A total of 405 (inter)national events took place in 2018.
The year 2018 was a successful event year for RAI Amsterdam, which achieved the best operating results since its establishment: €15.5 million on a turnover of over €150 million. More than 1.8 million people visited the convention centre in Amsterdam or the RAI’s events abroad in 2018. Despite the busyness, customer satisfaction was even higher than in 2017. The RAI also found time to make significant investments in the development of an optimised strategy and various sustainable initiatives, with the Future Vision 2030 plan likely to have the most impact in the long term.
A total of 405 (inter)national events took place in 2018. New events included Money20/20, the European version of a global event aimed at the payment traffic and financial services sector, and the Amsterdam Drone Week. The RAI organised the latter event in cooperation with the European aviation association EASA and this new title is helping Amsterdam position itself as Drone City.
Like most other RAI titles, the Interclean, Intertraffic and METSTRADE events were again a great success. The RAI also organised events outside of the Netherlands, such as Aquatech China, which welcomed 80,000 visitors to explore the latest developments in the field of water technology.
Based on the customer satisfaction and visitor figures, the RAI can be said to have further strengthened its success in 2018. The city of Amsterdam, the central location and the excellent accessibility of the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre, plus a superior reputation for hospitality, make the RAI a popular destination. Over the past year, RAI Amsterdam attracted some 1.7 million people to Amsterdam, processing around 36,000 hotel bookings which represented nearly 175,000 overnight stays. This all makes a major contribution to the economic growth of Amsterdam.
Social value
In addition to economic value, the RAI also generates social value for the city by working with local suppliers, maintaining sustainable operations and contributing to initiatives that benefit the city. The RAI always provides a platform for sustainable innovations at its own events with the InnovationLAB concept. Moreover, AIDS2018 – the 22nd edition of the world’s largest health care conference – saw not only the RAI but the entire city become involved in a wide range of activities.
Optimised vision and strategy
During this busiest of event years the staff and management of the RAI still continued to refine the Vision 2030 plan and enrich the associated strategy for the period until 2022. The company will focus in the coming years on the ongoing development, purchasing and acquisition of titles. In addition, the RAI aims to realise sustainable growth in the greater Amsterdam region.
RAI vision for 2030
The RAI Vision 2030 plan is still being developed. It is focused on enhancing the integration of the RAI complex within its local neighbourhood to create a safe, attractive and enjoyable environment for clients, visitors, employees and city residents. Part of this plan involves reducing logistical movements – especially during the build-up and breakdown of large-scale events.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
