On the trip, we were offered an opportunity was attend a marketing talk by the people behind I Amsterdam. I Amsterdam are a non-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping Amsterdam thrive. They offer a popular travel card which we were all lucky to get a hold of which give you free public transport, free admission to attraction and amazing discounts. Whilst in Amsterdam I defiantly took full advantage of the card and it was so handy to have.
When we got to the office, we were greeted by a few team members and sat down in one of their meeting rooms. They guided us through a presentation about marketing Amsterdam and how their strategy may not be what we expected.
Over-Crowding
One of the main problems that the I Amsterdam team face is over-crowding in the city and they try to solve this by dispersing the tourists to the regions around the city centre that are super easy to get in and out of and have their own perks. Amsterdam regions offer so much more to the city, with festivals, modern bars and resturants, tulips, canals and even a beach. They are worth checking out, or even staying in, whilst visiting Amsterdam.
Party Scene
Amsterdam has gathered a reputation, especially in the UK, for being stag do central and a party city. With the red-light district and the array of trendy bars and cafes, Amsterdam is such a fun city to be in, but Amsterdam is a very calm city with locals that miss how quite the city used to be. This is very important to the Dutch people and the British tourists tend to embrace the holiday and forget to respect the area. There have been issues of anti-social behaviour by tourists that think its ok to act differently to how they would at home. This means that the I Amsterdam team have to come up with solutions to satisfy tourists and locals. One of the main ways they have tried to avoid this is by starting a respect campaign where tourists will have to pay if they don’t behave.
From my experience in Amsterdam, I felt as though the city was so beautiful, quiet and quirky and there were SO MANY tourists, even in March. I could see that the main streets were packed but if you found the little streets behind the main roads, they were really lovely. It is a shame to think that some tourists are disrupting the culture there, so if your planning on going to Amsterdam to party (which it is really fun) make sure you see the lovely little city for what it actually is by exploring the ‘old Amsterdam’ and respect the area.
Sustainable Fashion
Another trend that I Amsterdam are trying to promote is sustainable fashion by consuming less. Amsterdam is full of markets, independent boutiques and second-hand stores. Famous for their flee market and denim, it’s an important part of the scheme to avoid over consumption and enjoy local material. Amsterdam has a great sustainable fashion museum (Fashion For Good), proudly placed in the middle of town between fast fashion H&M and Zara, which showcases sustainable fashion items to encourage change.
I AMSTERDAM Statue
You may know Amsterdam by its huge I AMSTERDAM statue outside of the Rijksmuseum, well…it’s gone. At first I was gutted that I couldn’t take THAT picture outside it that everybody does when they go to Amsterdam. However, after they explained why they took it down, it made more sense. The statue was promoting over-crowding with loads of tourists gathering around it and even climbing on it to take a photo. It was a political stance to make a statement about how ridiculously over-crowded the little city was getting. If your completely disappointed (which I was at first) there are still the same letters in a few places outside the city centre and they are taken to events like a new museum opening.
It was really interesting to hear from I Amsterdam and I’m really happy I got the opportunity to go. We learnt so much and I hope you got a taste of what we learnt from this post.