{"id":36024,"date":"2026-02-18T15:55:45","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T14:55:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/?p=36024"},"modified":"2026-06-04T09:44:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T07:44:18","slug":"smith-communications-focuses-attention-on-great-plans-and-initiatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/smith-communicatie-richt-de-aandacht-op-mooie-plannen-en-initiatieven\/","title":{"rendered":"Smith Communicatie puts the spotlight on meaningful ideas and initiatives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leontine Smith (53) once received a royal request. The Belgian royal family was visiting, and she was asked to act as press liaison. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were speaking to the Belgian press about their visit to King Willem Alexander and Queen M\u00e1xima. Smith found herself on a bus full of Belgian journalists and, just before arrival, realised none of them spoke Dutch. Only French. Panic set in. She quickly called Tess, who was in the other bus and at the time worked at Smith Communicatie. With her help, Smith managed to get through the press briefings. When the bus stopped at the next location and everyone got out, one of the journalists said: \u201cWell, you handled that well.\u201d All the other journalists laughed along, revealing that they did in fact speak Flemish after all.<\/p>\n

Golf on the beach<\/h2>\n

Looking back, Smith will soon mark thirty years in the communications industry. She sits in her office as founder and owner of Smith Communicatie. The agency has nine employees. Madelon leads the PR team, Nancy heads up events. \u201cA fantastic team,\u201d Smith says, one that has received several awards. Most recently the Dutch PR Award 2024 for a campaign for Milieu Centraal about behavioural change in clothing purchases, as well as an honourable mention from the Gouden Giraffe awards for the event Live Again!.<\/p>\n

\"Smith

Leontine Smith with colleagues Madelon and Nancy.<\/p><\/div>\n

Smith grew up in an entrepreneurial family. Her father ran a successful business and, after retiring, stepped into a jacuzzi in Canada in 1995. He realised these did not yet exist in the Netherlands and decided on the spot to import twelve containers full of them. Unknowingly, he extended his career by another 25 years. That spontaneity, having an idea and simply going for it, is something Smith clearly inherited.<\/p>\n

At 27, while working at her first communications agency, she encountered the classic glass ceiling. \u201cThe company was mostly women,\u201d she says, \u201cexcept at management level.\u201d She started Smith Communicatie on her own. \u201cI came up with an idea for a beach pavilion that wanted more visitors in autumn: a golf event on the beach. We built eighteen holes and it became a huge success. People at the municipality of The Hague and in the business world thought: golf on the beach and it even makes the papers? What\u2019s going on here? After that, many opportunities followed to create meaningful events for the city. My goal has always been to shine a spotlight on initiatives that matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Hague Women\u2019s Days<\/h2>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to imagine now,\u201d Smith says, shaking her head. \u201cWhen I started, you sent a fax and then literally sat next to it waiting for a journalist to call back. Today, everything can be monitored. Data is available down to the smallest detail. We strongly believe in the combination of PR and live events. It\u2019s a combination you rarely see within a single agency, even though events remain the most powerful way to draw attention to an initiative and generate media coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t
\n

<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

That formula proved itself once again with the organisation of the Hague Women\u2019s Days. Smith Communicatie recently managed to generate a full week of attention for the position of women in the city. \u201cWhen we first organised it in 2015, around nine hundred women attended, many from The Hague South West. We had to reach many of them individually and help bring them out of isolation. There were workshops, talks, food, music and press attention everywhere. It was a real goosebumps moment. That\u2019s when you see why you do this work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith is also proud of the agency\u2019s work for Stichting het Gehandicapte Kind. The team provided media training for the organisation\u2019s child ambassadors. \u201cI am very aware of how fortunate I am to have a healthy son,\u201d Smith says. \u201cWe also support the Ronald McDonald House The Hague and the Hague Foundation for Sports Stimulation for People with Disabilities. In addition, we have been responsible for free publicity for the Circuit Day Racing Against Cancer in Assen for many years. From a young age, my son Max, now 22, has volunteered there. Together, we help raise funds for families with children affected by cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Smith

