‘Together, we make an impact’

For years, Amsterdam has been one of Europe’s leading destinations for sustainable conferences. Amsterdam is the city where conference organisers can easily achieve their sustainability goals and make a positive impact on people and the environment. Pleasant and professional collaboration with all parties involved is the key to success. Amsterdam is also the second smartest city in Europe, internationally acclaimed for developments in open data, new mobility solutions and improved living conditions for residents and visitors. Amsterdam also has a vibrant city centre that is easily accessible, an abundance of culture and history, and more than enough hotels.

RAI Amsterdam

RAI Amsterdam is one of the most popular conference venues in the city. It has been around since 1893 and is the top international conference and exhibition hall complex in the Netherlands. The complex has a capacity of 116.200 m², including 12 exhibition halls, 70 conference and meeting rooms, two auditoriums, and a large ballroom that can accommodate 1,746 people. RAI Amsterdam is located a few minutes from the city centre and only eight minutes from Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s biggest airports. The conference and exhibition hall is easily accessible by tram, bus and metro.

Social initiatives

“For 130 years, our mission has been to bring people, ideas and organisations together in order to share knowledge, inspire innovation and support economic growth,” says Katelijn Wilhelmy, PR & Communication Manager at RAI Amsterdam. “We’re well aware that we’re part of a social and ecological ecosystem, which is why we develop and implement many social matchmaking initiatives. We have a programme to reduce food waste. With the food that we have left over, lunches and dinners are prepared in collaboration with the Salvation Army and distributed to the homeless. For the social organisation Heen & Weer, which brings and collects people who have difficulty walking, we keep free parking spaces available. And during major fairs and events, we have special ‘donation rooms’ where organisers and exhibitors can leave their left-over materials, such as furniture, electronics, foods, drinks, and plants, after which they are donated to good causes in Amsterdam.”

Sustainable catering

RAI Amsterdam has been actively improving its catering activities and combating food waste for years. “Our team has developed a responsible catering concept called ‘Heart-warming Amsterdam’, an initiative based on sustainable partnerships and collaborations with regional producers. This is how we provide fresh, seasonal and locally produced food every day to our clients. At the same time, we respect the environment and society and promote the well-being of our guests,” says Wilhelmy. A few examples of the conscious choices that RAI Catering makes include:

• Opting for seasonal fish and bycatch from the North Sea. Seasonal fishing means avoiding the depletion of natural fish sources.
• Offering a wide range of vegetarian meals. Vegetarian choices reduce water consumption, deforestation and CO2 emissions.
• Tailored smart catering concepts, where consumption is accurately measured and orders are coordinated to prevent as much waste as possible.
• RAI Amsterdam collaborates with the food waste initiatives Instock and Food Fellows. Both organisations ‘save’ food that otherwise would end up as waste. They make healthy products from the discarded vegetables that are 100% naturally low in salt, sugar and fat.
• Food left over after events that can no longer be used is processed in the RAI’s ‘swill tank’, which produces biogas. This biogas is then returned as energy to RAI Amsterdam.
• Waste cooking oil is collected separately and upcycled into biokerosene, which is purchased by airlines.

Green logistics

RAI Amsterdam is also making progress when it comes to green logistics. “We work with the RAI Logistics Management System”, explains Wilhelmy. “We use this software to spread the freight deliveries of our events. We give drivers time slots so that they no longer have to wait, which provides peace of mind, overview and safety, as well as less noise nuisance for local residents. Another measure is that trucks come in on one side of the RAI and leave the complex on the other side, near the motorway. In fact, we’re always looking for improvements. Ultimately, limiting materials would be the optimal solution. For example, we’re currently organising stand building in a fundamentally different way. Exhibitors will have the opportunity to use the modular and sustainable stand building of the RAI, which will be supplied and built by partners. The material is stored in or around the RAI and constantly reused, which drastically reduces the number of transport movements to and from the RAI, with all the benefits that come with it. This is how we keep making progress.”