Filip Standaert (Ghent, 1973) is one of the founders of Handelsreizigers in Ideeën and is a creative all-rounder. He has been active for 20 years as a concept developer, process supervisor, director, coach, presenter, curator and exhibition maker.
He specialises in quickly making connections and asking the right questions, devising serious concepts and developing them with a specific goal in mind.
It is second nature for him to bring strategy and impact together, to turn intention into action.
He has a lot of empathy (and understanding of the incomprehensible), likes to work with diverse teams, coaches people well and leads projects very effectively.
After graduating with a masters in clinical psychology, he went to work in Madrid, which inspired a broad range of interests from art and architecture to sport, humankind and the city. Back in Ghent, he devised and implemented concepts for projects that encouraged corporate social responsibility and sustainability.
Parallel to this, in 2000 he began to create theatrical party concepts with Frederik De Preester for clients like Vooruit, S.M.A.K. and Filmfest Gent and he realised poetic projects with, among others, the theatre company Ontroerend Goed.
He has been working full-time for Handelsreizigers in Ideeën since 2008, devising and being responsible for the realisation of extremely diverse artistic and social projects in co-creation with specialists.
Simultaneously, he has been pursuing an extensive career in the theatre as a director and a maker of stage and site-specific productions.
Filip is increasingly focussing on participative projects, surveying stakeholders’ needs and dreams, and helping those dreams be realised through the development of architectural, museum and heritage projects.