Masterclass Lobbying by Dröge & Van Drimmelen

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On June 12, SIB organized a masterclass about Lobbying. The masterclass was given by Sander des Tombe, an advisor working at Dröge & Van Drimmelen. This firm is specialized in advising clients in developing and implementing public affairs strategies and in their corporate communication. Dröge & Van Dimmelen has offices in The Hague, Brussels, and Shanghai. Sanders started by explaining what Public affairs entail:

"Public affairs is the professional and transparent representation of interests whereby the organization is continuously involved in the political and social decision-making processes."

Public Affairs is about communication: conveying a message, exchanging information, developing and maintaining relationships. Furthermore, public Affairs translates the (organizational) interest into the political and social interest, and vice versa. Finally, timing is essential in public affairs. Knowledge of procedures and processes, political insight, consideration of interests and coalitions is required to advise clients in a good way.After explaining the scope of public affairs, Sander set out the four basic question in order to start a lobby.

  1. What is your goal?
  2. Who do you need?
  3. With what message (s) do you reach your target groups?
  4. Which instruments are appropriate?

By following these steps one is able to organize a well thought out strategy to reach a goal. This was also the moment Sander provided us with a case-study about cryptocurrencies. In smaller groups, students had to think of a campaign against the bringing the Bitcoin under the Dutch Financial Supervision Act. We had to make an action plan and think who to speak within The Hague. Which organizations might be involved? How do you approach people to make your point effectively? How can you strengthen your message?It was nice to see the wide range of ideas students came up with. After the masterclass was finished we thanked Sander for his giving this instructive and interactive masterclass and went to the bar for some drinks.

Activities, NewsWeb editor SIBDröge & Van Drimmelen, Lobbying, Masterclass, Public Affairs, The Hague