The Netherlands: 10 of the best C&I venues

The Beurs-WTC Congress Center, Rotterdam

The impressive venue is housed in the centrally located Beurs-World Trade Center Rotterdam, alongside a variety of shops, the Beurs-WTC Business Center, WTC Club Rotterdam and WTC Art Gallery. The congress centre offers organisers 30 meeting spaces in a wide range of sizes and designs, including the 1,000m2 Rotterdam Hall, which has capacity for 850 delegates, and the Blue Room, set up in a permanent U layout for up to 32. The venue offers a full-service concept that includes catering and AV options.
Web: www.wtcrotterdam.nl

Van Nelle Ontwerpfabriek, Rotterdam
Located alongside the Schie river in the northwest district of Rotterdam, the imposing building's Unesco World Heritage status makes the venue a talking point in itself. It was built between 1925 and 1931 as coffee, tea and tobacco factory, and now offers event space for up to 5,000 delegates across 10,000m2. The decor is based on the themes of light, air and space, and areas include the 5,000m2 Tabaksfabriek (tobacco factory), where the ground-level room still exudes the aroma of fresh tobacco leaves.
Web: www.vnof.nl

The Cruise Hotel, Rotterdam
Set on board the SS Rotterdam, previously the Holland America Line's most prestigious ship, the restored hotel is now permanently located at the 3e Katendrechtse Hoofd, with 600 on-shore parking places. The hotel has 257 rooms and those on the four-star level are divided into three themes - Original, Manhattan and Bahamas - to illustrate the ship's worldwide journeys between 1959 and 2000. Meeting spaces include a 600-seat theatre.
Web: www.cruisehotel.nl

Hilton The Hague
The Hague will expand its five-star bedstock when this hotel opens in April 2010. The property will be located in the city centre with 185 rooms, an executive floor with a private lounge, and 11 meeting spaces, the largest of which will have capacity for 250 delegates theatre-style.
Web: www.hilton.co.uk

World Forum, The Hague
BT, BP, Microsoft, Astra-Zeneca and IBM are among the corporates to have held events at the World Forum. It also hosts the annual conferences of the International Criminal Court, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and The Hague International Model United Nations. Ideal for larger events, the venue offers a multi-functional auditorium/theatre and more than 20 break-out areas. It has capacity for 5,000 delegates and offers the largest auditorium in The Netherlands, with 2,161 seats. The 40,000m2 space is inspired by nature, with each floor and hall featuring designs referencing oceans, continents, rivers and mountains.
Web: www.worldforumcc.com

Movenpick Hotel Amsterdam City Centre
The ten-storey hotel is located on the banks of the river IJ, near Central Station, the museum district and shopping areas. Ideal for large groups, the hotel offers 408 rooms and 912m2 of meeting space, including 12 flexible rooms with capacity for 450 delegates. Facilities include the Silk Road restaurant, which seats 230, an outside terrace with river views, the Silk Bar and a fitness area. The venue also has its own jetty from which delegates can take boats along the famous canals.
Web: www.moevenpick-amsterdam.com

Hotel Okura Amsterdam
Having established a strong gastronomic reputation - three of its four restaurants are Michelin-starred - the hotel plans to open a Culinary Center in November. Up to 24 delegates will be able to take cooking lessons in Japanese, French and Teppanyaki cuisine, before moving into the adjacent dining room to enjoy the dishes they have just prepared. A dedicated room will also be opened for wine and sake tastings. The property completed the renovation of its lobby in the summer, and its meeting spaces in September. It offers 301 rooms, and 19 meeting rooms with capacity for 2,500 delegates.
Web: www.okura.nl

Grand Hotel Karel V, Utrecht
The modern, five-star property is in the heart of the city in the Museum Quarter, surrounded by gardens and terraces. It offers 121 rooms, two restaurants - including the Michelin-starred Grand Restaurant Karel V - and the wellness centre includes a sauna, steam bath, solarium and jet-stream swimming pool. There are 13 event spaces, including an auditorium with capacity for 100, and the Maria van Hongarije conference hall that has capacity for 150 and boasts marble flooring, an open-beam ceiling with chandeliers, stylish wall hangings and high windows.
Web: www.karelv.nl

Carlton President, Utrecht
The hotel is located between Utrecht and Maarssen, offering incentive planners a choice of the former's distinctive sunken canals and historic attractions and the latter's famous castles with gardens, parks, country homes, coach houses and domed tea shops. The property has 164 rooms, nine multi-functional rooms with capacity to seat 625 delegates, a business centre, free parking and a Roman-style leisure centre featuring a whirlpool, sauna, Turkish steam room and fitness facilities.
Web: www.carlton.nl/president