Projects
Leisure isn’t just about the moments you’re not working or studying, but about how you shape your life. It’s a way to develop yourself, connect with others, have fun, and give meaning to your time. This can happen in an experience-filled amusement park, in inspiring art and culture, in relaxing nature, in sports, tourism, recreation, or countless other activities and events. Together, these leisure pursuits create a rich palette of experiences that enrich, challenge, and bring us together.
experience in leisure experiences
Below you’ll find a selection of completed and ongoing work within the leisure, attractions and cultural sectors.
Marketing strategy
Marketing strategy for playgrounds in day attractions
Replay Speeltoestellen needed a clear direction in the leisure market. The strategy included a sharp target group analysis and in-depth competitor research. From there, I clearly defined the brand’s identity: what does Replay stand for and how does it differentiate itself in amusement parks, zoos, and recreational hospitality? Based on these foundations, I developed a marketing approach where all activities reinforce each other and collectively contribute to greater visibility and impact. In a workshop with all Replay colleagues, we jointly kick-started its implementation within the company.
Marketing strategy for cultural festival
The challenge at the Delft Chamber Music Festival lies in attracting new audiences and refreshing the festival experience. Besides developing a marketing plan, I’m also involved in the development of the festival itself: from devising new concert formats to establishing a stronger position.
Development the leisure segment of a creative agency
I work with a creative agency, JENK. Together, we’re a strong team that can provide comprehensive marketing strategy, communication plans, and content creation, and we understand the leisure market. To showcase this collective strength, we’ve developed a new label: MerkMagiërs. Specially aimed at clients in the leisure industry (from hotels and escape rooms to festivals and attractions) where the magic of experience is translated into a strategy that works.
Marketing strategy & community building cultural center
For the HBS (Hogere BurgerSchool), part of SKAR, I developed the marketing strategy that puts the cultural center on the map and aims to attract a larger and more diverse audience. The website was then given a fresh, updated look, in collaboration with UX/UI designer Eva of JENK. I also coordinated campaigns for events and created the graphic design for the marketing materials: from digital materials to city campaign posters, flyers, and even coasters.
A key element of this project was building support among all stakeholders, ensuring the strategy not only provided direction but was also supported by the entire community. This not only made the HBS visible in the city but also strengthened its role as a connecting space for creators and audiences.
Marketing strategy & implementation for water attractions
Watergames & More, with its water slides and spray parks, primarily focuses on swimming pools and day attractions. I developed and implemented a marketing strategy for this company, focusing on both visibility and brand experience. Based on this strategy, I devised and implemented brand identity adjustments across all communications, from website to brochure. I created campaigns, wrote articles, and created content (including graphic design) aimed at strengthening brand experience, either for the end target audience (recreationalists and beachgoers) or for tender documentation.
Campaign development & management
Campaign concept development and guidance
For Replay Speeltoestellen I developed a long-term campaign (spanning two years), offering the perfect experience for each target group (amusement parks, zoos, and recreational hospitality). The concept is structured around two-month sub-campaigns, each featuring complementary (building) themes. The focus is on online campaigns, where I advise on their implementation, but I also work together with the team to translate the chosen themes to other channels. My goal is to maintain a consistent approach and ensure that all activities reinforce each other, ensuring the brand remains visible and recognizable.
Campaign management event industry
For Aanmelder.nl, a software developer for the events industry, I managed online campaigns (SEA). I used Google Analytics for monitoring and optimization. This resulted in a data-driven approach where every ad contributed to increased visibility for this platform in the events industry.
Marketing campaigns amusement park
For Madurodam I developed and coordinated marketing campaigns from start to finish, for both ATL and BTL, including radio, TV, print media, and activities. The campaigns focused on everything from visitor acquisition and event promotion to social education (in collaboration with ProDemos). Market research supported the campaigns by providing insights into visitor behavior and opportunities for behavioral influence. As the point of contact for media agencies and the press, I ensured a consistent brand experience and maximum visibility. I also managed and analyzed social media and the website, all with the goal of strengthening each channel and continuously making Madurodam visible to the right audience.
Marketing of attractions, destinations & events
Interim marketeer destination marketing
As part of the “Royal Storyline” project, the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions (NBTC) developed a thematic route that showcases the rich history of the Dutch royal family. The route connected Delft, The Hague, Leeuwarden, Apeldoorn, and Breda, contributing to a good distribution of visitors across space and time. To promote the storyline, I sought out, selected, and briefed various creative and media partners.
