Dit document wordt u aangeboden door: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Dutch Hotspots klik hier voor meer artikelen What makes a small country great With less than 42,000 square kilometers, the Netherlands may well be called a small country. But it is also a country with unsurpassed MICE facilities. That is what makes this small country great. Meetings, conventions, parties, stays and teambuilding activities can be held in any of the 12 provinces of the Netherlands. We have put one hotspot of every province in the spotlight. 1. Noord-Holland: Rijksmuseum Amsterdam The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ national museum. Until the renovation and restoration of the main build- ing is complete in 2013, visitors will be able to admire over 400 masterpieces from the Golden Age in the Philips Wing, including Rembrandt’s The Night Watch and Vermeer’s The Kitchen Maid. The wing can also be hired for an exclusive reception or dinner. Dining amongst the Masterpieces of the Golden Age is an unfor- gettable experience. The Rijksmuseum also welcomes groups that are interested in enjoying the collection without a dinner or reception. For these groups an exclusive private viewing can be arranged, before or after regular opening hours. www.rijksmuseum.nl 2. Flevoland: Aviodrome The large collection of historic aeroplanes in Nationaal Luchtvaart Themapark (national aeronautics theme park) Aviodrome in the city of Lelystad offers an exceptional meeting atmosphere. You can hold a meeting in, for instance, the Schiphol building, a replica of the fi rst passenger station on the Schiphol national airport. It is even possible to conduct an inspiring presentation or meeting in an aeroplane, for instance in the cargo hold or the business class section of a Boeing 747. It is also possible to visit the museum during a break or after a meeting, or even make a sight-seeing fl ight in a Cessna172 sports plane or a Robinson R44 helicopter. Aviodrome Events offers various arrangements that can be set up on different locations. www.aviodrome.nl 24 MeetingInternational.org Hotspots Meeting 3. Friesland: Abe Lenstra Stadion If you wish to combine an (international) meeting with a spor- tive atmosphere, try one of the many football stadiums in the Netherlands. For instance the Abe Lenstra Stadion, a magnifi cent football temple in the city of Heerenveen in the northern province of Friesland. This city can justly be called a real sports city, because next to the stadium - home ground of sc Heerenveen - sits the 5. Kamp Westerbork Thialf ice stadium where (international) ice skating matches are In the middle of the province of Drenthe lies a loca- held. The Abe Lenstra Stadion has no less than twenty function tion with a special history. Here, the memory of the rooms for business meetings and events, as well as fi fty Business lives of a hundred thousand Dutch jews is kept alive lodges. You can even book the VIP lounge and the trainings facility. on the grounds of the former concentration camp A guided tour of the stadium is a welcome break during a meeting - Westerbork. This is done by means of reconstruc- or a special attraction to an event. tions and monuments, as well as in the museum: www.abelenstrastadion.nl Herinneringscentrum (remembrance center) Kamp Westerbork. The location is well known as a histori- cal hotspot. Less well known is that this location is also extremely suitable for meetings and events. This combination of meeting and culture/history can be enjoyed in a meeting arrangement. Groups counting at least 10 persons can fi rst conduct their business in one of the meeting rooms. Afterwards, one of the educational staff can give a short explanation of the history of the place. Next, the guests can visit the various exhibitions. www.kampwesterbork.nl 6: Overijssel: Zwolle Event Center The ‘plug & play’ location Zwolle Event Center is integrated in IJsselhallen Zwolle, one of the largest trade fair and event locations in the north-eastern part of the Netherlands. Here, for instance, the big LEGO spectacle is held, with construc- tions consisting of millions of LEGO bricks in six halls. The 4. Groningen: Martiniplaza Event Center is relatively new; the opening took place in In the province of Groningen, THE place to organize conventions, September 2010. The special rooms for meetings, cocktail meetings and trade fairs is the Martiniplaza. The event and sports parties, receptions, conventions, dinner parties and feasts hall, that since 2006 has an extendable business grandstand and for 250 to 3,500 guests can be combined with a convention a deluxe VIP-lounge, also offers suffi cient space to hold interna- or event in IJsselhallen Zwolle, which makes it possible to tional (sports) events. There are advanced plans to expand this expand the event to 7,000 guests. The plug & play-formula ‘Topsporthal’ signifi