Creative IndustryIn the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

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Amsterdam’s high quality of life and laid-back atmosphere attract talent, fuelling creativity and ambition. It’s a cosmopolitan village and creative capital where award-winning ideas drive international fashion, design, gaming and advertising concepts.

Amsterdam: a cradle for vibrant ideasAmsterdam has a long and illustrious history as a hotspot for innovation. The city attracts creatives of all types, who find it easy to meet open-minded partners and cooperate across disciplines. As a result, creative industries such as advertising, TV, music, gaming and app development are thriving.

Amsterdam is home to some of the world’s leading advertising companies, including 180, Wieden+Kennedy and 72andSunny. The region has emerged as a pioneering location for the development of television formats. The Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) is a worldwide phenomenon. The city’s abundance of creative businesses can afford your company the advantage of overspill when disciplines cross over.

Cosmopolitan villageDue to its easy-to-navigate size, all relevant contacts are just a stone’s throw away and this makes the process of creation and production fast and flexible. The strong cycling culture – the 800,000 people who live in Amsterdam own an estimated 881,000

bicycles – is especially appreciated among creative professionals.

The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area also offers world-class infrastructure, both physically and digitally: it’s a popular base for international data centres, high-speed broadband and digital service providers, and has the superb connectivity of the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX) to offer. Equally important is that Amsterdam is a talent hub for programmers and app developers. Gaming companies in particular favour locations in Amsterdam’s up-and-coming neighbourhoods, such as Amsterdam West and Noord, which speaks volumes for the city’s appeal to the creative industry.

Startup hubThe Amsterdam Metropolitan Area is one of Europe’s most buzz-worthy startup hubs, too. Amsterdam is a natural testbed for startups thanks to a strong startup support system, a tech-savvy consumer base, a huge international talent pool and its great position for scaling into Europe and the world.

Some facts about the creative industry in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area: • Foreign companies: 338• Employees of foreign companies: 16,642• International headquarters of foreign companies: 94

‘Amsterdam: Where life is laid-back and business ambitious.’

Al Moseley180

#1 fastest InternetAkamai, State of the Internet Report, Q1 ‘16

Accelerators, incubators and co-working spacesAmsterdam has a wealth of accelerators and incubators that can meet the needs of your business as it grows. Rockstart, Startupbootcamp and Impact Hub are all internationally-renowned, and there are many other invaluable accelerators and incubators across a variety of different sectors and price ranges.

Creative conferences and eventsAmsterdam boasts a range of conferences and events for the creative industry. With giant events, such as the TNW Conference, Amsterdam Fashion Week and the IBC Conference, it is easy for creative companies to show off and develop their new products. People visit Amsterdam from across the globe to take part in these business-related events at venues such as RAI Amsterdam, Beurs van Berlage, Westergasfabriek and Pakhuis de Zwijger.‘A company can have an

international outlook right from the start – you hit the ground running.’

Oscar Kneppers Rockstart

Major companies in the creative industry in Amsterdam:

Wieden+Kennedy, 180, Tommy Hilfiger, G-star RAW, Calvin Klein, Guerrilla Games and Perfect World.

With its combination of a laid-back lifestyle, creative ambition and will to innovate, Amsterdam is a haven for creatives, and consequently, several internationally-renowned agencies have set up shop in the Dutch capital.

The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area is home to 130 non-Dutch advertising businesses, which collectively employ 5,810 people; 25 of these businesses chose to have their headquarters in the Dutch capital and its surrounding areas.

The beauty of Amsterdam’s historic city centre and picture-perfect Canal Ring are a daily source of inspiration for the many creatives that work here. The city’s liberal, tolerant and social reputation attracts talent from all over the world, making it one of the world’s most multicultural cities and a great place to bring new ideas to life.

As such, it’s no surprise that the city is home to a flourishing creative industry. Internationally-renowned agencies with offices in Amsterdam include 180, Wieden+Kennedy, 72andSunny, DDB & Tribal Amsterdam and Anomaly. Dutch advertising agencies often win the main awards at international ceremonies each year, which highlights the city’s creative acumen.

‘I came here for work, I’ll stay because of the city.’

Nic Owen72andSunny

Advertising

180, Wieden+Kennedy, 72andSunny, Anomaly and DDB & Tribal Amsterdam are based in Amsterdam.

#1 English skills globally EF English Proficiency Index

Amsterdam is a great ecosystem for the design industry. While it competes with major metropolises like London, New York and Los Angeles, the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area is undoubtedly a very different environment, helping to set it apart and attract some of the world’s top creative talents in design. With companies such as Chartboost, MediaMonks and Perfect World, Amsterdam’s design industry is leading the charge in closing the gap between traditional branding and technology. The design industry currently has around 14 companies based in Amsterdam, employing roughly 350 people, and two of these companies have their headquarters in the Dutch capital.

