News of: Tuesday, October 14 2008,
The IBC conference, the largest yearly conference held in Amsterdam, will remain in Amsterdam until at least 2013.
The IBC convention is a yearly event, on which companies in the field of broadcasting congregate for a week in the RAI Congress Centre, to show their new products and do business.
The convention attracts some 50,000 visitors from all over the world, and generates some Euro 50 to 70 million for Amsterdam.
The convention is always held in the beginning of September (see www.ibc.org for dates), and every year leads to lack of accommodation. During IBC, all hotels and apartments in Amsterdam are fully booked.
Because of this, prices for hotels and other accommodation tend to go up dramatically, which is why the IBC organizers have threatened to go to another city (Barcelona was a candidate).
A deal has now been struck, that guarantees that hotel prices will not go up during the IBC week, and Amsterdam will produce more hotel rooms. About 9,000 extra hotel rooms are planned until 2013.
For ordinary tourists, the relevance of the IBC conference lies in the fact that accommodation is difficult and expensive to find. This may be a reason to avoid Amsterdam for the dates 10-15 September 2009, and a few days before and after.
