To put it more concretely: while ADNIGHT was originally intended for agencies to show the much-desired talent what the creative industry looks like ‘from the inside’ in order to entice them to work for them, the event has positively evolved into a full-fledged industry event that everyone attends: talent, fellow agencies, and marketers.

Because not only do you have a fun, inspiring evening with all the content programs, but you might also bump into multiple potential leads in this informal setting. And marketers can quickly make the rounds of various agencies (talk about time management) without having to sift through massive pitch decks.

Or, as Dutch Digital Design founder Bert Hagendoorn says: “It’s very efficient: in just a few hours, you speak to countless interesting people in one evening. Young creatives, agency directors, brands, and other professionals. And since I also specialize in positioning agencies, it’s of course interesting for me to see how they present themselves to the outside world.”

Celebrating top-notch creativity Below are six Dutch Digital Design members talking about why they participate in Adnight and how they view the event now.

DEPT® - How do you play ‘fetch’ with a robot dog?
Ramin Bahari, Creative Director at DEPT® (and also a DJ): “While ADNIGHT was previously a kind of ‘way in’ for talent and other curious people, it’s also an opportunity to tell how we at DEPT® solve our clients’ business problems. We’ve noticed in previous editions that not only newcomers but also many marketers and other makers are interested in this, so we like to mix that up a bit with all the gin and tonics.

This year, we have a content-rich program with creative installations and talks about how we use creative tech (think generative AI) to solve specific marketing problems, how our culture & social content team builds more ‘earned’ attention and communities around a brand, and how you play ‘fetch’ with a robot dog. Plus, ADNIGHT at DEPT® is one of the most fun parties every year – we hear that from time to time ;)”

TBWA\Neboko - The biggest networking event
Mohammad Hassani, PR Manager at TBWA\Neboko: “ADNIGHT is by far the biggest networking event in our industry. We present ourselves to colleagues and marketers, but definitely also to talent. Ra*w recently mentioned in a column why the search for (young) talent is so important, so we’re responding to their call to find a solution together, where both agencies and clients play a crucial role! This year we have two keynote speakers; we’ll keep who they are a secret for now. They’ll talk about how modern marketing makes culture ‘boring’ and what we can do about it.

Additionally, people are, of course, welcome to talk to our team of specialists (from creation and production to social media, innovation, and consultancy – all under one roof). And, of course, to visit our legendary bar ;)”

code d'azur - New Data & AI department
Nik Nieuwenhuijs, founder of code d’azur, which has participated since the first edition: “We have several people who first got to know code d’azur during ADNIGHT, so that’s hugely valuable. But it’s also a great opportunity to meet marketers in a low-threshold way and invite our own clients.

In addition to talks and ongoing presentations of work we haven’t shown before, we’ve recently opened our Data & AI department in the building next to us, and we’re also sharing personal stories about our adventures in Austin, where we also have an office, and our collaborations with Triple and Wonderland (with whom code d’azur forms an international agency group, editor’s note). We are currently undergoing significant growth in the US; we recently won the FastCompany Innovation by Design Award for our AI-powered personal showroom for Lotus.

And we have an exhibition of generative AI art by our designer Øygar. It doesn’t get much more forward-thinking than this.”

ACE - An open culture
Creative Directors Esmé Brinkman and Amber Steevensz on ADNIGHT at ACE: “ADNIGHT is the moment for us to celebrate the creative industry. It contributes to an open culture by literally opening the doors to young talent and others. Of course, ADNIGHT is handy for networking, but it’s also a moment to gauge and sneak peek at what everyone is working on.

At our place, Club Ace is transformed into a gallery – an ode to creative talent in the broadest sense of the word. We show where creativity and art, from analog to digital, meet and reinforce each other. We want to stimulate people as much as possible. It’s all about that spark, the reason why we (also for our clients) choose creativity.”

Dentsu Creative Amsterdam - Chic peeking at the neighbors
Sietske Walles, Chief Creative Adnight Dentsu Creative Amsterdam: “Of course, we think it’s important to give new talent an easy way in during Adnight, but really, it’s a chic way for everyone already in the industry to take a peek at the neighbors.

For us, the most important thing is that on such an evening, you really feel the vibe (sorry for my GenZ language) of the agency. Let’s be honest; the parties are just as important as the talks, workshops, and the CEO talking, right? What exactly are we going to do? A Nightmare on Moermanskkade! With Halloween around the corner and a hundred other agencies probably doing something with AI, we thought it would be fun to take a completely different approach. By letting new talent experience what a ‘nightmare’ it is to work in advertising – and how insanely fun that nightmare is ;)”

Monks - A hoarse voice
Wisse Schellevis, Facility Director at Monks: “Like last year, we will again have a special place where talent can ask various Monks all sorts of questions: what is it really like to be a designer, business manager, developer, or AI producer? Our HR & Recruitment teams usually have hoarse voices by the end of the evening and full agendas to follow up on everything.

This year, our evening revolves around the theme of ‘Shapeshifters’; we’ll take visitors on a deep dive into creativity and new forms of connection. And, of course, everything is ‘infused by AI’; after all, we were named AI Agency of the Year by Adweek. Plus, we are known for our parties. So it’s going to be a very immersive evening!”