AMSTERDAM’S BEURS VAN BERLAGE BECOMES 1ST CONVENTION CENTRE IN THE NETHERLANDS TO RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS GREEN GLOBE CERTIFICATE

Amsterdam’s Beurs van Berlage is one of the most recognisable buildings in the historical centre of the city and, it has just received the Green Globe Certificate recognising its sustainable credentials.

Built in 1903, the Beurs van Berlage is a national monument located in the historic centre of Amsterdam. Spanning a total area of ​​16,000 m2, it is home to offices – occupied by a wide range of different companies, and is one of the most desirable and prestigious events venue in the city.

The cost of major foundation repair and lagging rents forced its then current owner to sell the Beurs van Berlage in 2008. Since then, the Beurs van Berlage has been owned by a a combination of private and public companies through a limited partnership with four equal shareholders: the municipality of Amsterdam, De Key, Amvest and BPD.

Green Globe Certificate

The Amsterdam Conference Centre Beurs van Berlage is the first Dutch conference and events centre to receive the Green Globe Certificate. By means of a sound CSR policy, the Beurs van Berlage wants to work towards socially circular business operations and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), guided by their own core values.

“We are incredibly proud that we have received the Green Globe Certificate, as the first conference and events centre in the Netherlands”, explains Willemijn de Vet, Marketing Manager at the Beurs van Berlage. “Green Globe offers us a framework with which we can control, monitor and improve our sustainability processes. It furthermore shows our commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.”

Feedback from Green Globe auditor – Emilie Hagedoorn: “Whether it is about being an inclusive and caring employer, a generous community member, respecting the historical architecture of the building or simply being creative with actions such as sourcing from local suppliers, reducing food waste, serving yummy vegan menus or saving water & energy Beurs van Berlage does all of this and more. The pandemic has helped making some good changes and there are some big plans for the future. All in all a great first audit for this unique venue in Amsterdam.”

Amsterdam
Prestigious and sustainable events at the Beurs van Berlage
(© 2022 Beurs van Berlage)

Top notch IT technology

Among the recent upgrading of infrastructure is the centre’s IT technology. Using the slowdown due to the covid crisis, the old Beurs van Berlage IT infrastructure was scrutinised and critically examined to make it future-proof in an increasingly digital world. The result is more than 6 kilometres of shielded cabling, 100 managed Wi-Fi 6 access points, very powerful routers, firewall and switches, and a flexible bandwidth of 1.5Gb to 10GB that can be used flexibly. Switches and routers are the backbone of the network. They are continuously monitored and configurations can be made remotely or locally.

In addition to the existing fibre optic internet connection, a second fibre optic connection was realised. The Beurs van Berlage has chosen to enter into a partnership with two independent fibre optic parties, each with their own specialism, so that risks are spread, speed is optimised and the event organiser can be offered a high level of operational reliability. The historical building can now blend history with high tech operations and, of course, sustainability.

Green Globe is the world’s leading certification for sustainable operation and management of travel & tourism worldwide. The Green Globe International Standard for Sustainable Tourism has been developed over three decades in collaboration with the travel and tourism industry, communities in tourism destinations and other stakeholders. The Standard is recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council and Green Globe is an Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation UNWTO.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *