Knowledge & Inspiration
Job Opening: Advisor Digital Innovation & Strategy
The cultural sector faces major digital choices. How do you remain relevant to the audience of the future? What role do digital and immersive technologies play in cultural experiences? And how do you develop digital business models that align with the public and societal value of culture? At DEN, you help guide the cultural sector in answering these questions. You translate digital developments into meaningful and future-oriented knowledge and applications for the cultural sector.
Become our new colleague and help shape the digital future of the cultural sector. For this position, we are looking for a colleague for 32-36 hours per week.
Applications are open until May 31, 2026.
Digital Sovereignty in Practice: How FOTODOK Gradually Says Goodbye to Big Tech
In a freshly painted, empty room in Utrecht, FOTODOK’s director Femke Rotteveel reflects on a remarkable year. The walls are bare after an impressive exhibition about the former USSR, but the organization’s digital infrastructure feels solid and free. The decision to become less dependent on tech giants wasn’t a sudden turnaround but a gradual process spanning years.
“In our exhibitions, we take the space for the human element in the story, amidst all the current events,” Femke passionately begins. “But how do you reconcile that human scale with a digital backbone that’s becoming increasingly opaque and intangible?”
How gaming transforms theater: the lessons of Immersive Arcane
League of Legends is one of the most played games in the world. Based on the game, a Netflix series was created, Arcane. A massive hit, especially in Asia. The story from the series is being transformed into an immersive performance: Immersive Arcane, which will be performed this year in the Chinese city of Shanghai. How do you translate the digital world into a tangible, sensory experience for your audience?
Energy-conscious streaming: In-depth research into the CO2 emissions of online performances
Streaming an opera online might seem energy-intensive, but the additional CO2 emissions turn out to be surprisingly small. In-depth research conducted by PHI Factory on behalf of DEN reveals that streaming cultural performances adds between 1 and 3 percent to the total emissions.
At the same time, the research highlights where the real climate impact lies: travel, materials, and production. The results of the study have also led to the optimization of the CO2 tool. With this tool, you as a cultural organization can measure your ecological footprint yourself. This way, you know which levers you can pull to become more sustainable. Joost Droste from PHI Factory explains the sustainability research in detail.
Audience Data on the EU Agenda: The Next Step
With Belgium as EU president, the topic of 'audience data' has been placed on the EU agenda. That was the first important step, but of course, the work is far from done. Together with EU partners, efforts have been made in recent times to firmly anchor the topic and take concrete steps. “The importance of data-driven work, particularly with audience data, is widely recognized,” says Maaike Verberk, director at DEN.
Cyberattacks in the cultural sector in the Netherlands: what institutions need to know
On March 19, 2026, during a DEN-community meet-up, it became clear that cybersecurity is often not high on the agenda. Not only among executives but also within teams. Many employees view cybersecurity as something for IT or as a too complex topic or think ‘we are a small organization so we are not interesting to cybercriminals’. At the same time, they are aware of risks but also afraid of making mistakes. As a result, they sometimes prefer to avoid the topic. This is remarkable because cyberattacks are already happening. Also in Dutch museums, archives, libraries, and other institutions.
Online workshop: Get an overview of your systems and data (incl. IT advice)
Every cultural organization works with a growing number of digital tools: from Excel and planning software to ticketing and CRM systems. But often, there is a lack of overview. Who uses what, for what purpose, and how are systems and data interconnected?
This lack of insight costs time and money and brings risks — such as duplicate work, unclear data storage, or vulnerabilities related to privacy and cybersecurity. In this workshop, you will gain control over your systems and data, enabling you to work smarter and make better decisions.
Vacature: Community & Academie Medewerker
Bij DEN brengen we cultuurprofessionals samen om te leren, kennis te delen en te groeien in digitale ontwikkeling. Dat doen we via twee krachtige platforms: onze community, waar professionals elkaar inspireren en ervaringen uitwisselen, en onze academie, waar we trainingen en verdieping bieden. Deze twee versterken elkaar continu. Deelnemers aan de academie vinden hun weg naar de community, terwijl inzichten uit de community weer nieuwe trainingen voeden.
Voor deze unieke verbinding zoeken we een Community & Academie Medewerker voor 32-36 uur per week.
Culture Shift Season 3: Stay updated on what's happening in the sector in 30 minutes
What happens when Apollo suddenly talks back? Or when you guide visitor flows with data, or reach young people through virtual worlds? In the new season of Culture Shift, we dive into these kinds of questions. In six episodes, we take you through striking and inspiring digital projects from the cultural sector, both in the Netherlands and beyond. Projects that are sometimes still experimental, sometimes already proven effective, but always evoke something: among audiences & creators.
Each episode lasts about 30 minutes. Just enough time to check in: what's actually happening in the sector, and what can you do with it yourself?