cantly, increasing the present capacity of 4,400 enables numerous settings in this completely furnished loca- to 6,000 persons. The theater room, the Martiniplaza Theater, seats tion with its state-of-the-art lighting and sound plan. 1,600 guests. With this capacity, it belongs to the fi ve largest theat- www.libemazakelijk.nl/zwolle-event-center ers in the Netherlands. When it comes to taste, you can become inspired by the ‘Inspirations’ restaurant that was renovated in 2010. Here, you can dine á la carte or enjoy a special theme menu. www.martiniplaza.nl MeetingInternational.org 25 7. Gelderland: Papendal Hotel en Congrescentrum Papendal lies on the premises of the Nationaal Sport Centrum Papendal in the municipality of Arnhem. As early as 1959, during the founding meeting of the Nederlands Olympisch Comité* Nederlandse Sport Federatie (NOC*NSF, the Dutch Olympic and sports federation), the idea was conceived to establish a national sports center to meet the growth of the sports activities in the Netherlands. This Nationaal Sport Centrum Papendal opened its doors forty years ago. Nowadays, all sorts of meetings, conventions and events can be held in the adjoining four- star Hotel and Convention center. Here, you can meet in a sportive as well as rural setting, because the facilities are located in the Hoge Veluwe, the largest nature reserve in the Netherlands. www.papendal.nl 8. Utrecht: Jaarbeurs Utrecht In the heart of the city of Utrecht lies the Jaarbeurs, the inspiring place that welcomes over 2.5 million visitors each year. Jaarbeurs Utrecht has been completely renovated and extended and offers a wide range of convention and meeting facilities. For instance the Media Plaza where the concept of meeting moods is applied. This concept is based on the assumption that a meeting can be given a mindset of its own by using color, lighting, scent, music, catering and decoration. This way, the effect of the meeting can be optimized. One of the rooms in the Media Plaza is the steel Shuttle in the shape of a spaceship; an ideal space to hold brainstorm and work sessions. www.jaarbeursutrecht.nl 9. Zuid-Holland: Ahoy Rotterdam With its rich history of inspiring events and trade fairs, Ahoy Rotterdam has been a hallmark in the Netherlands for forty years. The location not only functions as a stage for world stars and top athletes, it also offers excellent facilities for the organization of large trade fairs, conventions, meetings and presentations. In this multifunc- tional accommodation, a meeting can well be combined with a visit to a top concert or a sports event like the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. The Sportpaleis (sports palace) has been completely modernized, which now makes it possible to use it in a smaller setting: Club Ahoy. This creates a room that is perfectly suitabe for corporate events and conventions hosting between 2,000 and 5,000 persons. www.ahoy.nl 26 MeetingInternational.org Hotspots Meeting 10. Noord-Brabant: The Efteling The best known theme and attraction park in the Netherlands is the Efteling. In this World of Wonders, not only fairytales come to life, it also offers wonderful facilities to hold a meeting or corporate event. The park offers various locations where special meetings can be held, like the Ballonvaarder, as well as larger conventions, like the Carrousel Paleis. One of the newest locations is Raveleijn. The thematized func- tion rooms and the large open air arena make almost anything pos- sible. Guests can spend the night in the Efteling Hotel or in Efteling Bosrijk. And for a sportive break during an extended convention, the Efteling Golf park is the place to relax. What makes the park even more special is that every location has its own, authentic atmosphere. www.efteling.com 11. Limburg: Floriade The preparations for the Floriade 2012 are in full swing. This World horti- cultural exhibition, that will start 5 April 2012, is the latest hotspot in the north of the province of Limburg and is held on a site that measures no less than 66 hectares. The Floriade park shows fi ve different worlds with each its own décor, program and activities. Here, the lead part is played by nature, and that makes it a special location to hold a meeting. This theater of nature is the perfect location to hold meetings or conventions, for instance in the ‘Innovatoren’ tower. This ultramodern building with its beautiful glass atrium offers great views over the magnifi cent landscape of the northern Limburg region and houses various meeting and conven- tion rooms, as well as the Floriade Business lounge. www.fl oriade.nl 12. Zeeland: Deltapark Neeltje Jans Here, on the coast of the province of Zeeland, you can hold a meeting with a view of the Stormvloedkering (storm surge barrier). The stormy atmosphere of Deltapark Neeltje Jans is perfectly suited for all sorts of corporate meetings.