Why is Amsterdam the right choice for your tech event?
Amsterdam is the perfect choice for organising impactful tech events and conferences. Find out why and get inspired by events already rooted in Europe’s tech hub.
Amsterdam provides the ideal backdrop for impactful tech events and conferences. The city's growing tech and startup scene, supportive and nurturing environment, top-level digital connectivity and people-centered approach to technology will not only ensure a successful tech event, but create the perfect setting for a lasting legacy. Find out why Amsterdam is the right choice for organising your tech event and get inspired by tech conference behemoths already rooted in Europe’s booming tech hub.
Jump to:
Amsterdam’s thriving tech and startup scene
Amsterdam has been a forward-thinking and technology-driven city since the emergence of the internet in the 1990s. It wasn't long before Amsterdammers embraced the potential of digital technology and the city rose to prominence as a tech hub and startup community. The first big players here were Adyen, TomTom and Booking.com, after which more and more startups and multinationals started tapping into the Dutch tech ecosystem.
Supportive and nurturing environment
Amsterdam’s startup and scale-up scene experienced a huge boost when StartupDelta was founded in 2015. StartupDelta (now Techleap) aims to merge the Dutch startup ecosystem into one single connected hub. It stimulates governments, knowledge institutions, startups, investors and businesses to collaborate and improve access to talent, capital, networks, knowledge and markets. Shortly after the founding of StartupDelta, the City of Amsterdam launched the action programme StartupAmsterdam and Amsterdam was marked on the global startup ecosystem ranking for the first time. Startups also benefit from the supportive and nurturing environment because of the many startup accelerators and incubators and tech conferences that call Amsterdam home.
Today, more than 2,200 tech companies are based in the city and employ 77,000 people in total (14% of the local workforce). And more than 450 multinationals have their global or European headquarters in Amsterdam, including major companies like WeTransfer, Philips, Stryker, Gemalto and Netflix.
Top-level digital connectivity for a smooth tech event
Amsterdam’s technological environment is anchored by a robust digital infrastructure. This includes one of the world’s leading digital data exchanges, the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX), meaning Amsterdam has one of the strongest internet backbones in the world. In addition, the region ranks highly for broadband availability, internet speed and reliability on a worldwide scale, guaranteeing you great digital connectivity and a tech-savvy environment while hosting your tech event in Amsterdam.
People-centered approach to tech innovations and applications
Amsterdam’s tech scene is committed to a people-centered approach to technology, with the belief that technological applications and innovations can improve society and citizens’ lives. For example AI Technology for People is an initiative designed to help Amsterdam develop and deploy responsible tech in the field of AI. Projects focus on serving people working in healthcare, business innovation and citizen support - that way making a contribution to the community. Leading institutions, public partners and members of the business community all collaborate to make that happen.
Hosting your tech event in Amsterdam allows you to think along with future challenges of society, make an impact, and create a lasting legacy.
Tech events and conferences in Amsterdam to inspire you
It will be no surprise that Amsterdam has hosted a variety of tech events and tech conferences over the years. Many of them keep coming back to Europe’s tech hub.
The Next Web (TNW)
The Next Web is a unique annual series of conferences focused on new technology and startup companies in Europe. Since launching in 2006, tech conference behemoth The Next Web has been one of Amsterdam’s showcase tech events. TNW Conference is returning 16-17 June 2022.
International Broadcasting Convention (IBC)
The International Broadcasting Convention, better known as the IBC, is one of the world’s most influential media, entertainment and technology shows. The annual conference and exhibition focuses on professionals involved in the creation, management and delivery of electronic media and entertainment. In 2019, IBC attracted more than 56,000 attendees from 150 countries around the world, exhibiting more than 1,700 of the world’s key technology suppliers and showcasing a debate-leading conference. Amsterdam has hosted IBC since 1992, the next edition of the conference will be held in Amsterdam RAI 9-12 September 2022.
Mozilla Festival (MozFest)
International tech event Mozilla Festival (MozFest) is a 12-day festival with a focus on discussing and shaping the future of a humane internet. World-changing ideas and technologies are presented during exhibitions, presentations and interactive sessions. What makes the annual festival truly unique? The whole event is put together by the participants themselves. This year, the events focused on AI in our everyday lives and the data that powers it,with a record of more than 9,500 virtual participants from nearly 90 countries. The next event is on 7-10 March 2022.
World Summit AI
World Summit AI (WSAI) is a leading and internationally renowned AI summit. It gathers the global AI ecosystem of enterprises, BigTech, startups, investors, science and the brightest brains in AI as speakers in Amsterdam every year, with a focus on tackling the most burning AI issues and setting the global AI agenda. The 6th edition of WSAI will be held on 12-13 October 2022.
Other inspiring tech events coming to Amsterdam in 2022:
- Amsterdam Capital House is a three day founder-focused programme, from 23-25 March 2022, covering everything startups need to know about funding, networking and team growth.
- European Women in Tech is the central meeting place for women in tech, including visionaries, pioneers and innovators from major global corporations and innovative startups. Next event is at RAI Amsterdam on 8-9 June.
- TECHSPO Amsterdam is a two-day technology expo returning 8-9 September 2022 to the Johan Cruijff ArenA Stadium. It brings together developers, brands, marketers, technology providers, designers, innovators and evangelists showcasing the next generation of technology.
- The IoT Tech Expo is a leading Internet of Things event that will be held in Amsterdam RAI. Its focus will be exploring the latest innovations within the Internet of Things, covering its impact on many industries. Next event: 20-21 September.
Let us help you organise your tech conference or event in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam Convention Bureau can help you organise your impactful tech event in Amsterdam. We work closely with venues, hotels, restaurants, local transport and cultural institutions. In addition, we can connect you to knowledge institutions, businesses and the local tech and startup ecosystem.
Contact our team at meetings@iamsterdam.com or WhatsApp +31 (0)682747079.
Want to stay up-to-date with the latest news and insights? Sign up for our newsletter and follow Amsterdam Convention Bureau on LinkedIn.