Marketing for iconic hotel, museum, restaurant and event location
In my role at the ss Rotterdam, part of WestCord Hotels, the focus was on coordinating multimedia marketing for all aspects of this unique location (hotel, museum, restaurants, and events). This involved safeguarding the brand experience and ensuring a consistent corporate identity. During this period, I worked on special projects: I coordinated the ship’s brand experience for TV recordings of various RTL programs, MasterChef, Holland’s Next Top Model, Boer zoekt Vrouw, the cinema film ‘K3 Love Cruise’, and events such as the European Beach Volleyball Championships.
Communication advice for leisure locations in East Africa
The Tjeko Foundation has developed recreational spaces for children in East Africa where they can play and develop. The method encourages children and gives them the opportunity to grow into resilient adults who function well in their own environments.
I advised the foundation on how to communicate the results to the media and other channels. This advice included not only communication channels but also ideas for fun activities and campaigns that visualize Tjeko’s impact and bring the children’s stories to life. This way, the valuable results of the project are widely shared and amplified.
Market research for repurposing a former museum
The former Army Museum in Delft, located in Delft’s historic city center, needed to be developed into a place where innovation, sustainability, and culture converge. I conducted market research and data analysis for STARD (Delft Armamentarium Foundation). This research formed the basis for strategies to give this beautiful heritage a new future.
Storytelling for a leisure consultancy organization
At Imagine Leisure (nowadays Leisure Link) I helped develop a corporate story that positioned the agency and clearly communicated its core vision and expertise. I also developed several corporate identity documents to ensure the agency’s identity is consistently visible in all its communications. All this to create a clear and cohesive brand experience that reflects the agency’s professional expertise and passion for the leisure sector.
Storytelling auditor sustainable tourism
The Fair Tourism Foundation promotes community-based tourism (CBT): sustainable, conscious tourism with respectful contact with indigenous peoples. Through storytelling, the foundation aims to inform and engage travelers. I provided advice on developing the core message and crafting stories from that core. I also covered what makes a good story and how to effectively reach the target audience.
Research on social capital in destination marketing
BrabantStad is an area in the province of Brabant, consisting of large cities and their surroundings. The collaboration ensures an attractive, accessible, competitive, and sustainable urban network, with a focus on themes such as mobility, culture, economy, and digitalization, to realize a higher quality of life. The network brings people together, regardless of their social or cultural differences. Connecting people happens by building social capital (consisting of, among other things, trust and reciprocity). During my graduation project at Tilburg University, I conducted research into how events and activities can contribute to building social capital and what social capital can do for groups of people. This study has been published here and is also published as a book. In my current projects, I still use the valuable knowledge about how destinations can use the building of social capital to intensify an experience.
Development of attractions
Escape room development
In collaboration with creative agency JENK, I created an escape room aboard the ss Rotterdam. The escape room’s branding took shape, with every element—from graphics to physical materials—contributing to the experience and the story. The goal was to create an immersive experience that fully immerses visitors in the adventure, with an eye for detail and consistency in both visuals and content. Through the collaboration with JENK and close coordination with the ship’s existing brand, an escape room was created that is not only exciting and challenging but also seamlessly integrates with the ship’s unique identity.
Making historical heritage accessible to the public
At the National Maritime Museum, I coordinated the development of an interactive attraction, on behalf of Deloitte. The ultimate goal is to transport the entire VOC-ship The Amsterdam, which sank near Hastings in 1749, to Amsterdam and make it accessible to the public. Because the VOC wreck is still in English waters, the project focused on increasing the visibility of this unique project. We achieved this through marketing and communication related to the project, organizing partnerships with government agencies and businesses, and creating an interactive attraction at the National Maritime Museum. The attraction teaches visitors facts about the ship and the unique artifacts preserved in the wreck.
Coordinating the development of new attractions
During the grand renovation of Madurodam I coordinated the development of new interactive attractions, including the development of accompanying marketing materials. I maintained relationships with attraction sponsors and external parties, such as attraction developers and designers. I also coordinated internal communications to ensure seamless collaboration between all disciplines—technology, experience, promotion, studio, hospitality, and shop. In collaboration with a research agency, I conducted market research on the experience of the new attractions and the associated merchandise. The result was a series of attractions that enhanced Madurodam’s brand experience.