On Friday 13th June 2025, I enjoyed attending Den Haag Inspireert (The Hague Inspires) @ the Fokker Terminal. I’ve been several times to this annual event and always enjoy seeing the showcase of amazing entrepreneurial ideas in our city.
The afternoon offered a combination of workshops, presentations, awards and networking.
A translation of the Dutch promotional text into English:
The municipality of The Hague and the Economic Board The Hague invite you to a day full of inspiration and valuable encounters.
The Hague Inspires! is the annual event for entrepreneurs and employers from The Hague and the surrounding region, where the city, the region and the business community look to the future together. During this day, visitors will be stimulated by various themes, inspired to come up with new ideas and encouraged to make new contacts. Collaboration and entrepreneurship are central themes!
How do we remain resilient as a city, organisation and individual in a rapidly changing world? That question is central to the plenary programme with powerful “seven-minute talks”. Inspiring speakers will share their vision on current themes such as resilience, digital security and the labour market. What opportunities do contemporary developments offer, and who should you connect with? We will also be presenting the Haagse Parels (The Hague Pearls) awards: an award for entrepreneurs and companies that make a special contribution to The Hague’s economy.
Workshops
There was a selection of several workshops to choose from when signing up. Though my Dutch is quite good, it would be good to have at least one workshop in English to represent the high percentage of international entrepreneurs that work in our city and have not (yet) mastered Dutch. Perhaps next year I’ll offer to organise one.
This year, I signed up for the “social entrepreneurship” one – however did find I had trouble following it and found it wasn’t particularly relevant to me. In Australia, social entrepreneurship has a quite broad application, mostly meaning that you are an entrepreneur focussed on more than just profit. I recently became the new owner of www.thehagueonline.com, which I run under my business Zestee. I see myself as a social entrepreneur – I invest my time and any income from this website into creating value and support towards inclusion for the international community. This workshop seemed more focussed on asking larger companies to consider employing those who may not have other employment opportunities.
During this inspirational session, Social Club Den Haag will share how your company can take the step towards social entrepreneurship. Discover practical examples, learn from their experiences and hear about the concrete benefits of social entrepreneurship: from stronger teams and greater social impact to a positive image towards customers and partners. Whether you are large or small, every company can contribute to a more inclusive society and become stronger as a result. Join us and be inspired!
Other workshops offered included (all in Dutch but I’ve translated the titles to English as well):
- Praktische tips om uw online zichtbaarheid te vergroten / Practical tips to increase online visibility
- De arbeidsmarkt van de toekomst / The workplace of the future
- Nieuwe generaties zetten Nederland op z’n kop?! / New generations are turning NL upside down
Presentations
The main stage session was kicked off with a video:
Then there were a series of presentations but I have to admit I didn’t really follow them very well. After a long week, the acoustics of a large room, a language that isn’t my native one, and being neurodivergent – it all blurred a bit. They were around the topics of cyber security and AI.
Awards
I do enjoy this section each year – the Haagse Parels (The Hague Pearls). Each year there are 3 finalists in two categories
Impactvolle Circulaire Onderneming / Impactful Circular Enterprise
The winner was Yespers
Uitzonderlijke Bijdrage / Exceptional Contribution
The winner was Nelis company.
Networking
Was a great opportunity to catch up with some familiar people and meet new ones.
Always a pleasure to see Ali from Holland Park Media:
Aftermovie
Yes, it was an inspiring event, and proud to be part of the entrepreneurial side of our city.
Want to know more?
If you’d like to be kept up to date on entrepreneurship in The Hague, you can sign up for the (Dutch) enewsletter.
Zestee 