Innovation concept officially launched during HISWA Amsterdam Boat Show.
Wednesday 11 March 2015 saw the official launch of the InnovationLAB platform by Amsterdam RAI and its external partners TNO, 3TU Federatie and Accenture Innovation Awards. The InnovationLAB is an inspiring environment designed to enable exhibitors and visitors to share their knowledge and experiences in the field of innovation. From now on, innovations will have their own clear and central place in the exhibitions organised by Amsterdam RAI.
Innovation is often given as one of the top three reasons to visit an exhibition. In response, Amsterdam RAI has created the InnovationLAB concept, creating places where ideas, innovations and news are given material form on both the exhibition floor and online.
The advantages
The InnovationLAB is a rich and inspiring platform that allows Amsterdam RAI to stimulate exhibitors to enhance the spotlight on their innovations. In addition, it gives knowledge centres, research institutes, innovation partners and the like a platform to market their innovations, further enriching Amsterdam RAI’s exhibitions. This, in turn, will help inspire visitors, as Ids Boersma, Director of RAI Exhibitions, explains: “The InnovationLAB is a platform where visitors can see and experience the innovations in their market, both online and in real life. In addition, the medium of exhibitions is distinguished and profiled based on this crucial topic. The InnovationLAB is a generic concept that can be customised to suit any trade show.”
Cooperation
Amsterdam RAI has now officially confirmed its cooperation with TNO, 3TU Federatie and Accenture Innovation Awards. “The InnovationLAB will make innovations visible and tangible to a broad audience,” explains Esther van Zeggeren, Director of Marketing & Communications at TNO. “It will also serve as a bridge between people and knowledge, a vital precondition for more innovations. We call this ‘Innovation for life’.”
IJsbrand Haagsma, Secretary General of 3TU Federatie, comments: “We see the cooperation with Amsterdam RAI as an excellent way to bring scientific technological developments closer to the public. The government expects us to work on valorisation as well as teaching and research; that is, we should create practical applications for the knowledge we develop. This is what we showcase in the InnovationLAB.”
“Improving brand familiarity is one of the main goals of Innovation Awards participants,” adds Pieter-Paul van Oerle, initiative taker and organiser of Accenture Innovation Awards. “Our cooperation with Amsterdam RAI lets us meet this need even better in the framework of various appropriate concepts.”
The next exhibition where the InnovationLAB will be deployed will be the AutoRAI in April 2015. Next, it will be the turn of Rematec, SSA and the BedrijfsAutoRAI, followed by the international exhibitions Aquatech Amsterdam and METS in November.
Photo caption (from left to right): Pieter-Paul van Oerle (Accenture Innovation Awards), IJsbrand Haagsma (3TU Federatie), Ids Boersma (Director of RAI Exhibitions), Claar van Ittersum (Manager of InnovationLAB at Amsterdam RAI) and Esther van Zeggeren (TNO).
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
