From Amsterdam Dance Event to international festivals: the story behind No Risk
Anyone walking around festivals such as Pinkpop, Lowlands or Mysteryland today rarely stops to think about everything that has to be arranged behind the scenes to make an event safe and successful. Yet risks, liability and unexpected situations play a major role. For Ronald Hoogenbos and Maarten van Denderen, founders of No Risk, that world became the starting point for a specialism they have been active in for many years: the events industry.
A shared passion as a starting point
Although Ronald and Maarten both grew up in Zwanenburg, they only met in 2003 during a mortgage course in Akersloot. The connection was instant. They shared the same entrepreneurial mindset, curiosity and love of music and events. For Maarten, that passion started at an early age. A visit to Thunderdome at Thialf made such an impression that festivals and concerts would remain part of his life for years to come.
After that first meeting, they stayed in touch. Not long afterwards, Maarten joined J&H Verzekeringen, Ronald’s company. Together they continued to build the business and discovered that their interest was increasingly shifting towards the creative sector. Through payroll structures, mortgages and insurance, they worked every day with producers, technicians, artists and other creative professionals. It was a world that appealed to them because of the creativity, production work and collaboration at its heart.
A crisis that created new opportunities
The financial crisis of 2008 became an important turning point. When the mortgage market largely came to a standstill, Maarten and Ronald began looking for new opportunities to grow. Through their existing network, they identified a clear need within the creative industries. Event organisers were struggling with complex application processes and insurance products that did not fit the realities of their work. While Maarten became increasingly immersed in the events industry, Ronald focused more on the film world.
Rather than developing a solution straight away, Maarten chose to get to know the events industry properly first. By speaking with organisers, he gained a clear understanding of their challenges and then developed insurance solutions shaped by real practice. That approach still forms the foundation of No Risk today.
Amsterdam Dance Event as a springboard
Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) played an important role in that development. What is now a global event was, at the time, mainly a place for Maarten to build relationships and understand the industry better. DJ Broadcast introduced them to many people from the sector. Through ADE, DJ Broadcast and later Eurosonic Noorderslag, their network grew quickly. No Risk’s product may not have made an event more fun, but it did meet a clear need. Organisers referred each other, and step by step No Risk built a strong position in a niche market where specialist knowledge is essential.
Not on the sidelines, but in the middle of the industry
The real difference was made on location. Maarten was visible at festivals, concerts and events throughout the Netherlands. In some seasons, he visited dozens of festivals. Not to hand out business cards, but to understand how events really work.
That involvement became their distinguishing strength. Organisers did not see No Risk as a traditional insurer, but as a partner that understands their world and speaks the same language. Through word of mouth, the network grew along with the industry.
More than fifteen years later, No Risk works for some of the largest festivals, concerts and productions in the Netherlands and beyond. Yet the foundation has remained the same: listening to organisers, understanding what is going on and being truly present when it matters.
