Paul Klarenbeek, Corporate Communications Advisor and Spokesperson, Drents Museum (Assen, The Netherlands)

Paul Klarenbeek graduated in Dutch Language and Literature from the University of Groningen. He has over 25 years’ experience in marketing and communications at Dutch museums, first at the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden and later as head of marketing and communications at the Drents Museum in Assen. He was campaign manager for major international exhibitions such as The Maya – Rulers of the Rainforest, Viva la Frida! – Life and Art of Frida Kahlo and Iran – Cradle of Civilisation, for which the museum is internationally renowned.

Since last year, Klarenbeek has been a corporate communications advisor and spokesperson at the Drents Museum. He is also a member of the board of ICOM Netherlands, which successfully secured the hosting rights for the ICOM General Conference 2028 last year. Openness, transparency, and learning from one another are key principles in his work.

From Theft to Return: a Journey in Crisis Communication

On the night of January 24–25, 2025, several archaeological pieces were stolen from the Drents Museum in Assen, the Netherlands. These were masterpieces from the exhibition Dacia - Empire of Gold and Silver: the golden Coțofenești helmet (c. 450 BC) and three golden bracelets, loans from the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest. It was the biggest and most brutal robbery in the over 170 years of history of our museum. The theft has had a profound impact on the staff, on the colleagues at the National History Museum in Bucharest, and on the museum world as a whole.

The ongoing uncertainty took a dramatic turn when, on April 2, 2026, the museum was able to announce that the golden helmet and two bracelets had been recovered. The golden artefacts were presented at the Drents Museum before the eyes of the international press, and are returning home to Romania.

What does it mean for a museum to find itself in the midst of such a crisis? How do you stay on course and ensure that control doesn’t slip from your grasp? Paul Klarenbeek talks about his experiences during nearly a year and a half of (crisis) communications and takes you on an incredible journey through a rollercoaster of emotions. What was the museum’s approach, what went well in terms of communication and what didn’t? Was the museum even prepared for such an event? Can you prepare for this? And above all, what lessons for the future can we learn from this?