The clippings wall at Smith Communications shows an overview of projects, clients and moments from recent years.<\/p><\/div>\n

Seeing opportunities<\/h2>\n

For an agency known for events, the Covid lockdown was a serious blow. \u201cI had an idea,\u201d Smith says. \u201cWhy not organise the first event in the Netherlands after lockdown, on 1 July 2020? For clients and fellow agencies alike.\u201d Together with the teams from Fokker Terminal and Mood4Food, they made it happen, without any budget. Princess Laurentien<\/a> attended for a short visit. She was so moved by the story of a catering employee and his struggles during the pandemic that she scrapped her prepared speech and instead put him in the spotlight. \u201cIt gave us all renewed energy that day. It felt meaningful to be part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\n
\n\t\t\t
\n\t
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t
\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nAlso read:<\/b><\/i>
\n
\nThe charm of De Fred: our favourite hotspots<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The secret<\/h2>\n

So what is the secret behind Smith Communicatie\u2019s success, particularly when pitching for government bodies or companies? \u201cIn the end, it\u2019s simple,\u201d Smith says. \u201cEverything is about attention. We always speak with people from the target audience beforehand. You need to understand what\u2019s going on, what matters to them and what to take into account. Only then can you create a unique event together, something that doesn\u2019t feel the same every year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTiming is crucial when it comes to media coverage. Journalists need to be approached at the right moment. We genuinely work with them to shape the story, which means understanding what else is happening at the same time. Recently, we organised a talk show for Verpact around the presentation of their public report. During the show, the host held up a newspaper featuring an article secured by our PR team. That\u2019s when you know everything has come together perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n

