Ruud Berends is a respected music industry professional with over 40 years of international experience in live music, artist development, and conference programming. He is the founder of Networking Music International AB and currently serves as Co-founder and Head of Agenda at the International Festival Forum (IFF) in London, President of the Board of The Bridge Conference in Croatia, and Advisor to the SoAlive Music Conference in Bulgaria.
From 2002 to 2023, Ruud held senior roles at Buma Cultuur and Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS), including Head of Conference, ETEP/ESNS Exchange, and CEETEP—high-impact European talent development programs co-financed by the EU. He also led Dutch music export projects and produced Dutch Impact showcases worldwide.
Earlier in his career, he co-founded the influential European booking Agency Paperclip Agency, which brought groundbreaking alternative bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney to European stages. He was also a key figure in the grassroots scene as co-founder and promoter of Débarak venue in Zutphen, The Netherlands.
In January 2024, Ruud received the Lifetime Achievement Award at Yourope’s European Festival Awards, honoring his contributions to the European live music industry.
