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Netwerk023
Haarlem’s Network for Media, Advertising and the Internet
Urbanology is an interactive agency in Haarlem with international customers such as Tommy Hilfiger, Hummer and Boots. Event manager Lesley Brehm notes that these accounts find it “a bit sexy” to work with a Dutch office: “Dutch creatives are hip and trendy and are highly regarded,” she says. “Amsterdam is the place to be. Other countries happily do business with the Netherlands. And most Dutch offices for their part are happy to work with big foreign names. Urbanology happens to be based in Haarlem, but that’s only 20 minutes from Amsterdam, and foreign customers experience it as Amsterdam.”
Urbanology is one of the four parties behind Netwerk023 (023 is the dialling code of Haarlem), a network for companies in publicity, media and the Internet in Haarlem. Lesley organise the bi-monthly meetings and is the moderator of the online community. She explains how the network came to be set up: “The other parties are Wazooky, a search engine marketing agency, the communications office Blutarsky, and GNR8, a training company for students in the creative sector of the Hogeschool in the Netherlands and the Media College. All four of us had ideas about making a network so that Haarlemmers could find each other, and not have to look outside the city. In this way, we can hopefully keep young talent in Haarlem - hence the participation of GNR8.”
As a member of Netwerk023, you can use meetings to network, exchange knowledge and just have fun. In the last meeting, members did some brainstorming about how to put creative Haarlem under the spotlight. The resulting ideas will be proposed to the City Council for possible subsidies. Netwerk023 is a private-sector initiative, paid for by the initiators themselves. Members can use the site to post or request job offers and projects. Everyone is connected to everyone else.