IBC 2021 : Insider tips to enjoy your time in Amsterdam

One month left to prepare for IBC, the world’s most influential media, entertainment and technology show, held every year in Amsterdam, NL, this year exceptionally in December. So compared to the decently nice September weather, beware, it is most probably going to be wet and cold. For those of you who delayed to the last minute your bookings while monitoring the Covid situation, I believe it is time to start finalising. Amsterdam has been really calm during the height of the Covid crisis with no tourists in sight but since this summer they are coming back. For example last week-end the streets were “invaded” by French tourists for some reason. So even if finding a room should be much simpler than previous years, don’t wait too long. Btw restaurants are packed as usual.?

I am not going to help you with the work side of your stay, but rather, as the show is only from 9am to 6pm, I will give you a few tips to make the remaining 15 hours per day as enjoyable as possible.

As someone who has been going regularly to IBC for about 20 years and who has been living in Amsterdam for 9, I am happy to share my experience.

WHAT IS SPECIAL FOR THE 2021 IBC EDITION ?

Covid update. After a very calm and free summer, numbers are rising in The Netherlands, so starting 6 NOV 2021, some measures are back :

-???????A mask is now compulsory in indoor public places where access is not restricted by QR code showing (shops and public transport in particular)

-???????QR code + valid ID checks will be compulsory to enter restaurants, bars and fair venues in particular,

And other measures remain : restaurants, bars and nightclubs close at midnight.?

The situation is monitored closely of course, and the Dutch government holds a press conference every Tuesday with an eventual tightening/loosening of rules.

Another point to note and very specific to this year is that the IBC is held right during the most important Dutch holiday : Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) with family reunions and gifts exchanges on the 5th December evening. Don’t be surprised if you bump into a white beared man in a red cape followed by his helpers (the “Swarte Piets”, object of a huge controversy in which I will not go into here) with their faces painted black. This does not have a huge impact on the closure of shops and restaurants but don’t plan to invite a Dutch colleague or client out that day, they will be with their families.

GETTING TO THE CITY/RAI FROM THE AIRPORT/TRAIN STATION

Landing at Schipol Aiport, you have several options to reach Amsterdam. From the cheapest to the most expensive :

-???????train directly from the airport to Amsterdam Centraal Station or directly to the RAI (about 17mn ride and about 5 euros)

-???????bus 397 from the Airport to the Western part of the Center of Amsterdam : good option if your hotel is close to Museumplein or Leidserplein. Get your ticket from the little red hut next to the bus stops as on busy days drivers do not deliver tickets (about 35mn and about 6 euros)

-???????Uber X (about 20mn and about 30 euros to the center)

-???????Taxi (about 20mn and about 45 euros to the center).

If you came by train (Thalys from Paris, Brussels and even London, or ICE from Germany, for example), you will arrive at Amsterdam Centraal from which a plethora of trams and buses are available to reach your final destination. Ubers and Taxis are available too, but in the center they tend to be ultra slow because of one way streets, delivery trucks and road construction.

FINDING ACCOMODATION

If you had not made a reservation for your accommodation one month before your trip to previous IBCs held in September in non Covid days, I would have told you you have a problem ! This year, given the early December dates and the Covid situation, things should be easier, and even a little cheaper.??I have a few suggestions, depending on your budget, of hotels with personality, charm and comfort, located in interesting neighborhoods at a cycling distance from RAI (more on that later) and which still had availabilities (for the price indicated) at the time of writing.?

-???????high –end (400 euros a night and more) : Conservatorium, Andaz, Pulitzer, W, Soho House (members only), The Dylan, The Hoxton, Okura

-???????mid-range (around 250 euros/night) : Arena (re-styled in April 2021), Roemer, Sir Adam, Volkshotel, INK hotel, Zoku, Conscious Hotel (Museumplein) and the recently opened?Nhow Amsterdam RAI right next to the Convention center.

-???????low-range (less than 150 euros/night) : here if you want to stay not too far from the center and still avoid the dodgy run down hotel you will have to turn to a “capsule” hotel (CityHub) or a hotel mainly with small dorms (Generator Amsterdam). Otherwise you will have to go much further from the center which will probably entail a cab ride every morning and evening.

You might also want to check AirBnB. The rules for hosts have been severely tightened by the municipality in recent years resulting in a reduction of available accommodations but when I checked (3 Nov 2021) there were still many availabilities in the 200 to 300 euro range a night for the time of IBC.

MOVING AROUND

Now that you are settled in your accommodation, you will need to figure out how to get to the convention center : “RAI”. Amsterdam is rather small but you will probably still have to rely on something else than walking to get around. If your hotel is close to tram line 4 or the new metro line 52 (Europaplein stop for RAI), then all you need is to pick up a free travel card given out to IBC visitors inside the RAI. If you are not so close or not too fond of promiscuity, then a good option is to rent a bicycle (about 10 euros a day and there are shops providing this service absolutely everywhere) but in December this might not be as pleasant as in September and as public transport should be less packed than usual (as with Covid people have been avoiding them) the advantage of the bike is more debatable ! Insider tip : you should always lock your bike using the integrated lock for the back wheel and run the chain lock through the front wheel and the frame and attach it to a fixed pole. Follow this advice and your chances of getting your bike stolen is close to zero, don’t follow this and the chances climb very quickly.

