PrinsjesNach sharpens its strategy with the Cultural Audience Model

PrinsjesNach is a free festival that takes place annually in the city centre of The Hague. Who is their current audience, and who could their potential audience be? They are trying to find out by taking part in the Cultural Sector Audience Survey organised by the Municipality of The Hague and The Hague & Partners. In this interview, the PrinsjesNach team explains what insights their participation has provided.

“We want to understand how we can appeal to and engage these groups. It is also valuable to be able to compare our results with those of other organisations, so we can see where we stand and where opportunities lie.”

How do you collect data without ticket sales?

Because PrinsjesNach is a freely accessible event without ticketing, the team had to take a creative approach to gathering audience data. They opted for a hands-on method: with the help of volunteers, visitors are asked for their postcode and house number on-site during the event. In addition, a call for participation is shared via social media to boost the response rate. Despite the limited amount of audience data, participating in the survey still provides them with valuable insights.

Insight into audiences: both confirmation and direction

The survey revealed that the three largest audience groups at PrinsjesNach are the Cultural Omnivores, Classical Culture Lovers and Emerging Culture Explorers. It also showed that 84% of visitors come from The Hague, 14% from the region and 2% from elsewhere.

The findings also indicated that PrinsjesNach’s programme is particularly appealing to certain groups, such as the Cultural Omnivores, Culture-Hungry Families, Emerging Culture Explorers and Affluent Culture Enthusiasts. These groups are overrepresented among PrinsjesNach visitors compared with their share of the Dutch population.

“The results aligned with what we observe on the ground. It’s great to see that now confirmed in the data.”

Focus on local audience groups

The wide diversity in age was supported by the research findings: the three main audience groups represent a broad age range. PrinsjesNach has deliberately chosen to focus primarily on local audiences within these profiles in the coming years, with an additional emphasis on the Cultural Omnivores — the largest group within their audience (24%).

“For this group, we are developing a more in-depth strategy for 2025, so that we can reach and engage them even more effectively.”

Working with the Cultural Audience Model

PrinsjesNach actively uses the Cultural Audience Model to refine its marketing strategies. Based on the insights from the research, and using the Cultural Audience Model as a guiding tool, social media advertisements are being adjusted, and consideration is being given to how different audience groups can be addressed most effectively.

Value of the workshop and exchange with other organisations

The support provided by The Hague & Partners, as well as participation in the workshop, gave the team additional tools to interpret and apply the research results.

“It was incredibly helpful to be able to ask questions directly, face to face, and really delve deeper into the material. We also found the opportunity to come together with other organisations extremely valuable. It allowed us to exchange ideas, share experiences and discuss the challenges they are facing. This not only generated new insights but also provided inspiration for our own approach.”

Practical application within the organisation

The research findings are actively used within PrinsjesNach. They apply these insights to their marketing strategies to identify where opportunities lie, where their current audience is located and how best to reach them. The results are also used to determine which audience groups PrinsjesNach is not reaching (sufficiently) and to explore how this can be improved.

“We are applying these insights not only to our social media advertising, but also to decisions about, for example, the locations of our acts and the way we present our programme. The research therefore helps us to communicate more strategically and to expand our reach.”

Tip for other organisations: seek collaboration

PrinsjesNach’s most important piece of advice? Work together with other organisations, especially those that reach audiences you do not (yet) reach. “They often have valuable knowledge and experience. By collaborating, you can create something meaningful, expand your reach and increase the impact of your activities.”