AMSTERDAM
Mirik Milan
INTERNATIONAL NIGHT MAYOR SUMMIT 2016 AMSTERDAMWHAT DO WE DO?
The Night Mayor is an independent non for profit foundation dedicated to ensure a dynamic nightlife and helps to build bridges between the municipality, (small) business owners and residents. By creating a mutual understanding, the Night-Mayor changes the game. Mirik Milan is the Night Mayor of Amsterdam since 2012. As The Night Mayor Mirik is a spokesman for all things concerning nightlife in the Dutch capital.AMSTERDAM IS A CITY OF INNOVATION
The introduction of 24-hour permits in the Hotel and Catering Industry in 2013 marked a major change. The Night-Mayor was actively involved in introducing these licenses. It was a significant moment for the city of Amsterdam. With his team Mirik Milan organized the first ever Night Mayor Summit in April 2016. Night Mayors from Paris, Toulouse and Zurich attended and speakers from Berlin, London, Tokyo, Stockholm, Mumbai and San Francisco were present at the conference.WHO IS THE CURRENT NIGHT MAYOR OF AMSTERDAM?
The current Night Mayor is Mirik Milan, he was re-elected during the Night Mayor election held in Trouw on the 18th of September 2014. Mirik Milan is an experienced creative director for events. Throughout the years he has been busy organizing parties, fashion shows and cultural events. As a promoter he travelled all over Europe, the United States and Asia in order to check out the latest and hottest trends in music and party events. Thanks to his years of technical experience he knows exactly how to process the trends he spots in society into attainable ideas, and how to bring together the right professionals in order to execute these ideas successfully. Fashion show or photo shoot, contemporary art festival or block party, he can do it all. Companies he has worked for recently are VICE, Stedelijk Museum, Spotify, DIESEL, Jameson, Aids Fonds, Meubel Stukken and the City of Amsterdam. Together with DJ Joost van Bellen Mirik is running the Rauw club night since 2003. Rauw introduced artists like Erol Alkan, Boys Noize, Justice, Busy P, Crookers, Brodinski and Gesaffelstein to the Dutch dance scene. Mirik Milan is based in Amsterdam, in the midst of a network full of creative people and companies. Spotting trends and new developments is one of his key talents. He loves to bring together different relevant elements of today’s culture into a suitable and contemporary concept.source: N8BMWHAT HAVE WE ACHIEVED?
The Night Mayor has played a leading role in the introduction of the 24-hour licenses. Furthermore he functions as an interlocutor for all parties participating in the Amsterdam nightlife. One could think of parties such as the creative industry, the mayor, local politicians and others who show active interest in our nightlife- even those who are simply attending. The Night Mayor has spread its wings internationally, with our goal set on claiming the Night Mayor’s office as a Dutch innovation, and eventually building an international network. In 2013 there have been elections for a Night Mayor in Paris, Nantes and Toulouse. Also, in German cities such as Cologne and Berlin the function of a representative for their city’s nightlife has been considered. Finally, our Night Mayor is often invited abroad to speak of the night. This includes, for example, “Seminário da noite paulistana” (Seminar of the night) in Sao Paolo. The Night Mayor has become an ambassador of Amsterdam to the rest of the world, and will surely contribute to Amsterdam’s international renown.WHAT ARE WE CURRENTLY DOING?
