In April, we launched the UR Link acceleration program with Unibail-Rodamco Germany. Today we hear from David, founder of ArtNight about our creative collaboration!
Hi David, how would you describe the Artnight concept in one sentence?
We’re an online platform for creative and entertaining events.
Sounds great! Tell us how it all started.
Aimie and I met through friends for lunch one day last July at a burger joint in Berlin. I had heard through the grapevine that Aimie was looking to start something new, so I told her about this idea I had: art workshops in bars and restaurants. Essentially, I wanted to build an offline network that would bring people together outside of a work environment – something fun, social and creative at the same time. Aimie loved the idea, quit her job and in September of last year we launched ArtNight together. Since then we have organised hundreds of art workshops across Germany – from public events, to team events to private parties. Our events are all about connecting with new and old faces and using art to create fun. You don’t have to be artistic to get creative! If you’re looking for a date idea, night out with friends or just want to meet new people, look no further!
From a business perspective, we are building a scalable licensing platform for artists to organise workshops of all kinds across Europe. Developing our product hasn’t been an easy ride, but it’s been so much fun! Afterall, it’s difficult to not have fun when you sell fun!
Check out one of our events if you’re curious: https://www.artnight.com
Oh, and if you were wondering what we were doing before ArtNight: Aimie managed an internal Startup at Bertelsmann and before then worked for Axel Springer and I co-founded two companies in India and sold beverages in the desert of Dubai. True story!
What made you join the UR Link Accelerator Programme in Germany? What can your product bring to shopping centres going forward?
Now that everybody is shopping online, it is the perfect opportunity for shopping centres to diversify and become the social hubs of modern society. This is where ArtNight comes in: with a vision of bringing people together we are perfectly aligned with the current mission of shopping centres.
Tell us a bit about the pilot project you are currently working on in one of our Unibail-Rodamco centres.
We’re offering 20-minute-long creative workshops at shopping centres which allow shoppers to take a breather, interact with other shoppers and get their daily dose of creative and social fun! We are aiming to improve overall customer satisfaction and increase the amount of time shoppers spend in shopping centres through our events.
Who are your UR business owners and mentors? How did they help you?
Our business owners and mentors, foremost Anna from Gropius, are helping us to understand how shopping centres and UR works as a company, and what we need to do to create a successful win-win partnership.
The first season of UR Link in Germany will end soon. What’s next for you guys?
We’re currently expanding ArtNight in a further 20-30 cities across Germany. Next stop: Europe!
Get in touch! We’d love to hear from you:
Founder, David Neisinger: david@artnight.com