…
The largest international business event in the Netherlands will stay at the RAI in Amsterdam for the foreseeable future. The British organisers of the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) have reached an agreement with Amsterdam RAI and her business partners, joined in Taskforce City Wide Conferences, for an additional three years. This ensures that Amsterdam will remain the annual location for Europe’s largest trade exhibition for professionals in the (technical) television and media industry until at least 2012. In the coming years this will generate at least 150 million euros of income for the city of Amsterdam.
Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen is impressed: “I am very pleased that such an innovative exhibition and conference as IBC has once again chosen for our city. This decision means that Amsterdam can look forward to welcoming 50,000 TV, video and digital film specialists and television makers from around the world between 2010 and 2012. These visitors will discover that Amsterdam is an inspirational city that offers the perfect platform for the exchange of know-how and expertise.”
Hans Bakker, President & CEO of Amsterdam RAI, is delighted with the extension. “The powerful city-wide concept which we developed with all stakeholders, including Amsterdam city council, Amsterdam Tourism & Convention Board (ATCB), hotels, the Amsterdam public transport company GVB and Schiphol Airport, has convinced IBC to stay with the successful Amsterdam formula.”
“Our strength is that we have fought harder than ever to keep IBC in Amsterdam,” adds Stefan Diender, CEO of ATCB: “Partly thanks to the city-wide effort and excellent communication with the City Wide Conferences Taskforce, IBC was fully convinced of the benefits of remaining in Amsterdam.”
Amsterdam’s strong points according to IBC include the attractive multicultural city, the highly practical location of Amsterdam RAI near the city centre, the international road system, and the close proximity of Schiphol Airport and its 267 direct flight connections. Another key precondition was the promise of an expansion of hotel capacity, which is being stimulated by Amsterdam city council policies.
“We fully understood why a major exhibition such as IBC should take a look at other potential venues after 16 years,” Bakker continues. “The fact that Amsterdam still came out on top makes me even prouder. It is clear that we were able to show IBC how the combination of the RAI complex and the city of Amsterdam makes for the ideal exhibition and conference location. And the development of our new RAI Elicium building allows us to meet IBC’s desire for a premium quality and integrated complex.”
Since the first edition in Amsterdam in 1992, IBC has grown from 8,000 to over 50,000 professional visitors from 130 countries. In the coming years, IBC sees the combination of the city of Amsterdam and Amsterdam RAI as a place to develop and realise new exhibition and conference concepts. An event such as IBC at Amsterdam RAI brings a minimum of 50 million euros a year into the city.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
