--- title: In conversation with 220PR date: 2026-06-01T14:49:00+02:00 author: Nina Swaep canonical_url: "https://hetindustriegebouw.nl/en/community/news/in-conversation-with-220pr/" section: Articles --- ![In conversation with 220PR](https://cdn.hetindustriegebouw.nl/images/articles/_1800x880_crop_center-center_90_none/Schermafbeelding-2026-07-21-om-11.28.40.png) [ Interviews ](https://hetindustriegebouw.nl/en/community/interviews/)# In conversation with 220PR **The women of** [**220 PR**](https://220pr.nl/) **have barely settled into Het Industriegebouw before we invite them to join us for a chat in the spring sunshine. Arianne Beekman and Tamira van Woerden, co-owners of the full-service PR agency 220, sit down with us. “We received the keys to our unit on 1 April—no joke,” says Tamira, “and so far, the** ***vibes*** **have been excellent.” That’s reassuring to hear from a team that describes itself as a group of reputation directors.** ## **From a Grand Building to a Creative Community** “An occupational hazard,” says Tamira. “We take care of everyone else’s PR except our own,” she adds with a laugh. Arianne continues: “We came from an imposing pre-war building on Oostzeedijk, just beyond Rotterdam’s historic fire boundary. We spent fifteen years there—more than enough time to settle in comfortably. So you’re probably wondering why we decided to move.” Tamira explains: “The reason is simple: things happen here. They didn’t there. And we increasingly began to miss that.” She continues: “The atmosphere at Het Industriegebouw brings back nostalgic memories of 220 PR’s early years, when we were based in a creative hub on Delftsestraat.” Arianne adds: “I have to admit that sharing a kitchen again takes some getting used to, but the benefits more than make up for it. Having conversations here and there and being part of a community—both socially and professionally—are wonderful things that your own dishwasher simply can’t compete with.” *Curious about the workspaces in our building? Explore all our available* [*workspaces and offices*](https://hetindustriegebouw.nl/work-spaces/)*, or get in touch to discuss the possibilities.* ## **Twenty Years in PR, One Bottle of Wine and Unilever** Tamira says: “Speaking of those early years, [HIG has existed in its current form for ten years](https://hetindustriegebouw.nl/historie/), 220 PR has been around for twenty, and Ari and I have known each other for thirty years. Isn’t that incredible? We were colleagues at what was then one of the largest PR agencies in the Netherlands. We both joined as junior consultants and progressed to senior level together.” Arianne continues: “During that decade, it became increasingly clear to us that the market was changing and needed a different type of agency. Until then, large brands felt they had to work with large, established agencies to preserve their status, but we sensed that a shift was coming. We couldn’t explore what we were seeing while working within our existing roles, so we decided to start our own company.” Tamira says: “As employees, we often had discussions with our clients about the processes within a large agency like ours. We believed the same expertise could be delivered in a leaner, faster and more exciting way—and at a lower cost. Once we took the leap, things moved quickly: one bottle of wine later, Unilever became our first client,” she says with a laugh. Arianne beams. “That was fantastic, of course! It perfectly matched the vision we had in mind: a fresh, young agency that still offered extensive experience, genuine professionalism and projects suited to our expertise. The name was an obvious choice: the two of us, with twenty years of PR experience between us—220 PR! That initial project for Unilever also led to other clients. They thought, ‘Hold on—if they work for such a major client, they must be good.’” Tamira agrees: “That was a welcome benefit, but our goal was never to leave a large agency only to build one of the same size ourselves. What mattered to us—and still does—was doing enjoyable work that makes us happy, in a place where both we and our team genuinely enjoy coming to work every day. Oh, and paying the bills, of course.” Arianne adds: “What we’ve truly learned as independent entrepreneurs is that projects are more successful—and therefore more rewarding—when you have good chemistry with the client. That happens more naturally when you approach the relationship as a partnership: working with someone rather than for them. That’s why we prefer to see ourselves as an extension of an organisation, rather than outsiders arriving to tell everyone how things should be done. It allows you to build a much stronger relationship.” **Reputation Directors** Tamira explains: “Over the past few years, we’ve also explored our specialist areas in much greater depth: marketing PR, corporate communications and internal communications. These are three disciplines in which reputation plays a central role. We build and support the reputations of people, brands and organisations. Voilà—that’s how we became reputation directors! For some clients, we focus on just one area, while for others, we provide advice across all three disciplines.” She continues: “Put simply, we ensure that a brand’s key stakeholders feel at least neutral about it—and ideally enthusiastic—during both good times and difficult ones.” Arianne adds: “We do that for an incredibly diverse range of organisations, from government bodies to biscuit factories and from greenhouse builders to electricity grid operators.” “It may sound strange, but the crisis communications Tamira just described always make our PR hearts beat a little faster. Situations in which you have to drop everything because a food product is unsafe or a major reorganisation is approaching. Just try keeping customers and employees positive about your brand under those circumstances. You can understand why situations like these present such an exciting challenge for us,” Arianne explains. “Because we normally work behind the scenes, it feels rather unfamiliar to find ourselves in the spotlight. Our clients always come first, and we’re perfectly happy with that—it’s where we feel most comfortable. We’re loyal, strict about deadlines, meticulous and punctual. It’s in our DNA.” Tamira says: “Yes, we were already like that twenty or thirty years ago. What I love most about this profession is that no matter how much changes—your channels or communication tools, for example—the essence always remains the same. If you’re open and honest and communicate the right message transparently and clearly, you can stay in the game—and win!” Arianne adds: “Of course, you need to remain alert to the latest platforms and techniques, but if you keep up with developments, you naturally evolve alongside them. We may be getting older, but the great thing is that our ten-person team also includes young professionals who continually bring us all that new knowledge. That’s incredibly valuable!” **Best Friends for Thirty Years** “Outside work, the two of us are also best mates,” Arianne says with a laugh. “Tamier is incredibly creative, both in her mind and with her hands.” Tamira responds: “And Ari is exceptionally punctual. If I start something, she can finish it long after I’ve already lost interest. Although we’re fundamentally quite different, our work ethic, interests and energy are the same, which makes us very evenly matched. Sometimes it’s almost uncanny: we’ll be sitting with a client, look at one another and know exactly what the other is about to say. Isn’t it wonderful to have someone like that in your life? I wouldn’t have wanted to embark on the 220 PR adventure with anyone else.” ![](https://cdn.hetindustriegebouw.nl/images/articles/_1120x630_crop_center-center_90_none/2026%E2%80%9304%E2%80%9328_HIG_176.jpg) ![](https://cdn.hetindustriegebouw.nl/images/articles/_1120x630_crop_center-center_90_none/Schermafbeelding-2026-06-01-om-14.52.43.png) ![](https://cdn.hetindustriegebouw.nl/images/articles/_1120x630_crop_center-center_90_none/2026%E2%80%9304%E2%80%9328_HIG_016.jpg) [ ![](https://cdn.hetindustriegebouw.nl/images/articles/_910x600_crop_center-center_90_none/Schermafbeelding-2026-06-08-om-16.08.27.png) #### Interviews ### Meet Studio ASSAÏS ](https://hetindustriegebouw.nl/en/community/news/meet-studio-assa%C3%AFs/) [ ![](https://cdn.hetindustriegebouw.nl/images/articles/_910x600_crop_center-center_90_none/5-Piet_Hein_Eek_1%C2%A9Nick-Bookelaar.jpg) #### Interviews ### Reintroducing Piet Hein Eek ](https://hetindustriegebouw.nl/en/community/news/reintroducing-piet-hein-eek/)