The Story of CultuurWerkt!

Full theaters

About twenty years ago, Joop van den Ende wondered how he could attract more visitors to his musical productions. The weekends saw good attendance in the theaters, but the average weekday was far less popular. His business instincts kicked in once again. Van den Ende reached out to some major companies in his network and allowed their employees to attend his musicals at a significantly reduced rate. This gave birth to the Business Cultural Subscription (BCA).

After Van den Ende stepped back from the day-to-day business operations, the offering expanded beyond musicals alone. In 2017, BCA evolved into CultuurWerkt!. An organization that connects working Netherlands with the cultural sector in its entirety. This not only ensures full theaters but also provides various cultural institutions and activities with greater visibility and more visitors.

The uniqueness of culture is that it enriches your life in various aspects. That's why every employee should be able to participate in cultural life.

- Joop van den Ende - Cultural Entrepreneur

CultuurWerkt! brings together more than four hundred cultural partners, two hundred companies, and over 85,000 employees. We are the market leader in connecting organizations and culture creators. With CultuurWerkt! as the central hub, working Netherlands experiences the power and diversity of culture. This beautiful sector deserves a lot of attention and visitors, and in turn, the working person gains inspiration, creativity, and relaxation!

More creative and healthier Employers can no longer ignore it. The systematic use of culture is a direct way to promote the health of employees and sustainable employability. The prospect of a great performance or a nice day out is inherently enjoyable. As an added benefit, according to the World Health Organization, culture also makes you more creative, happier, and more effective. It prolongs your life. Additionally, the World Economic Forum notes that creativity is becoming an increasingly prominent skill of employees, completing the circle.

Good employership While regular exercise ensures a vital body, culture ensures a vital mind. In practice, employers often facilitate sports but not culture. This can and should change. Through CultuurWerkt! membership, you are always informed about personalized cultural offerings.

How? Our online magazine displays event calendars, reviews, background articles, in-depth interviews, beautiful videos, the finest music playlists, and interesting podcasts based on your preferences. As a bonus, you'll find many attractive offers, from musicals to museums, from ballet to cabaret, for young and old. This allows employees to easily bring their family and friends to their favorite cultural outings.

We also assist employers in bringing culture closer to people and strengthening organizations, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. CultuurWerkt! provides training and inspirational sessions at cultural locations or in the workplace, as well as packages for annual staff outings. This way, employees get acquainted with culture in the broadest sense of the word, and as an employer, you can creatively address topics such as sustainable employability, workplace happiness, and a healthy work-life balance.

CultuurWerkt! for employers Did you know that research shows employees become more creative, happier, and more effective when they regularly engage with culture? They also experience more workplace happiness and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Want to learn more? Download our whitepaper (in Dutch) here.