LOCATION

PPI Transport Symposium 19 will be held on October 11-14, 2011 at the Amsterdam RAI in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Amsterdam RAI
Europaplein 22
NL 1078 GZ
Amsterdam
www.rai.nl

The Amsterdam RAI is a complex of conference and exhibition halls in the Zuidas business district of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The complex gives its name to the nearby Amsterdam RAI railway station.

Opened in 1961, the RAI welcomed its 75 millionth visitor in February 2001. Up to 2 million people visit the RAI every year. Some 50 international conferences and 70 trade shows are held at the RAI annually. The complex consists of 22 conference rooms and 11 halls and has a total floor space of 87,000 m². The largest hall can seat 12,900 people. The complex also includes a musical and concert theatre and underground parking space for over 3,000 cars.

The origins of the RAI complex can be traced back to 1893, when the trade association RI (Rijwiel-Industrie, Dutch for "Bicycle Industry") was founded by a number of bicycle manufacturers. The first bicycle trade show of the RI was held in 1895 at the Paleis voor Volksvlijt ("Palace of Industry&) building in Amsterdam. In 1900 the RI changed its name to RAI because many of its members had started manufacturing automobiles in addition to bicycles.

In 1922 the RAI occupied an exhibition hall of its own on the Ferdinand Bolstraat in Amsterdam. This building, the "old RAI", was replaced by the current building complex onEuropaplein square, which was opened by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands on February 2, 1961. The RAI trade association still owns 75% of the complex, with the remainder in the hands of the municipality of Amsterdam.

The organizers of PPI Transport Symposium 19 are excited to host the event in Amsterdam for the first time and in a venue with such a long history in the city.