the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Many of those organizations are based in the city’s international zone, a short ride from downtown, and so is much of its meetings infrastruc- ture, including Worldhotel Bel Air The Hague. With 300 guest rooms, a 3,000-square-foot congress hall, and 20 meeting rooms, the Bel Air is one of The Hague’s premier conference properties

— located just next door to the World Forum convention center, which was hosting the World Justice Forum. After spending a few hours at the

World Justice Forum, I checked into my host hotel, the Crowne Plaza Den Haag

Capitol View Holland’s parliament building sits on the Hofvijver pond in The Hague.

My first day in Holland wrapped up

on a timeless note, at Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam, an opulent property that first housed two 16th- century convents, then the Admiralty of Amsterdam, which added a new building with a stunning façade, and finally, for nearly 200 years, Amster- dam’s city hall. Today, the 178-room Sofitel Grand is a classic beauty that sprawls around a cobblestoned court- yard, with nine “historical” meeting rooms — including the 3,175-square- foot Council Chamber, built in 1924 for Amsterdam’s city council — and, spread over three floors, the nearly 10,000-square-foot Princehof Meeting & Convention Centre. The next morning was another stun-

ner, clear and bright and mild. Perfect weather for a day at the beach, which is where I unexpectedly found myself after a tour of Amsterdam RAI, Hol- land’s largest conference and exhibition center. Not only does the sprawling RAI complex offer more than 1 mil- lion square feet of space, including 11 exhibit halls, from 11,000 to 161,000 square feet, and the Elecium confer- ence center, with a 20,000-square-foot

PCMA.ORG

ballroom and 20 meeting rooms — the facility also sits adjacent to Strand Zuid, a beach property with sand, lounge chairs, hammocks, and a cool, relaxed restaurant, where I enjoyed a cold drink at the water’s edge before taking my leave of Amsterdam. The RAI had that covered, too. The complex is home to its own rail station (along with subway, bus, and canal stops), making it a snap to catch the train to my next destination, a little more than 30 miles to the southwest: The Hague.

THE HAGUE: SEAT OF POWER If Amsterdam is Holland’s New York City — bright and urbane, with seem- ingly limitless energy — The Hague is its Washington, D.C., leafy and elegant, even stately. As my hosts with Den Haag Mar- keting (denhaagmarketing.com) noted, the destination is known as the City of Peace and Justice, and for good reason. Situated on the North Sea, The Hague is the seat of the Dutch government and supreme court, and home to more than 150 international organizations, includ- ing the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and

– Promenade, which also sits adjacent to the World Forum. It’s another impec- cable property for international busi- ness, with 174 guest rooms and eight conference and boardrooms. I had a free evening, so I walked

from the Crowne Plaza through the lush Scheveningen Woods, along one of The Hague’s many wide, tree-lined boulevards, and into the city center. It was a beautiful night in a beautiful city. A steady breeze blew off the North Sea, and standing at the edge of the Hofvijver pond, looking over the shimmering water at the 600-year-old clutch of buildings that house the Dutch parliament and at the jagged line of modern skyscrapers rising up behind them, it wasn’t hard to trace a line through the centuries to today’s City of Peace and Justice. The next morning, I walked from

the Crowne Plaza back to the World Forum to learn more about the 160,000-square-foot venue, which shares a neighborhood with the ICTY, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and, directly across the street, the residence of the Dutch prime minister. With nearly 110,000 square feet of exhibit space, 27 meeting rooms, and a 2,161-person auditorium, the World Forum can host events for up to 5,000 people. And, over the next three years, The Hague is investing 25 million euros to expand the facility’s

SEPTEMBER 2013 PCMA CONVENE 21