Rotterdam Ahoy, more than just a venue

As a venue Rotterdam Ahoy is well known among the ‘biggest on earth’ since 1971. A worldclass venue offering infinite possibilities with over 50 years of experience in hosting concerts, sports-, business events and much more. Therefore it is the perfect location for a high quality congress such as EuroMaintenance and Maintenance NEXT, the leading maintenance and technology exhibition in the Benelux. But, Rotterdam Ahoy is more than just a venue.

> Rotterdam Ahoy Convention Centre. Last year was the opening of the new state-of-the-art Rotterdam Ahoy Convention Centre (RACC). This expansion gives Rotterdam Ahoy thirty-five additional spaces in which to host (international) conventions and gatherings. The RACC boasts thirty-five spaces with capacities ranging from 50 to 1,000 people. RTM Stage is the building’s largest space. It can be used as a music hall for 7,800 visitors (a so-called mid-size arena) and as a theatre/auditorium. With a capacity of 2,750 seats (or 4,000 seats in the XL variant), RTM Stage is the largest theatre hall in the Netherlands.

Another one of the building’s remarkable spaces is the expo foyer ‘De Rotterdam’, located on the third floor. It grants visitors a stunning view of the skyline of Rotterdam’s inner city. Bar Restaurant Seventy One, named after the year of Ahoy’s opening, will welcome visitors on the Ahoy square. The new development has a direct connection to the rest of the event accommodation, making it possible to create various combinations with the building’s many other spaces.

> Het Hart van Zuid (The Heart of South). The completion of the building is not only a milestone for Rotterdam Ahoy, but also for the area development of Hart van Zuid. The large-scale quality improvement of Hart van Zuid continues at a rapid pace. The Swimming Centre Rotterdam and Zuidplein Theatre with a location of Rotterdam Library are already in use. An expansion of Shopping Mall Zuidplein, a new bus terminal and movie theatre, residences and food service establishments are all still in development. This gives leisure a full place within the area development and further improves Hart van Zuid’s status as a city centre.

> Sustainable future. Investing in sustainability initiatives is one of Ahoy’s top priorities. Therefore the Municipality of Rotterdam, Rotterdam Ahoy and Hago Nederland (cleaning company) are joining forces to start on the realisation of an urban water buffer (UWB), a system in which rainwater is collected, retained, filtered, stored and reused. The water collected in the underground storage facility will be purified with plants and stored deep in the subsoil until it can be reused.

The water from the water buffer will be used for window cleaning and floor cleaning. The water will also be used to flush the toilets at the new cinema. With the UWB Ahoy expects to be able to reuse 20,000 cubic metres of the collected water annually.

As you can see Rotterdam Ahoy is more than just a venue. The possibilities, location, ambition and the social role it plays, make it the perfect stage for the combination of EuroMaintenance and Maintenance NEXT. Hopefully you will witness it in the third week of April 2023.