhouwer's work. And that sometimes brings with it a balancing act. "At the entry, black Pete was a sensitive issue for a long time," he looks back. "Because we were able to remove the resistance with a connecting attitude, it is now a celebration without black pete and fortunately also without a negative atmosphere again." Of a different order, but also with connection as an important theme, is the Stadmakersfestival that DB Events organised in September for the second year in a row with numerous makers in the city. "Look, there's Sjaak Bral," says Boelhouwer. "He can tell it better."
The comedian, who also chairs the festival day, sits down, orders coffee and starts talking about 'city making', which is a real European movement. "There are a lot of initiatives by neighbourhoods and residents who try to get things done on their own: a cultural centre, a garden around the waste containers, you name it. But together you are much more decisive, for instance if you have a good network. Think of those city makers as discs in a shuffleboard: they are all in front of the right holes, they just need to be thrown in. Well, that's where I hope to make my contribution."
Cake
Unbeknownst to them, the municipality is releasing funds to promote city-making. "That will also be addressed during the festival. That knowledge has to stick," Bral said, sprinkling some more metaphors. "We need to move towards a blueprint, a recipe. That way there is no need to keep reinventing the wheel, but everyone can bake that cake. Get it?" Still, the cabaret artist makes a small comment: "Sometimes people are very quick to look at the town hall, while you can also work with parties in the town. Just look at how the city embraced Escher this year! A great example of city-making. Just like what Peter is doing, by the way."
Back to the smiling Boelhouwer. With such a diverse portfolio, is there anything left for him to wish for? "Well, if there is anything I would like to create, it is an old-fashioned beautiful jazz festival around the Lange Voorhout," he dreams. "I am in talks with the organisers of 'Jazz en Route' on the Noordeinde to work with residents and the BIZ Denneweg to grow their event. Maybe that will allow us to leave behind the lack of that wonderful North Sea Jazz Festival for good."
