Frequently asked questions

No, you can only book a space via our website.

Online reservations are made per calendar day. Choose the day of arrival at the RAI. You can drive out until midnight. If you drive out after midnight, it is better to buy a parking ticket in the garage.

During dance parties, you can reserve a parking ticket allowing you to drive out after midnight.

Reserve your parking ticket online

Yes. If you booked and paid for a parking space, you can be certain of having a spot. When entering the garage or parking grounds, you will be assigned a parking space.

If you booked in advance the ticket will indicate where you can park, for example P1/P2/P3/P4 or RAI / EXTERNAL. The ticket also explains which route you can follow.

No, this does not automatically mean there are no more parking spaces, only that booking is no longer possible. If there are no parking spaces available at the RAI, you will be directed to an external parking area, as indicated on the access roads around the RAI via (mobile) information panels.

You can easily change your licence plate yourself by logging into our parking webshop and selecting your booking there. Then select change parking space and then press the 'pencil' icon to change your licence plate number.

• Dates cannot be changed by yourself. You can change it by sending an email to parking@rai.nl. Your booking will then be canncelled and refunded. You can then make a new booking.
• Cancellation of a booking is not possible.

The conditions are simple:

• Booking is only possible via iDEAL, VISA, MasterCard or American Express;
• Booking is only possible via parkeren.rai.nl;
• You can exit the parking garage using licence plate recognition, barcode or pin number (the latter two are indicated on your parking ticket).

After booking you will receive an email which includes a PDF file. This PDF is your confirmation and indicates the booking period and booking number.
You must have your confirmation and parking ticket or tickets when entering and exiting the parking garage (physical or on your smart phone).

You can park in parking garage 1 till 4. During special events, there are external parking locations. This will be clearly indicated in the product you select.

If you parked shorter than booked, you will not receive a refund. If you parked longer than the booked period, you can pay any extra costs at the exit.

When you arrive in the parking garage:

1. A sensor will 'read' your licence plate. You will not receive an entry pass.

When returning to the parking garage:

1. You do not have to pass by the payment machine. You can exit the garage thanks to licence plate recognition.
2. If this does not work, you can scan the barcode at the exit column; the barcode is indicated on the PDF confirmation which was previously emailed to you. If you have not the printed ticket with you, you can also scan the barcode from your smartphone. Make sure it is not in dark mode and brightness on 100%.
3. If you have parked longer than the booked period, you will have to pay for the extra days at the exit.

Yes, this is possible. But after exiting, you cannot use your parking card for 60 minutes to exit again. 
You may not have access to the exact same parking space.

See the website for the options by car, taxi or public transport.

​By Metro & Bus
If you arrive at Amsterdam Central Station (CS), you can take the metro 52 (travelling time: 6 minutes, in the direction of Zuid (South), Europaplein stop). Metro 52 stops right in front of the RAI and will take you into the heart of Amsterdam.
If you are travelling by train to the Amstel station, you can take metro 51 to Amstelveen (travelling time: 5 minutes) or the bus (route 65), which will bring you to the RAI within 10 minutes. In this case you should get off at Scheldeplein. From Amsterdam Sloterdijk station, the best way to reach the RAI is with metro 50.

By Train
NS-station Amsterdam RAI is 300 meters from the RAI and has regular connections to all parts of the Netherlands, like Schiphol, Rotterdam, Utrecht, The Hague and is also linked to the international train network. Check the NS journey planner for your itinerary.

By air
You can reach RAI Amsterdam from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol by car or public transport in less than 15 minutes. Schiphol Airport is one of Europe's biggest airports and offers passengers a high standard of service.
See Schiphol.nl for flight information, 'To & From' Schiphol Amsterdam Airport and other facilities at Schiphol Amsterdam Airport.

The RAI is ideally suited for visitors who travel by car. It is situated alongside the Amsterdam’s A10 orbital motorway (exit S109) and has its own underground car parks. This means that the RAI is easily accessible for visitors coming from the Netherlands or abroad. All the main motorways can be reached without difficulty from the orbital motorway.

Numerous signboards indicate the route to the RAI. During large exhibitions, orange signs displaying ‘P RAI’ will direct you to additional parking places. From there, a free shuttle bus will bring you to the RAI.

For routeplanner navigate to:

RAI Amsterdam
Europaplein 24
1078 GZ Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Please use the following address to navigate to RAI Amsterdam:

RAI Amsterdam
Europaplein 24
1078 GZ Amsterdam
The Netherlands

• By car/taxi: approx. 15 minutes (allow for considerably more time during rush hour)
• By train: 11 minutes from RAI train station

• By car/taxi: approx. 10 minutes (allow for considerably more time during rush hour)
• By metro 52 (subway): approx. 6 minutes from Europaplein stop
• By tram: approx. 25 minutes

• to Schiphol Airport approx. € 45.00
• to the city centre approx. € 35.00
• to the Central Station approx. € 50.00

See the FAQs for Parking at RAI Amsterdam

The current venue was opened in 1961. Prior to this, RAI was situated in the Ferdinand Bolstraat for 40 years (The 'old RAI'). From the founding until 1922, RAI did not own an exhibition centre, but used the famous Amsterdam Palace for folk industry (Amsterdamse Paleis voor Volksvlijt). The first RAI exhibition was held there in 1895. The RAI Association that organized this event was founded in 1893.

Rijwiel and Automobiel Industrie, which translates to: Bicycle and Automotive Industry.

There will be a total of 2 entrances. You can find the location of each one in the floor plan.

