Stephen Hodes
How can The Hague market itself most effectively as a cultural city and what projects could contribute to a collective cultural marketing campaign?
That was the question posed to LAgroup by the municipality of The Hague, the associations of theatres and museums in The Hague, The Hague Marketing Foundation and the Hague Festivals. On the basis of desk research, twenty in-depth interviews and online consultation with national experts and cultural institutions in The Hague, we identified the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the city's cultural sector. LAgroup used its findings to identify strategic choices and to formulate a position statement and an ambition statement. We found that The Hague offers a rich cultural life for an international audience and is a city that combines timeless class and contemporary quality. The most promising genres for The Hague are museums, architectural heritage (the historic inner city), modern dance and musical theatre. We also identified a number of promising niche markets for the longer term. The report was distributed widely in the sector and was broadly welcomed.