RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre: Netherlands

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RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre, formerly Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre or simply RAI Amsterdam, complex of conference and exhibition halls in Zuidas business district of Amsterdam, Netherlands

Venue Name: RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre
Category: Venue
Location: RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre – Europaplein 24, 1078 GZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Phone: 020 549 12 12
Email: info[at]rai.nl
www: www.rai.nl
Timings: 09:00 AM – 17:00 PM

RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre: About

RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre, formerly Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre or simply RAI Amsterdam, acronym for Rijwiel en Automobiel Industrie), is a complex of conference and exhibition halls in the Zuidas business district of Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Opened in 1961, the RAI welcomed its 75 millionth visitor in February 2001. Up to 2 million people visit the RAI every year. Some 50 international conferences and 70 trade shows are held at the RAI annually. The complex consists of 22 conference rooms and 11 multi-functional halls and has a total floor space of 112,200 m². The largest and oldest hall, Europahal RAI, has capacity for 12,900 people. The complex also includes a musical and concert theatre and underground parking space for over 4,000 cars.

The convention centre gives its name to the nearby Amsterdam RAI railway station.

History:

RAI Amsterdam has a rich history. What started in 1893 as an association for the bicycle industry has grown in just over a century into an internationally leading exhibition and conference organization. Many valuable encounters have taken place with us, often with prominent people. For example, at a public meeting in 1968, Martin Luther King spoke to hundreds of people about change. During AIDS2018, Bill Clinton and Prince Harry, among others, addressed the attendees about the impact of the global epidemic. Also big bands and artists were on stage with us, such as Frank Sinatra, Ike & Tina Turner and U2. During events like these, knowledge was shared, people were inspired and/or moved. Something in which we have gained enormous experience over all these years.

Our history in brief:

In the early years – until 1922 – we did not have our own exhibition center, but the Amsterdam Paleis voor Volksvlijt was used for bicycle exhibitions. The very first RAI exhibition was organized there in 1895. From 1922 we settled – for forty years – in our own building on the Ferdinand Bolstraat in Amsterdam. With a total area of 13,000m2, we attracted more and more exhibitors and visitors. Specialized trade shows from other industries took off enormously. The RAI building turned out to be too small.

In order to finance a new, large exhibition complex, the municipality of Amsterdam became a partner. He was happy to participate because of the favorable consequences for the economy of the region. The RAI Association and the Municipality of Amsterdam together formed a limited partnership from which the operation of RAI Amsterdam, which was separated from the RAI Association, was financed.

In 1961 we settled on the Europaplein in Amsterdam. Over the years we have added various halls here in addition to our well-known Europe hall (Europahal). Partly due to the market developments and the strongly growing appeal of the city of Amsterdam, we attracted more and more international, multi-day events. We fill a large part of our event calendar with this to this day. From major annual trade fairs and conferences such as Horecava, International Broadcasting Convention, Interclean, various theater performances to public events such as Kingsland and Het Amsterdamse Winterparadijs.

With the spatial vision for the future, we see ourselves established for the long term at the current location on Europaplein. We focus on sustainable development, with a healthy balance between social (people), ecological (planet) and economic (profit) value creation. The events that take place at the RAI contribute more and more to this.