There will not be many municipalities in the country where this is possible: an exclusive gala evening for hundreds of entrepreneurs at the town hall. All in fancy dress. But in The Hague, it is possible.

„Here comes the man who wears his chain of office like a gold medal: Jan van Zanen!”, presenter Rutger Vermast announced to the mayor at the 19th Entrepreneurial Gala The Hague. Loud applause from behind the long dinner tables after Vermast got the room full of SMEs, civil servants and municipal politicians to clap their hands over their heads. „To think that this is what happens here every day!”, Van Zanen acted as if he is invariably received like this at his workplace.

Annerieke Simeone (l.), Mayor Jan van Zanen, his partner Simone Richardson and Saman Mohammadi.

He mentioned not only ‘our international guests’ but also the 150 hospitality students in the ROC Mondriaan kitchen, led by chef Marc Smeets-Valentin. „Above all, do what you are good at as entrepreneurs,” he concluded. „See opportunities and exploit them!”

Like Countess Eloise. „We started a social enterprise in The Hague,” she began alongside her mother Princess Laurentien. „It's very simple,” the countess fluencer continued. „What do you do with beautiful clothes you don't wear? Donate it to us and we sell it.”

My Lima Lima is called the organisation, which, according to Princess Laurentien, passes on all profits to good causes: „Like Vitalis, to offer children a holiday. The clothes don't just come from private individuals but largely from the clothing trade.”

New initiative

She unveiled a new initiative: „We found out that 64,000 children in the Netherlands need glasses but cannot afford them. That is why tonight we are launching our organisation ‘One pair of glasses, a world of difference’.”

Harry Wientjens, director Rabobank The Hague, immediately presented €10,000. At the auction that followed, Stephanie Núñes Querido and Patrick van Zuiden provided the most expensive lot with a culinary tour of The Hague. It sold for €13,000. Total proceeds: €65,000 for My Lima Lima and Vitalis.

Peter Kievoet, director of International at the Hague municipality, said he wanted all incoming officials to take a hospitality course at Mondriaan College. „It hasn't worked out yet,” he concluded at the table with Annerieke Simeone, editor-in-chief of Kingstreet.

Jurgen Nieuwenhuijsen explained how he has helped the 120 students at his Unknown University of Applied Sciences trains practical entrepreneurs. Leontien Wiering, Amare director, explained that her cultural temple is celebrating its fifth anniversary: „There will be a big, free Hague Ball for everyone!”

As the music swelled to festival level, it was Saman Mohammadi, redeveloper of the Scheveningen Pier, among others, just barely understood. „They only wanted an offer on the whole group,” he responded when asked if he will indeed become the new owner of the Kurhaus, part of hotel group Amrâth. „They want to sell everything at once. So we withdrew our offer.”