There is more than just technology that influences the evolution in event planning. Non-technological trends, particularly in the realms of inclusiveness  and sustainability, are becoming equally pivotal.  Today's attendees and stakeholders seek  experiences that not only inspire and engage, but  also resonate with their ethical standards.

These technological and non-technological trends predict a steep development in the world of event planning, promising enhanced event experiences and outcomes for both attendees and hosts. But they also set new standards. So, how can we conceptualise, organise, and execute events that live up to these standards?

This whitepaper explores which trends to keep up with, for those who want to organise future-proof events that will impress every attendee. 

Strategically located in Europe, Amsterdam benefits from excellent connectivity to the rest of the world through the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, one of the busiest and most efficient airports globally. Furthermore, Amsterdam’s compact size and efficient public transportation system, including its iconic canals, make moving around the city both convenient and enjoyable for visitors.

Choosing Amsterdam as the destination for your business event is therefore an excellent choice. But other than the obvious plusses that Amsterdam has to offer, what can you do to give your business event just that little extra? How do you make your event not only the perfect sales pitch for your business, but also the most memorable business trip your guests could ever wish for?

This whitepaper offers tips, suggestions and must-do’s for event planners looking for top-service on their Amsterdam based business event.

Take a walk anywhere near Dam Square, and you’ll notice it: the Royal Palace. Since 1648, this imposing building has been watching over Amsterdam’s city centre like an elegant bodyguard.

Here’s the instant tour. The palace was built in the 17th century as the city’s new town hall. Its purpose? An all-in-one administration centre, meeting venue, court of justice…and prison.

In the early 19th century—Napoleonic times—French King of the Netherlands Napoleon III resided in the palace. During the Second World War, the palace’s Dutch caretaker prevented the palace from becoming an enemy headquarters. How? By warning occupiers of the cold, saying anyone who lived there would freeze their boots off!

In 2002, Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima married—and posed for their now-famous wedding scene on the Royal Palace’s balcony. (Their civil wedding ceremony took place at the Beurs van Berlage.)

Recently, Amsterdam restored the palace to its original grandeur. You can visit the palace when it is not in use for official purposes. What will you see? Impressive architecture, inspired by the Romans and the Renaissance.

© Photograph: Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam

Hunt for bargains. Grab some street food. Or simply people-watch. This is what markets—open markets—are really meant for. We’ve put together 3 of Amsterdam’s “funnest” street markets. Go forth. Explore them. And remember to bring small change, for cash transactions, and a couple of expandable shopping bags!

1. Albert Cuyp Market: It’s on the Amsterdam street of the same name, and, to locals, it’s as famous as the Rembrandts in the Rijksmuseum. You’ll find everything from spices from the Far East to fresh herring, from much closer to home.

Open Mon. – Sat., 9:00 – 5:00.

2. Noordermarkt: On the one hand, it’s nothing new. The Noordermarkt (“Northern Market”) has been around since 1623. What’s new is the variety of goods you can pick up here: we’ve seen everything from antique demitasse spoons decorated with tiny wooden shoes to new pashmina scarves, in a spectrum of bright colours.

Open Mondays, 9:00 – 1:00 and Saturdays, 9:00 – 5:00.

3. Ten Kate Market: Need fresh tomatoes for a sauce—to eat with pasta at your AirBnB? Fancy some local cheese, some olives, pickles, and fresh bread to accompany a “borrel”—Dutch for a kind of Happy Hour drink? Then visit the Ten Kate Markt, where there’s food, food, food, and plenty of street life to match.

Open Mon. – Sat., 9:00 – 5:00.

We’re living in a cultural moment in which diversity is valued. Diverse voices. Diverse races. Diverse genders. So why not diverse menus!?

That’s our definition of a tasting menu: a slew of little dishes—at one sitting—that deliver astonishingly big flavours.

Think of a twelve-course meal that includes an astonishing fish soup. And a salad of asparagus and barley, with “lacquered” lobster. And Dutch beef with crispy wine leaf. And, and, and, and, and. The whole experience topped off by a tiny chocolate-covered caramel-and-sea-salt bonbon, compliments of the chef.

This is one version of a tasting menu. But, like the eternal chicken dish served at a wedding, the tasting menu can take many forms.

