"For Students, The Night Is Always Young":

Catalyst Events – Themed Parties By The Students, For The Students.

By Shreya Shreemani Kumar | Campus | January 17, 2023

Cover Illustration: Student party hosted by Catalyst Events. Catalyst Events

In this article, Campus reporter Shreya Shreemani Kumar introduces Catalyst Events, an organization that has overtaken Amsterdam’s student nightlife thanks to its exciting themes, safety measures and strict student-only policy.

In June 2022, when Rory was 19, he hosted a party to celebrate the end of the academic year. This brought success with 400 attendees. Seeing this as an opportunity to bring theme parties to students’ cities, he branded it as Catalyst Events over the summer by doing everything from logo design to legally registering it by himself.

Today, Catalyst Events is a student-led startup which hosts uniquely themed parties to provide an alternative to old-fashioned bar hopping and clubbing. Past events have included tropes like Neon Party, White 2Nite, and Wild Glasses. An organizer remarked that even club owners have praised the events for being planned out thoughtfully and thoroughly. Safety is one of Catalyst Events’ main priorities, and the organization is known for its strict “students only” policy. There is a mandatory check of student IDs before allowing people to enter, along with security present at the event.

Student party hosted by Catalyst Events. Catalyst Events

An increasing number of people are joining the startup and attending its events. “It has been intense,” Rory Moore, founder of Catalyst Events said in an interview with The Amsterdammer, “We have been expanding very quickly from 400 visitors in June to 800+ in November.” At its launch, Catalyst Events’ sole founder was the only crew member. Now, they have grown to a team of 20 people from core management to production and event crew members, consisting solely of students.

The student startup has been a promising opportunity for students looking to gain real work experience and create a portfolio while also getting paid for their work, unlike most unpaid voluntary student positions. Joining them gives students an opportunity to try out positions such as photographer, DJ, marketer, promoter, and so on.

The student-run startup sprang up in Amsterdam and is now aspiring to scale up to different Dutch cities like Rotterdam and eventually expand beyond borders to places like Barcelona. With its huge success and quickly climbing attendance in the last three months, Catalyst Events has been an example of what a group of determined students can achieve. So far, Catalyst Events has introduced its own merchandise for students while also collaborating with labels like 1ONE Amsterdam and Amsterdam Republic to boost its student branding.

Moore says: “The best moments have been seeing everyone enjoy the experience and have a good time. Students come up to me on campus and tell me they had a blast at the event. It is also great seeing people from different countries get along so well and enjoy truly international club parties.

Student party hosted by Catalyst Events. Catalyst Events

As a part of the next step, Catalyst Events is currently developing its own website. They already have 3500+ followers on Instagram. You can buy tickets there on their official ticket shop, or through a verified reseller service, such as Ticket Swap. Are you a student who is tired of parading clubs or concerned about lax safety measures? Then let Catalyst Events raise the nightlife bar for you!

“The best moments have been seeing everyone enjoy the experience and have a good time.” — Rory Moore, founder of Catalyst Events

Shreya Shreemani Kumar is a university student in Amsterdam. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Amsterdammer. 

+ posts