MVRDV: How to win work (w/ Inger Kammeraat, Jan Knikker)

Join us for Best Practice, a virtual fireside chat series dedicated to practice operations at architecture firms and beyond. From pain points to potential, hear how leaders in the architecture and engineering industry are innovating through new business models and managerial techniques. We’re chatting with Inger Kammeraat, Jan Knikker of MVRDV about how to win work.

MVRDV’s newly published RIBA advice book, “How To Win Work: The architect’s guide to business development and marketing” explains all aspects of PR and Business Development for architects through anecdotes, general information, and a list of practical tips in each chapter. Featuring vital insights from a wide variety of architects, from multinational practices to small offices, this book is an essential companion to any architecture office. The book bridges the gap between architects and marketing by giving practical tips, best-practice advice, and anecdotes from an author with more than 20 years’ experience in architecture marketing.

Jan Knikker joined MVRDV in 2008. Before this, he started his career as a journalist, and then shaped the public image of OMA for nearly a decade. As Partner at MVRDV, Jan leads the Contracts, Business Development and Public Relations efforts, forming a client-oriented, fast, and strategic studio that includes a strong visualisation team. He leads MVRDV’s branding efforts and has overseen the practice’s rapid expansion into new markets, focusing on solutions for global issues through its architecture and urbanism. He has worked on many publications and exhibitions, including the book MVRDV Buildings. Jan is a member of the Gestaltungsbeirat Wiesbaden and the HNI Heritage Network, led the online design magazine Dafne, and from 2007 to 2011 was a member of the International Projects commission of the Netherlands Architecture Funds.

Managing Director Inger Kammeraat studied at the Eindhoven University of Technology (architecture and renovation, building technology) and at the ISWB Training Institute (financial management), both in the Netherlands. She is an architect who specializes in change management, company professionalisation, and organisational development. Inger worked for various international companies before she came to work for MVRDV in 2008 and she spent considerable time in Africa: from 2004–2006 as a Program Manager in Maputo, Mozambique, and from 2013–2016 as a consultant in Kampala, Uganda, where she was one of the initiators and the Creative Director of The Design Hub. Since 2018, Inger has been MVRDV’s Managing Director and a driving member of the management team of MVRDV.

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