In fact, the modern tasting menus has been around since the 1980s. But boy, are they hip right now—especially in Amsterdam. That’s what we learned by talking with our friend, food professional Rex Enderman, a graduate of the Food Academy Amsterdam and Chef de partie at a local restaurant called Meneer Nieges (Westerdoksdijk 40H). On a recent afternoon, Rex told us there are tons of restaurants and cafés with tasting menus opening in Amsterdam now—and plenty that have been around for a while.

The Dutch version of the tasting menu includes “four to infinity dishes,” according to Rex. And before you order yours, here’s a key word you’ll need to know: “amuse”—a French word (pronounced ah- MOOZE), short for amuse bouche (ah-mooze BO-O-OSH), meaning a bite-sized appetizer. These days, it’s trendy to serve an amuse bouche—say, a shot-glass filled with a delicate cucumber foam that tastes exactly like the sea—and not charge you for it. Two amuses—one to start the meal and one as a coda—is in vogue right now. Rex adds, “Those two amuses add a couple of courses—and a flavour explosion!”

Where can you find a tasting menu in and around Amsterdam, beside at Meneer Nieges? Consider the restaurant called Sinne (Ceintuurbaan 342), where the stellar food quality has earned the place a Michelin star. And then there’s Aan de Poel, the two-star Michelin establishment in neighboring Amstelveen. This month, they’re serving yellowfin tuna and an oyster with miso, watermelon and a spicy vinaigrette….

So, what’s stopping you from indulging in this fancy fare? If you’re worried it’s too pricey for you, consider this: while a Michelin-starred chef’s dinner can fetch sky-high prices, an equally elaborate lunch costs far less. Creative chefs want you to try their tasting menus: it’s an opportunity to show you the magic they can do.

You can also explore restaurants before they earn their stars. Who knows which eateries are destined to be worthy? We asked Anne Zoutendijk, the Head of Catering at the historic Beurs van Berlage Conference Centre. Anne earned her chops at the Amsterdam Hotel School (now the ROC), and at the Cordon Bleu in London, where she specialized in pastry. Her pick for one of the best restaurants for tasting menus in the city: restaurant Envy (Prinsengracht 381-IV). Anne loves the way a menu with imagination can make her feel “inspired, motivated, surprised.” And Restaurant Envy was her top choice for achieving that altered state while eating.

Not everyone is inclined to order an expansive range of dishes, though. Another foodie friend of ours, Ann Cassano, confessed to us that tasting menus aren’t even on her radar, despite having a restauranteur for a father. Ann told us, “I’m not a risk-taker,” referring to her distaste for the surprise element of the tasting experience. When pressed, however, Ann told us she’d had a wonderful dinner during Amsterdam’s Restaurant Week at The French Connection (Singel 460). Turns out she and her husband ordered the four-course option. “Did you by any chance have the Codfish in Onion Broth with Vadouvan [a blend of French spices—super-trendy now] and Celeriac?” we asked her. “I did,” she said, amazed we knew. “And the cheese plate?” we asked. She’d had that, too, and it included not one, not two, but five adventurous cheeses. Which just goes to show that even if you order “just” the four-course meal, you’re likely to be rewarded for your risk-taking.

What would the city of Amsterdam be without its Rembrandts, canals…and bikes?

Our answer, frankly, is safer: bikes can hurt you. They go super-fast. Their riders are trying to get to school, to work, to the store before it closes—and you are in their way. Yes, we’re using tough love on you, but it’s better if you know that bikes are serious business for the Dutch—and for foreigners who have “gone native.”

All of this means your mission is clear: when walking around Amsterdam, stick to the sidewalks and the crosswalks, and don’t enter the danger zone: the bicycle paths.

“What the heck’s the difference between the sidewalk and the bicycle path?” you may ask.

Funny you should ask: sometimes, they’re practically the same color—brick-red—which is confusing. All the more reason to WATCH OUT: look both ways, cross the street only at the crosswalk, and for heaven’s sake, don’t treat the bike lane like a pedestrian zone.

Which begs the question: should you rent a bike in Amsterdam? Only if you own a bicycle at home or have ridden a bike in the past 3 months, and, well, if you know where you’re going.