The minimum age for entry is 16 years, this also goes for accompanied minors.

Dogs are not allowed in RAI Amsterdam.
Assistance dogs are always welcome in RAI Amsterdam.

Yes, you’re able to enter the venue and enjoy the event with your mobility scooter.

Aquatech Amsterdam is accessible for people using a wheelchair. The aisles at the show floor are spacious and the surface is flat. Elevators and disability toilets are available. Visitors with an official 'disability card' can follow route 7 to P7-parking garage. With a disability card, parking costs € 5.50 per 24 hours.

It is possible to borrow a wheelchair. A reservation is needed and can be made by sending an email to ReceptieRAID@rai.nl and provide us with the following information:

• name;
• Telephone number;
• Date;
• Event/exhibition name.

A valid ID is mandatory.

As a professional event organizer, RAI Amsterdam stays up to date with all current societal events. Our safety & security department stays in contact the government authorities. RAI Amsterdam aims to achieve a balance between safety and hospitality, to make sure guests can enjoy their visit to Aquatech Amsterdam.

All about access to the show

RAI Amsterdam 'houses' 700 narrowcasting screens all over the building and in the exhibiting halls, a system called RAILive!.
The screens show your location, halls, rooms, routes and events.

No. As a result of the European tobacco legislation, RAI Amsterdam has been smoke-free since July 1, 2008. The smoking ban applies to all RAI buildings, including the catering locations and garages. Smoking is not permitted during set-up or breakdown.

Yes, it is possible to borrow a wheelchair during major public events. Reservation in advance is necessary, send an email to ReceptieRAID@rai.nl with the following information:

• Name;
• Phone number;
• Date of retrieval;
• Event/exhibition name.

Borrowing a wheelchair is free. We do ask for a cash deposit of € 50.00. The cash deposit will be returned upon return of the undamaged wheelchair.
A valid ID is required upon collection.

Yes, guests can leave their coats in the cloak room for € 2.00.

An ATM can be found at two of entrances (D and K) of the RAI building. The information desks at various entrances can give you directions to their exact locations.

Catering points are available throughout the exhibition complex.

RAI Amsterdam offers all visitors acces to its public wifi network in the Congress Centre. Whether the wifi capabilities and the wifi network are extended depends on the organisation and therefore it varies per event.

Yes. The Prayer Room has a washroom and two private cubicles where people of all faiths can pray or meditate in a peaceful environment. The Prayer Room is always open and accessible via Entrance D at level -1.
The two private cubicles for prayer/meditation can be locked from the inside.

For general questions and inquiries about tickets and registration, please contact us via aquatech@rai.nl.

Our advanced AI-powered matchmaking platform uses natural language processing, advanced algorithms and deep neural networks to constantly learn about your professional goals and interests. It takes the work out of networking through intelligent matchmaking – making it more fun and giving you a higher return on your time.

If two users show interest in each other, they are able to chat with each other. If there is mutual interest, the person will appear under 'My connections'. You can then click the 'Chat' button to open a chat window. Requesting a meeting is scheduling a location and time for a meeting (offline or online) with a connection. This can be done via the 'request a meeting' button.

The Aquatech connect platform allows you to network with other attendees and exhibitors, arrange meetings and identify potential business contacts.

The Aquatech connect platform uses natural language processing and advanced algorithms to recommend networking opportunities. Alternatively, you can search for attendees/exhibitors directly or use the filters to find the right profile you’re looking to meet.

First, find the person you’d like to meet and click on their name to view their profile page, you’ll be able to mark them as ‘interested’ or send a meeting request directly.

You could meet each other at the $(connect-matchmaking) area or you can specify somewhere else in the personal message area.

When a meeting request is accepted it will send a calendar invite to your email address.

The Aquatech connect platform will display your professional information including name, job title and company. Information such as telephone number, email address or mail address will be displayed based on your profile settings (private, connections only or public).

1. Log in on the web platform or mobile app;
2. Once the meeting is accepted, the Virtual Meeting Room button will appear (if it’s pending or cancelled the Virtual Room won’t be available);
3. The Virtual Meeting Room button will be clickable 5 mins before the scheduled call;
4. Once you click on the Virtual Meeting Room button you’ll be directed to your virtual meeting room;
5. You can go in and out of the Virtual Meeting Room within your scheduled meeting time, however, once the meeting time has expired you won’t be able to access your Virtual Meeting Room;
6. Meeting duration is not limited;
7. You’ll be able to share your screen, however, you will be unable to record your meeting.

If you log in to our Aquatech connect platform for the first time, a pop-up window will take you through a few steps to set-up your profile, make sure to go through each step and fill out the appropriate information.

If you already are connected to our Aquatech connect platform and you would like to update your information, click on the profile icon in the upper right corner. You can add here a profile picture and fill in/adjust the answers on the profile questions.

1. Open the profile page of the person you have a meeting with and display meeting details.
2. On the list of participants you will find a 'Add invitee' button.
3. Click on this button and search for people you want to meet. You will only find people you have permissions to meet with.
4. You can select up to 10 people on a single invite and only select people who are available for relevant timeslot.
5. Click 'invite'. Once this has been done, you will also see additional participants on the list; and each of them needs to accept the invite separately.

Once you login to te platform you can connect and network with other attendees. Either you can click on ‘Recommended for you’ or you can go to the ‘attendees list’ to invite people to connect by clicking on te ‘show interest’ button. Once you are connected you can request a video meeting.