The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area boasts a world-renowned infrastructure: high-speed broadband, digital services providers and the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX) put the Dutch capital ahead of the game. Equally important is that Amsterdam is a talent hub for designers. The main factors in choosing a location for design companies in Amsterdam are the attractiveness of the region for creatives and the presence of a network of other companies to collaborate with. New initiatives certainly benefit from the openness and opportunism of Amsterdam. Numerous new creative hubs have sprouted up in and around the city, notably transforming empty buildings or old industrial terrains into hotspots for media, design and art – attracting expanding brands and fresh talent in the process.

‘There is a great work-life balance, meaning people have more creative capacity and freedom.’

Blake Harrop Wieden+Kennedy

Design

The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area is a true fashion hub that’s home to more than a hundred fashion houses. Hip, new brands and iconic designers have all flocked to the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area to benefit from the advantages of doing business here, and the city prides itself on being the denim hub of Europe.

All sorts of relevant contacts are just a stone’s throw away: Amsterdam is home to design, R&D, product development, wholesale and retail companies. In addition, many fashion labels have chosen Amsterdam as the location of their (European) headquarters. Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein’s head office relocated from New York to Amsterdam, and Chanel’s international headquarters has followed suit.

The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area is currently home to 57 international fashion companies, 25 of which have chosen to base their headquarters in the area. These companies employ over 5,000 workers. High-profile international fashion corporates in Amsterdam include Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Pepe Jeans and Denham the Jeanmaker, but there are also pro minent Dutch businesses in the sector, such as G-Star RAW, KOI and Viktor & Rolf.

Amsterdam’s denim industry is thriving: the city has the highest concentration of denim brands in the world. A conservative estimate by the

municipal research bureau O+S puts the annual turnover of the Amsterdam denim industry at some €500 million. The G-Star RAW brand began its worldwide advance here, as did Scotch & Soda.

Kuyichi, the first-ever label for organic jeans, was set up here. Various initiatives, platforms and trade fairs, such as the House of Denim foundation, Denim City, Denim Days, Kingpins show and the Jean School, have played their part in manifesting Amsterdam’s status as denim hub of Europe with a mindset focused on craftmanship, sustainability and innovation.

The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area has always acted as a magnet for talent from all over the globe. More than a hundred fashion designers including Iris van Herpen, Jan Taminiau and Borre Akkersdijk have settled here. Just as importantly, new talents can flourish, having a wealth of sources of inspiration as well as state-of-the art educational facilities at their disposal. Setting up in the Amsterdam Area means joining the business leaders of the future: the area boasts a vibrant start-up scene, trendsetting creative minds including advertising agencies, photographers, stylists and specialised fashion recruitment agencies and the best possible digital infrastructure. Furthermore, we have recently seen an impressive increase in e-commerce activities being conducted from here, thanks to a strong IT infrastructure.

‘It’s where today’s science can become tomorrow’s technology.’

Borre AkkersdijkBYBORRE

Fashion

Chanel, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, G-Star RAW, gsus are based in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is a hotspot for companies active in the global gaming industry, thanks to an outstanding digital infrastructure, healthy startup and tech scenes, and an abundance of international talent. The 2016 Dutch gaming industry is made up of roughly 455 companies. They employ 3,030 people and report a total turnover of approximately €155-225 million in 2016. This indicates a rapid growth in the number of companies, from 321 in 2011 to 455 in 2016, an increase of 42%.

Some of the world’s best-known gaming studios and companies, including Guerrilla Games, Perfect World, Kixeye, Chartboost and Activision Blizzard, are based in Amsterdam. The city and and its region are starting to enjoy a critical mass effect as creative success grows, making Amsterdam even more attractive to clients and all types of creative companies involved in gaming and social media. Currently, there are roughly 17 non-Dutch gaming companies based in Amsterdam, and about 7 of these businesses have choosen the city and its surrounding areas for their headquarters. There are roughly 600 people employed by these companies.

The decisive factors in choosing a location for gaming companies are the attractiveness of the region for creatives, the presence of a gaming network and other companies to cooperate. In addition, gaming companies need a stable and reliable digital infrastructure to be able to compete in a global and mobile world, and Amsterdam provides just that.

‘The city is always there to help us get to the next level.’

Johan LofstromChartboost

Gaming

Above-average work-life balanceOECD Better Life Index

#2 World’slargest airport hub

Guerrilla Games, Perfect World, Kixeye, Chartboost and Activision Blizzard, are based in Amsterdam.

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IN Amsterdam provides a one-stop-shop service for international talent: companies and their highly-skilled migrant employees, scientific researchers, international entrepreneurs and international graduates. IN Amsterdam helps with residence and work permits (including the startup visa), registration with the municipality, the 30% tax ruling and many other official matters.

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