The Night Academy: Seminar: Session 5 - Sustainable Event Organization

Session 5 of The Night Academy focuses on sustainable event organization - which means much more than just waste streams and energy bills. It's also about how you as a professional can sustain yourself in a sector that demands a lot from people.

Koos Zwaan, associate lecturer and since 2020 responsible for the lectorate Innovation in the International Music Industry, discusses how the music industry can innovate sustainably. Ellen Evers demonstrates how DGTL puts sustainability into practice. The session is facilitated by Theo Ploeg and is also suitable for professionals with longer experience in the sector.

The Night Academy is a series of eight sessions on organizing dance events and building a career within nightlife culture. Topics such as programming, production, marketing, finance, safety and community-building are all covered. The initiative was named 'Best Initiative' during the Limburgse Popprijzen in December 2025.

Full programme:
Session 1: Concept Development - 16/9 - Nieuwe Nor - Pieter Lepelaars and Tim van Mol (Pixl Club)
Session 2: Inclusivity and Safety in Nightlife and DJ Culture - 30/9 - Muziekgieterij - Doeshka Vrede (The Other Side) and Bram van Heugten (UM)
Session 3: Project Development - 14/10 - Nieuwe Nor - Brent Roozendaal (Drift, Breakfast Club) and Sammai Siahaya (Nachtparlement, Het Systeem, Burgerweeshuis)
Session 4: Marketing & Communication - 4/11 - Nieuwe Nor - Nina van Leusden (Pinkpop) and Jet Wesselink (Dekmantel, Paradiso, Motie)
Session 5: Sustainable Event Organization - 25/11 - Muziekgieterij - Koos Zwaan and Ellen Evers (DGTL)
Session 6: Booking and Programming - 9/12 - Nieuwe Nor - Rutger Smitshuijzen (Dekmantel) and Kim Teeuwen (booker/artist manager)
Session 7: (Pre)production - 13/01 - Nieuwe Nor - Stan Drenth (Straal) and Dennis Ceha (Radius)
Session 8: The State of the Dance Scene - 27/1 - Muziekgieterij - Justin Verkijk (among others The Beat 3FM) and Joost Vervoort (Universiteit Utrecht)