Amsterdam
likes to see itself as being at the heart of Europe and its location
does give it easy access to many of the major European markets.
European Cities Monitor recognised Amsterdam as
one of the top five business locations in Europe in 2002.
The Netherlands has suffered as a whole during the global downturn
but has not yet endured problems on anything approaching the scale
of Germany’s predicament, despite its close economic ties
with this neighbour. In fact, Germany is the Netherlands’
biggest trading partner, with 25 per cent of import and export trade,
while other major players include France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and
the UK.
On average, approximately 70–100 foreign companies set up
in the Netherlands every year and they are attracted by Amsterdam’s
prime position within Europe, with excellent international connections
from the ever-expanding Schiphol airport and Amsterdam
port, a strong infrastructure, a multilingual workforce,
a stable political and economic climate and business-friendly policies.
Major companies with a presence in Amsterdam include ABM
Amro Bank, Shell and Phillips,
with IBM, Canon and Sony all having their European
headquarters in the city. It is fitting in a city that was home
to the world’s first ever public stock exchange that finance
is a major part of the business world, with the financial sector
employing approximately 8 per cent of Amsterdam’s workforce
and some 70 banks having a presence in the city.
After finance, flowers and fashion are key sectors. Of all Amsterdam’s
exports, tulips are probably the most famous. In
terms of exports, fresh flowers are a large market and Heineken
is the largest export brewery in the world, with sales to 150 countries.
Heineken was one of the few major European breweries to offer positive
results for 2002. Over the last 20 years, Amsterdam has also emerged
as a strong base in advanced technological industries,
computing, telecommunications and biotechnology.
A key industry currently facing difficulties is tourism,
with both the lucrative North American and Japanese markets suffering
due to the instability in the Middle East. Unemployment levels have
risen slightly in Amsterdam recently, with city-wide unemployment
running at a rate of 5.7 per cent by the end of 2002, still lower
than the national average of 6.9 per cent.
There are extensive facilities provided for businesses in Amsterdam.
The Amsterdam RAI International Exhibition & Congress
Center, Europaplein 8 (telephone number: (020) 549 1212;
fax number: (020) 646 4469; e-mail: mail@rai.nl;
website: www.rai.nl),
is one of the country’s largest and one of the world’s
leading convention centres.
Business activity in Amsterdam is largely focused around the city
centre, although also important are the port area and the new business
parks on the city outskirts.
Commercial information
is available from the Amsterdam Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (telephone number: (020) 531 4000, fax number:
(020) 531 4699, e-mail: post@amsterdam.kvk.nl
website: www.kvk.nl)
and from Amsterdam
Promotion Foundation
Business
Etiquette
The Dutch pride themselves on their efficient use of time, so punctuality
is very important. Dutch business associates should be addressed
by their full name and title and not by their first name, unless
they are much younger or have indicated that it is all right to
do so. Most Dutch executives speak English, so
it is not essential to have business cards translated into Dutch.
However, it is important to have promotional material and instruction
manuals translated into Dutch. It is a good idea for visiting businesspeople
to put the date their company was founded and university degree
details on their cards, as the Dutch respect history and education.
Business hours are Monday to Friday 0900 hrs–1700
hrs.
The Dutch wear suits for business meetings while smart-casual wear
is worn on social occasions. Business lunches and appointments in
the evening are quite rare. If invited to the home of an associate,
guests should bring flowers. If given a present, it is customary
to unwrap it immediately. |
