 |
Frans van der Avert
CEO Amsterdam Marketing, Amsterdam Marketing
Did you know that Amsterdam…
+ has a number of unique selling points: its liveability, connectivity and a thriving business ecosystem.
+ With 180 nationalities, its overall compact size and the world's greatest museum density, Amsterdam is the ideal city for a business visit.
+ 90% of the city's inhabitants are bilingual, and Amsterdam is ranked the fifth safest city in the world.
+ Due to its navigable size, Amsterdam is easy to reach by both public transport and air. We have the world's fastest internet connection, enabling companies to connect and collaborate.
+ The result is the catalysation of co-creations: not only within but between sectors, involving scientists, marketers, entrepreneurs and producers.
+ With more than 40,000 hotel rooms and a diversity of meeting locations, Amsterdam can host congresses and events for a broad target audience.
Where to meet in Amsterdam?
Amsterdam provides ample offerings for meetings: from small historical locations to large modern eye catchers. Furthermore, the city has a rich and deeply-rooted history of innovation, creativity and trade.
This is exhibited in its diversity of entrepreneurs, companies and business locations: unparalleled in other Dutch cities. Dynamic, energetic, vibrant and magnetically appealing, it is not surprising that Amsterdam is known as Europe's #2 start-up city!
See for example Unique Venues of Amsterdam (http://uniquevenuesofamsterdam.com), a collaboration between exceptional locations that shows the world what's available in Amsterdam. New, inspiring locations for both large and smaller events are added each year, with the common thread of creativity, innovation and the spirit of trade.
Have a look at the Westergasfabriek, RAI Amsterdam, Beurs van Berlage, IJ-Venues and the recently opened Knowledge Mile Venues.
Where to stay in Amsterdam?
Amsterdam's hotel capacity is continuously increasing, and more and more world-renowned hotel brands are opening in the city. Offerings range from boutique to large conference locations, and from redeveloped canal houses to new designer hotels, each with its own unique charm and amenities.
The variety of options is big, it includes Hotel Okura Amsterdam, DoubleTree by Hilton, Hotel Casa400 and Sofitel Legend The Grand.
Today, the total number of hotels in Amsterdam account to 650, with more than 40,000 rooms, of which are 83 percent offered by 3-star, 4-star and 5-star hotels.
Soon, a NHOW Air Future is going to open near RAI Amsterdam, and in the north of Amsterdam we will welcome Maritim Amsterdam soon.
How to get to Amsterdam?
Amsterdam is connected on all levels, with convenient air and train connections that make it easy to get around both nationally and internationally.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, located just 20 minutes from the city centre, is considered one of the world's best airports with direct connections to 322 destinations worldwide.
Dutch Railways (NS) services the city with its extensive international train network, carrying nearly a million passengers each day. The NS national network covers all corners of the Netherlands, and NS International collaborates with high-speed European networks including Thalys, ICE, TGV, CityNightLine and Eurostar. Between them, they serve dozens of destinations on a daily basis, including Brussels (2 hrs), Frankfurt (4 hrs) and Paris (3 hrs 20 min).
Travel is also straightforward and convenient within Amsterdam. The city's compact size means that almost everything is within walking distance. And should you require it, the public transport system (GVB) is efficient, modern and reliable, with an extensive network connecting the city’s hotels, conference venues and neighbourhoods by train, tram, metro, bus and ferry.
What special services do you offer for associations and their congresses?
Independent advice: We work with the entire city, and have no commercial interest in pushing partners. We are here to listen to your needs and to help you find the best solutions. The service & venue finder (www.iamsterdam.com/venuefinder) on our website will filter the most suitable locations for your particular situation.
Site inspections: Not only can we help you to find the right venue, but we can also schedule site visits and even come along to assist you in finding your way around town.
Online support: Your successful event reflects well on our city, so we want your event to be a success! We will help market your event online, and will share our branding materials. You can even have your own landing page on iamsterdam.com so your attendees can find everything they need to know about the event and the city in one place.
Offline support: We’ll make sure your guests are excited to be here and that they are well cared for during their stay. We'll provide branded maps so they can discover our world-class museums and other hotspots, and will help secure special transportation discounts. In addition, we will present your delegates with free editions of A-mag, our glossy English-language magazine full of current event listings and news about the city's hottest cultural happenings.
Registration desk at Central Station: To make registration as quick and painless as possible, we can arrange an additional registration desk for your attendees at our I amsterdam store inside Central Station. Delegates can ask questions, receive recommendations, and pick up designer souvenirs by local talents.
City support: Events with fewer than 1,000 attendees are eligible for free canal cruise tickets. Events with more than 1,000 attendees are entitled to a subsidy of approximately one Euro per delegate.
More information can be found at www.iamsterdam.com/meetings
The first point of contact for association planners?
Ms. Dirje van Laar
Project leader
Ms. Joan Bergmans
Project executive
meetings@iamsterdam.com