About Dutch Design Week

Dutch Design Week (DDW) is one of the world’s leading design events. DDW is all about the design of the future and the future of design. During this nine-day festival, Eindhoven comes alive with creativity, innovation and groundbreaking ideas. DDW showcases, inspires, shares and connects, offering visitors the opportunity to discover how designers are shaping our future across a wide range of themes.

DDW presents the work of more than 2,000 designers and attracts over 300,000 visitors from around the world. Spread across more than 110 venues throughout Eindhoven, the festival features a diverse programme of exhibitions, talks, award ceremonies, networking events, debates and celebrations.

What will you do as an Event Production Intern?

In the period towards DDW, you will support the preparation, organisation and delivery of the DDW venues that we produce ourselves on Strijp-S, including Ketelhuisplein and Klokgebouw. You’ll gain hands-on experience across a wide range of activities within the department. What does it take to organise an event involving over 2,000 designers and more than 300,000 visitors? Throughout your internship, you’ll work closely with colleagues, freelancers, DDW participants, suppliers and volunteers. You’ll learn how to navigate the dynamic and sometimes fast-paced world of event management and production. During DDW itself, you will support the Production team at Klokgebouw and Ketelhuisplein, while also gaining insight into the work of other departments.

The main focus of the internship is during late September and October, when a high degree of flexibility and availability is expected. After DDW, all projects are carefully wrapped up, evaluated and financially closed. Together with your supervisor, you’ll determine how your strengths and talents can best be applied throughout your internship.

Your tasks are:

  • Working alongside your internship supervisor on the Intro Expo, located outside Klokgebouw during DDW. Together you’ll contribute to preparing the budget, planning the build-up and breakdown, liaising with suppliers, and coordinating with colleagues and designers.
  • Creating the production handbook and run sheet for the build-up, festival period and breakdown, while collecting and documenting all relevant information from suppliers, participants, caterers, colleagues and other stakeholders.
  • Helping organise and produce the Intro DDW Expo outside Klokgebouw.
  • Attending relevant meetings and, where required, taking minutes and recording action points.
  • Conducting comparative research into post-festival storage solutions for DDW materials, including identifying alternative options and assessing their advantages, disadvantages and associated costs.
  • Exploring sustainable ways to give single-use or discarded DDW materials a second life.
  • Managing catering lists and coordinating updates with the catering supplier.
  • Contacting DDW 2026 participants on behalf of the Programme team regarding their participation.
  • Collecting and organising relevant data for the central data document.
  • Providing operational support to the Project Management & Realisation, Production, Programme, Ticketing, Design Rides and Volunteer Coordination teams.

Who will you work with?

As an Event Production Intern, you will become part of the Project Management & Realisation team. This team is responsible for the project management and production of DDW’s own venues, including Ketelhuisplein, Klokgebouw and the Grand Opening. The team also oversees Sustainability, Diversity & Inclusion, Mobility, Ticketing, Wayfinding, Permits and Volunteer Coordination.

Alongside your colleagues in the Project Management & Realisation team, you’ll work closely with colleagues from other departments, such as the Programme & Community team, to successfully deliver your projects.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for someone who:

  • Has excellent communication skills.
  • Is able to work independently.
  • Has a proactive attitude.
  • Works accurately and keeps clear, well-organised records.
  • Thrives in the fast-paced and ever-changing nature of event production.
  • Can easily switch between different projects and priorities.

What do we offer?

  • An inspiring learning environment where you’ll have plenty of opportunities to develop yourself through a wide variety of projects and responsibilities.
  • The chance to work alongside an enthusiastic, supportive and friendly team.
  • An internship allowance.

Availability

As DDW takes place in October, we would ideally like you to start your internship earlier, preferably in August, so you can fully experience the preparation phase. Full-time availability is required throughout October. Being involved in the build-up, the festival itself (17–25 October), and the breakdown is an essential part of the internship, giving you first-hand experience of what it takes to deliver a large-scale international event. As you’ll be working additional hours during this period, your internship will also finish earlier.

Interested?

Are you interested? We’d love to hear from you. Please send your CV and a compelling cover letter to Marloes (marloes@dutchdesignfoundation.com) by 10 August. If you have any questions about the internship before applying, feel free to give us a call (040 – 296 11 50) or send Marloes an email.