The Night Mayor is currently working on thoroughly professionalizing its office. This means that, amongst other things, we have established a foundation to clearly record what our goals are, and how we will have them realized. Also, we are strengthening our support and our facilities. The Night Mayor has initiated a discussion about the efficiency of getting licenses and permits. This process is currently very unclear for both the entrepreneurs and the municipal goverment itself. We are looking to solve this problem by introducing one single event-permit service point for the whole city. The employees at this service point will be specialized in events- Amsterdam does, after all, have a lot of experience when it comes to this. Entrepreneurs that act responsibly will be rewarded. Also, getting a permit will be easier for the smaller businesses.NON PROFIT ORGANISATION
The Night Mayor’s administration is an independent non-profit organisation. Any profit we do make will be used for the benefit of our organization, thereby strengthening our office and serving the Amsterdam nightlife.THE NIGHT MAYOR STIMULATES THE NIGHT CULTURE
The Night Mayor organizes events that benefit the nightlife of Amsterdam. All the events that the Night Mayor develops are in the interest of the nightlife. These activities must adhere to the goals and vision of the organization, and may not carry any financial risk.‘REBEL IN A SUIT’
The Night Mayor of Amsterdam has set the following goals: Active interest in realising new initiatives and development that directly or indirectly influences the Amsterdam nightlife. Like a rebel in a suit, we travel through the city. We might sometimes be a pain in the neck to the city’s regulators, but you do speak the same language to achieve our goals. We want to be a continuous support to the Amsterdam nights and be the face of the nightlife in this city. Our name should come to the minds of the government, media, nocturnal creative industries and knowledge-based organizations, as soon as they’re looking for advise concerning the night. It is important to insure the Night Mayor’s continuity on the long run. This can be realized by presurving the thoughts, opinions, and all-round history of the office for future Night Mayors to be.
In 2016 the first Night Mayor Summit will be held in Amsterdam, an international conference on the economic and cultural value of ‘the night’. The conference where nighttime professionals will meet, parallel to the official Mayor Conference in Amsterdam where the mayors of all EU capitals will gather. The night as a product is more and more important for the profiling and image of cities and areas. Both in the social economic and cultural area day and night are getting more intertwined. Amsterdam is the front runner in innovating the night and values sharing the knowledge and experiences regarding nightly matters with other cities. Topics such as creative industry, art and culture, diversity, safety, human health and mobility will be discussed. Program: http://nachtburgemeester.amsterdam/program/ Speakers: http://nachtburgemeester.amsterdam/speakers/ Expert sessions: http://nachtburgemeester.amsterdam/expert-sessions/
Amsterdam’s night mayor is an active interlocutor for all participants of the night. This refers to both the “consumers” of the night and the ones who attain influence over it, but also covers this city’s nocturnal creative industries, the actual daytime mayor, the local government and other parties concerned such as the clubs and cafés. Our goal is to always hold true to our rebellious nature, and we will never seize to vocalize our advice to all parties named above, even if said advice is not always asked for. We organize events that will benefit anybody enjoying a night out in Amsterdam, and our top priority will always be the growth and development of Amsterdam’s nocturnal endeavors and nightlife in general.
Even more so, we function as an ambassador for all people that feel connected to our city’s nights. For any municipality, any media or any member of the nocturnal creative industry, who has questions or needs advice concerning the Amsterdam nightlife, the night mayor is the contact source of information.
WHY IS THE OFFICE OF THE NIGHT MAYOR SO IMPORTANT TO AMSTERDAM?
The work of the Night Mayor has shown to be increasingly important to the Amsterdam nightlife. Due to a successful campaign of professionalizing, the future Night Mayors will have more freedom to realize their ideals. The nightlife and night culture are important to Amsterdam. The social, cultural and economic aspects of the night lead to an innovative, vibrant and lively city. A colourful nightlife of a city is one of the indicators of the liveliness but also the business climate. The creative industry has long been considered to be one of the kickstarters of the peri-urban economy. A vivid nightlife creates an (inter)national appealing city for (creative) businesses, students and tourists.
WHO IS THE CURRENT NIGHT MAYOR OF AMSTERDAM?
The current Night Mayor is Mirik Milan, he was re-elected during the Night Mayor election held in Trouw on the 18th of September 2014. Mirik has gained a lot of experience in the nightlife of Amsterdam. Amongst other things, he has been involved in organizing various festivals (Valtifest, Kantor, etc ), parties (such as Rauw, Manifesto), fashion shows(DIESEL) and other cultural events.