LUNCH OPTIONS

You have now spent your first morning at IBC and it is time for lunch. Luckily options are much nicer than at NAB (IBC’s equivalent held in Las Vegas every year). If you want a quick something to eat on the go, the food trucks outside (mostly in front of the main entrance) tend to offer decent options (think burgers in particular) or head to the Beach Bar and have fish and chips with the beer drinking crowd. If you have clients to entertain and prefer a quieter and seated option, there are a few decent options at a short walking distance from the RAI (but at time of writing, some of them were opening only for dinner as the RAI exhibition center is only starting to get busy again) :

-???????Visaandeschelde (high end seafood),

-???????Sapporo (Japanese)

-???????Orbit.

But I would argue that you probably better off staying on the RAI premises and book at “First Floor Restaurant” or if you want a more outside/festive ambience at “Strandzuid” next to the Beach Bar.

DINNER OPTIONS

It is now the evening and you are still hungry after having nibbled in the happy hour parties held on your favorite booths and/or in the parties held across town by the larger exhibitors for their favorite clients. Amsterdam’s restaurant scene has greatly improved in the last ten years, and Covid has also brought some changes, so I have updated my list from 2019.??Below are a few names of restaurants with good food, good décor/ambience/service, in quite central and interesting neibourhoods and not too small so that you stand a chance to get a table even if you are with a group of clients/colleagues. However, since IBC is held mostly during a week-end,?reservations are nearly always compulsory.

On the company platinum credit-card with clients to impress (think Michelin star or not far) : Daalder (my personal favourite for the food. It received its first Michelin star in April 2021), Flore (the ex-Bord’Eau revamped but with the same team as before), Ciel Bleu (gastronomic with a view).

On business expenses with clients you know quite well or colleagues : NENI (the “it” restaurant of the moment. Eastern Mediterranean fare in a former Citroen garage), Toscanini (authentic Italian in an airy setting), Le Coeur (French with a twist and Champagne bar in the middle of the 9 little streets. Opened in 2021), BAUT Oost (urban large open space with bar and restaurant in the East), Rijks (in the Rijkmuseum), Café-restaurant De Plantage (elegant modern bistro near the zoo), Cannibale Royal (meat in the Pijp), Restaurant Floreyn (opened 2021, seasonal Dutch cuisine with many vegetarian options in the Pijp), De Juwelier (opened in 2021 on Utrechsestraat by two ex-Michelin 2 star restaurant cooks), Bar Pif (small plates and great wines by the glass in the Jordaan), La Oliva (tapas).

On business expenses for a badly funded start-up or simply if you don’t want to break the bank and still want an enjoyable experience : Fou Fow Ramen on Elandsgracht (best in town as the queue outside the door suggests, no reservation) or its cousin Fou Fow Udon on the Prinsengracht, De Hallen (food court in an old tramway warehouse, but beware that the air extraction is not great so come with casual clothes), HappyHappyJoyJoy (Asian colourful bistro), La Perla or Pazzi (pizza).

If you are broke but still want a Dutch food experience : Febo (Dutch fast food you get from an automat), Fabel friet (French fries in the 9 little streets) or the “Haring” stands (raw herring trucks. You’ll find some scattered around town : one between the W Hotel and the Dam, one on Koningsplein for example).

And if you want to avoid going out, if you are in an AirBnB, you might want to order from UberEats (personal favourites :??Shah Jahan (Indian) and Koh Chang (Thai)), Deliveroo or Thuisbezorgd or order groceries from Getir or Gorillas and cook yourself.

EVENING DRINKS (Beware : only until midnight because of Covid restrictions !)

If you are actually not that hungry (anymore) or would not mind a drink (other than a beer in a pub or brown café as they are called here), you might want to try : Glou-glou (natural wines and small bites), the bar of the Hoxton (cocktails for well funded digital nomads), the bar of the W (to see and be seen), Tales & Spirits (good cocktails and small bites) or Bar Oldenhof (proper speakeasy with great cocktails. Ring at the door and wait …).

The next morning, in case you need (just saying …), the drugstores for a paracetamol fix usually operate under the brand “Etos” and in most “Albert Heijn” supermarkets you have a machine pressing fresh orange juice ! And for coffee, Lot 61 has the best.

Voila, with these tips in hand you should be able to avoid waiting 30mn in line to get a taxi at RAI, ending up eating a soggy pizza with a beer in Rembrandtplein or Leidserplein, or sleeping outside the A10, i.e. things that no Amsterdammer would wish for his worse enemy.

See you in Amsterdam !

Disclaimer : I have no business relationship with any of the Hotels and F&B establishments named in this article but I have personally enjoyed them or heard great recommendations from trustable friends !

N.B. : If you have a little time off before or after the show, and have already visited all the Amsterdam “must sees”, you might want to check STRAAT, a new museum showing graffiti and street art in a 8000m2 former warehouse on the NDSM wharf.