www.smith-communicatie.nl<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Leontine Smith (53) received a royal request: the Belgian royal family were coming to visit, and she was asked to act as a press liaison. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were due to speak to the Belgian press about their visit to King Willem-Alexander and Queen M\u00e1xima. Smith was on a bus full of Belgian journalists, and just before they arrived, she discovered that\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":36028,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[143],"tags":[3286,2943,734,3289,3287,3288,2808],"opmaak":[2548],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSmith Communicatie richt de aandacht op mooie initiatieven<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Van strandgolf tot koninklijke persbegeleiding: het verhaal achter Smith Communicatie en de kracht van aandacht.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/smith-communications-focuses-attention-on-great-plans-and-initiatives\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Smith Communicatie richt de aandacht op mooie plannen en initiatieven\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kingstreet is h\u00e9t high-end mediamerk van Den Haag. Lees hier alles over lekker eten, mode, beauty, juwelen, kunst en interieur.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/smith-communications-focuses-attention-on-great-plans-and-initiatives\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kingstreet\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-18T14:55:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-04T07:44:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/smith.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1170\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"780\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Renske\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Renske\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/smith-communicatie-richt-de-aandacht-op-mooie-plannen-en-initiatieven\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/smith-communicatie-richt-de-aandacht-op-mooie-plannen-en-initiatieven\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Renske\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9a88b23362fe7a40e6fd733b898128a0\"},\"headline\":\"Smith Communicatie richt de aandacht op mooie plannen en initiatieven\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-18T14:55:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-04T07:44:18+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/smith-communicatie-richt-de-aandacht-op-mooie-plannen-en-initiatieven\/\"},\"wordCount\":978,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"communicatie\",\"De fred\",\"den haag\",\"evenmenten\",\"marketing\",\"pr\",\"Smith communicatie\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Business\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/smith-communicatie-richt-de-aandacht-op-mooie-plannen-en-initiatieven\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/smith-communicatie-richt-de-aandacht-op-mooie-plannen-en-initiatieven\/\",\"name\":\"Smith Communicatie richt de aandacht op mooie initiatieven\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-18T14:55:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-04T07:44:18+00:00\",\"description\":\"Van strandgolf tot koninklijke persbegeleiding: het verhaal achter Smith Communicatie en de kracht van aandacht.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/smith-communicatie-richt-de-aandacht-op-mooie-plannen-en-initiatieven\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/smith-communicatie-richt-de-aandacht-op-mooie-plannen-en-initiatieven\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/smith-communicatie-richt-de-aandacht-op-mooie-plannen-en-initiatieven\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Smith Communicatie richt de aandacht op mooie plannen en initiatieven\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/\",\"name\":\"Kingstreet\",\"description\":\"Kingstreet is The Hague's high-end international media brand.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"Kingstreet Magazine\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Kingstreet\",\"alternateName\":\"Kingstreet Magazine\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/KS-logo-zwart.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/KS-logo-zwart.svg\",\"width\":580,\"height\":122,\"caption\":\"Kingstreet\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/boidr_kingstreet\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/boidr-kingstreet\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9a88b23362fe7a40e6fd733b898128a0\",\"name\":\"Renske\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/ca0229de872f2782da5055f568315eeb.jpg?ver=1791454812\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/ca0229de872f2782da5055f568315eeb.jpg?ver=1791454812\",\"caption\":\"Renske\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/author\/renske\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Smith Communications highlights great initiatives","description":"From beach golf to royal press coverage: the story behind Smith Communications and the power of attention.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/smith-communications-focuses-attention-on-great-plans-and-initiatives\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Smith Communicatie richt de aandacht op mooie plannen en initiatieven","og_description":"Kingstreet is h\u00e9t high-end mediamerk van Den Haag. Lees hier alles over lekker eten, mode, beauty, juwelen, kunst en interieur.","og_url":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/smith-communications-focuses-attention-on-great-plans-and-initiatives\/","og_site_name":"Kingstreet","article_published_time":"2026-02-18T14:55:45+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-06-04T07:44:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1170,"height":780,"url":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/smith.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Renske","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Renske","Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/smith-communicatie-richt-de-aandacht-op-mooie-plannen-en-initiatieven\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/smith-communicatie-richt-de-aandacht-op-mooie-plannen-en-initiatieven\/"},"author":{"name":"Renske","@id":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9a88b23362fe7a40e6fd733b898128a0"},"headline":"Smith Communicatie richt de aandacht op mooie plannen en initiatieven","datePublished":"2026-02-18T14:55:45+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-04T07:44:18+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/smith-communicatie-richt-de-aandacht-op-mooie-plannen-en-initiatieven\/"},"wordCount":978,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#organization"},"keywords":["communicatie","De fred","den haag","evenmenten","marketing","pr","Smith communicatie"],"articleSection":["Business"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/smith-communicatie-richt-de-aandacht-op-mooie-plannen-en-initiatieven\/","url":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/smith-communicatie-richt-de-aandacht-op-mooie-plannen-en-initiatieven\/","name":"Smith Communications highlights great initiatives","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-02-18T14:55:45+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-04T07:44:18+00:00","description":"From beach golf to royal press coverage: the story behind Smith Communications and the power of attention.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/smith-communicatie-richt-de-aandacht-op-mooie-plannen-en-initiatieven\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/smith-communicatie-richt-de-aandacht-op-mooie-plannen-en-initiatieven\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/smith-communicatie-richt-de-aandacht-op-mooie-plannen-en-initiatieven\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Smith Communicatie richt de aandacht op mooie plannen en initiatieven"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/","name":"Kingstreet","description":"Kingstreet is The Hague's high-end international media brand.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Kingstreet Magazine","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#organization","name":"Kingstreet","alternateName":"Kingstreet Magazine","url":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/KS-logo-zwart.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/KS-logo-zwart.svg","width":580,"height":122,"caption":"Kingstreet"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/boidr_kingstreet\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/boidr-kingstreet"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9a88b23362fe7a40e6fd733b898128a0","name":"Renske","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/ca0229de872f2782da5055f568315eeb.jpg?ver=1791454812","contentUrl":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/ca0229de872f2782da5055f568315eeb.jpg?ver=1791454812","caption":"Renske"},"url":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/author\/renske\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36024"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36024"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36024\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36035,"href":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36024\/revisions\/36035"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36024"},{"taxonomy":"opmaak","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingstreet-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/opmaak?post=36024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}