The evolution of the Holland House

The Holland Heineken House has been the home away from home for Dutch athletes, supporters, sponsors and media during the since 1992. The Olympic Committee NOC*NSF is the host and Heineken organizes and facilitates.

The Holland Heineken House has developed and grown over the years, in terms of scale, organization and media attention. An overview.

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Barcelona 1992

The idea of creating a meeting place for Dutch athletes, their friends and family, supporters, sponsors, politicians and media first became reality at the Barcelona Games of 1992. The tent in Barcelona’s harbour area proved to be an extremely popular meeting place. A place where you could drink a Dutch beer, eat a ‘bitter ball’ or simply catch up with compatriots.

Lillehammer 1994

In Lillehammer, the Holland Heineken House once again proved to be the setting where the Ducth sporting world in all its shapes and forms congregated to celebrate the achievements of the Orange team.

Atlanta 1996

In Atlanta, the Holland Heineken House was located on the fourth floor of a hotel. Thanks to the number of medals won by the Dutch team, Dutch visitors to the Games were soon beating a path to the doors of the Holland Heineken House. Nagano 1998

The formula still proved to be a winning one at the Nagano Winter Games two years later. Nagano veterans still look back with a smile on the enthusiasm with which the generally rather reserved Japanese hosts and hostesses really got into the swing of things.

Sydney 2000

For the Sydney Games, the Holland Heineken House was expanded. The double- decker tent (2,300m2) on the quayside at the Maritime Museum housed separate facilities for the media, for NOC*NSF, and last but not least for the athletes themselves. The Ozzies named the Holland Heineken House the ‘hottest place in town’ en international TV-stations found out that ‘the Dutch know how to party’.

Salt Lake City 2002

The Holland Heineken House once again had a fantastic location in Salt Lake City in the clubhouse of West Ridge Golf Course in West Valley City, less than 5 minutes drive from the Olympic Oval (the skating rink). Salt Lake City was the first time that the Holland Heineken House had a special entry policy, in part due to the strict alcohol laws in the state of Utah. All visitors were given a wristband on entry; black bands for designated drivers, pink bands for visitors under 21, and a third band for everyone else who was entitled to a well-earned drink. This system proved to be a success, and has been retained ever since.

Athens 2004

The Athens Holland Heineken House was situated in the city centre at the foot of the Acropolis. For the first time, every evening saw a different famous-name artist performing on stage. The special guest this time was DJ Tiësto. The world-famous DJ (made in Holland) performed at the Opening Ceremony of the Games before coming to the Holland Heineken house for an exclusive, one-off set. Nearly 50 foreign camera teams came to have a look at the National House that had everyone talking. Turijn 2006 In Turin, the Holland Heineken House was better and more professionally run than at previous editions, focusing on the Olympic experience. Located at the Turin University sport complex, the Holland Heineken house was close to the Olympic Oval, Olympic Green, and all the main media facilities. The various rooms and lounges were designed around the theme ‘fire & ice’. The ‘Enjoy Heineken Responsibly’ informative campaign warning against the dangers of irresponsible consumption of alcohol was also prominently propagated, via wristbands, on the TV screens and through special training for the crew. With performances by 13 artists including Guus Meeuwis and Jamie Cullum and a total of 9 Dutch medals to celebrate, the Holland Heineken House in Turin drew a record 100,000 visitors.

Beijing 2008 During the XXIXth Summer Olympiad in Beijing the Holland Heineken House opened for the 9th time in succession to all Dutch sportsmen and women, their families, friends and supporters, sponsors, VIP’s and media representatives during the Olympics. The national house was conveniently located in the magnificent National Agricultural Exhibition Centre in Beijing’s Chaoyang district. Fans could watch their sports heroes on 64 plasma screens and an LED wall of 5 x 3m throughout the day. Besides the 14 medal celebrations, there were 11 on stage performances by renowned Dutch artists and DJ’s. Again the Holland Heineken House attracked around 100,000 visitors.

Vancouver 2010 18 days, 8 Dutch Olympic medals, 9 musicians, 16,500 ‘kroket’ sandwiches and a new record of 120,000 visitors. These were some of the ingredients for a successful tenth edition of the Holland Heineken House during the Vancouver . The national house was located near Richmond’s Olympic Oval (speed skating). The local ice hockey complex ‘Minoru Arenas’ turned out to be the perfect place where the Dutch and Canadians could celebrate together. Many sport fans found their way to the Holland Heineken House to experience the good, sport minded and friendly atmosphere Heineken offered them together with Netherlands Olympic Committee, NOC*NSF.