You’re welcome.

It’s a trend: eating more plant-based foods, and leaving the animal-based diet behind.

But ask a Dutch vegetarian what restaurants they like, and they’ll tell you about a tiny place in their out-of-the-way neighbourhood.

That’s why we choose these three food joints: they’re all centrally located, so you won’t have to go far to fulfil your foodie wishes.

When it comes to vegetarian and vegan cooking, there’s old-skool and new-skool. De Bolhoed (Prinsengracht 60-62) is definitely old-skool. One reviewer called their dishes “robust.” And it’s true. At their best, De Bolhoed’s burritos, for example, are starchy and filling—eating them is not unlike swallowing a hot stove. (We know; we’ve done it twice.) The same is true of De Bolhoed’s desserts—our banana-cream pie was certainly satisfying, if a little gloppy, unrefined.

Next up: The Golden Temple (Utrechtsestraat 126), an Amsterdam stand-by for meat-free food. While rooted in Indian cuisine, the restaurant currently serves international food. Think Italian, as in their Tuscan risotto with wild mushrooms and truffles. There’s a Mexican vibe, too, with their Green Enchiladas and Spicy-Black-Bean Corn Tortillas. And, of course, there is Indian. Our favorite is the Pakora: vegetables in chickpea batter, deep-fried and served with mouth- watering mint chutney.

A relative newcomer is the Vegan Junk Food Bar (Marie Heinekenplein 9-10 and Staringplein 22). They’re bent on re-creating meat-eaters’ favourites, and pride themselves most on their plant-based burgers. If you’re a carnivore, usually, then it’s best to ask questions about what’s on the menu. The Weed Burger, for example, refers to (ahem) seaweed, and ordering Shawarma in the “kapsalon” version means it’ll be smothered in French fries!

Much has been written about Amsterdam’s 165 historic canals. We read about the virtues of these scenic Dutch waterways: they remove water. Increase transportation. Provide irrigation…

No doubt about it: just as in Venice, canals are hard evidence of smart urban planning.

But what about the romance of the canal?

Spend some quality time here in summer, and you’ll see the softer side of canals: antique canal bridges, backlit by red sunsets. Close families in rowboats, floating along, waving, chattering. Diners on restaurant boats, sunning themselves, clinking glasses, and laughing.

Another use for canals: swimming! In 2011, some friends got together to create a sort of swim-a-thon. Their aim was to support a sick friend, Weert-Jan Weerts, who was suffering from the disease ALS. The canal swimmers raised money for ALS research.

Tragically, Weert-Jan died of ALS in 2013. But his friends, the creators of Amsterdam City Swim, are keeping his memory alive. Using Amsterdam’s canals to honor a dear, departed friend: it’s romantic, for sure, and practical, too, raising awareness of a fatal disease. The City Swim is being held every year in September

America has apple pie. Scotland has haggis (a pie made with sheep’s heart, liver, lungs, and stomach). But what food is super-Dutch?

Some say it’s stamppot—a mash made of, say, potatoes, sauerkraut, and sausage. But we think there’s something way more appealing: bitterballs. Yes, bitterballs.

Before you say no, be advised that bitterballs aren’t bitter. They’re a savory snack, deepfried. Biting into a bitterball is like biting into fried chicken: there’s a satisfying crunch to the crust. What inside? Beef bouillon, usually. Minced onion. Bits of meat. Or chicken. Mushrooms. Or cheese. It’s a kind of ragout, held together by breadcrumbs.

Look for good ones—even great ones. Go to the still-trendy Ballenbar at the Amsterdam Food Halls (called Foodhallen, Bellamyplein 51). This food stand offers different flavors, including truffle, parsnip, shrimp, and the more traditional veal bitterball. If you’re near Central Station, you’ll find bitterballs at Bistro Berlage (Beursplein 1-3). And if you’re strolling around Amsterdam South, drop in at Wildschut Café (Roelof Hartplein 1).

Weirdly, one of Amsterdam’s best pastry shops, Patisserie Holtkamp (Vijzelgracht 15), sells boxed bitterballs you can deep-fry at home. They’re pricey—but well worth the dosh.