RED & IBC, When to go...

[Eirik Tyrihjel]

So as we wait for our RED ONEs, I for one want to go and meet as many people as possible, RED ONE buyers, future buyers, and of course the people behind it.

With two kids and a lot of work to do, I think I would like to keep my days in Amsterdam to a minimum, but I´d love to grab a few beers with fellow RED people while there, so what day is best?

Friday 7th maybe or Saturday 8th... maybe some other day?

Anything else I should think about?

And if any local people read this, or any frequent visitors for that matter - some tips/info on hotels that are convinently located and not too pricey would help too!

I am getting ready to order my flight....

By the way: Registration for the exhibition is free untill August 20th.

[Rainer Fritz]

I will be there from friday till sunday... probably meeting at the red tent???

regards

[Michael Brennan]

Book a hotel as soon as possible or you will be miles away.
If you go on the second or third day it leaves time for you to study from home internet reports of interest so you are well prepared.


Mike Brennan

[Rob Lohman]

Public transport from most hotels to the RAI tradeshow center (where IBC is being held) is generally extremely good. There are just a couple of hotels in the immediate vicinity anyway. This ain't Vegas ;)

I don't advice people to rent a car. It will be useless (and way more expensive than public transport, which is safe and abundant in Holland).

I had a larger list of notes for first time visitors. Let me see if I can find those again

[Nick Shaw]

Last year registration for the show included a free pass for all public transport.

[Rob Lohman]

YOU ARE REQUIRED BY DUTCH LAW TO HAVE IDENTIFICATION ON YOU AT ALL TIMES!
DUTCH EMERGENCY NUMBER IS 112 (not 911!)


IBC

As far as I know you do not need a Visa to enter Holland (Schengen area or the European Union) up till three months for business or pleasure.

IBC registration always includes a free public transport pass (not for trains I think though).

Last year IBC had constructed a beach behind hall 7 with some beach volleybal etc.

IBC is being held in the Amsterdam RAI convention centre. It's pretty large with both underground and off-site parking grounds. Expect to do a lot of walking so bring comfortable shoes. The on-site food is good compared to NAB, but expensive and with long waiting lines.

Taxi's are plenty at IBC and around the end of the day gather huge lines. They are pretty expensive and the drivers can be rude. I would not be surprised if some might charge higher prices for foreigners, although that's just a "feeling".

Bicycles are everywhere in a city like Amsterdam. Be careful because they go by fast. Do NOT walk on bycicle lanes (usually colored red / orange). Double check when crossing a street. Cyclist have the right of way in such cases!

Weather can change quite drastically here, even from day to day. One day it can be hot (and usually somewhat humid) next day can be cold. EXPECT RAIN.

Do bring layers of clothing though. If it is indeed warm you can just wear a shirt or something. But it can easily cool down a lot (especially by night) that you may want to wear a sweater etc.

Most people in Holland understand/speak at least some English.


Flying

You'll fly to our national airport called Schiphol. It's about a 15 minute drive from IBC (RAI) and there are trains going straight from the airport to IBC. Last year you could even pick your badge up at the airport.

There is only one carrier flying non-stop from Los Angeles to Amsterdam and that's our own Royal Dutch KLM. Economy is quite bad, but business class is good. Others fly direct but are not non-stop (like United Airlines). The non-stop flight from LA is around 10 - 11 hours. Add 5 - 6 hours if you have a stop / layover.

I would expect more non-stop flights from the east cost. Flight time from most parts of Europe is about 1 - 2 hours.


Hotels

The RAI hotel service had some not too bad hotel prices last year: http://www.rai-hotelservice.com/compass/webdirect.cfm?code=IBC07


Public transport

We have excellent (and safe, especially during the day and evening) public transport. You can get everywhere in Holland through a combination of bus, metro, tram and train.

RAI center has its own train / tram / metro station and connects directly to our national Schiphol airport as well as the central train station in Amsterdam (and other major cities like Utrecht, Rotterdam & The Hague [Den Haag]).


Cell phones, emergency number, power & water

We are on different cell frequencies here, so you will need something like a tri-band phone to make calls here (or be able to use a Dutch prepaid sim)

The national emergency (like 911) number is 112. The country code for Holland is 31 (so someone dialling to Holland needs to add +31 and drop the first 0 that ALL Dutch area codes start with). If you're dialling a foreign country from a land-line dial a double zero (00) and then the code of the country (1 for the US). Or replace the 00 with a + on a cell phone. Do not dial 011 (as in the US).

Our power grid is different as well (and of course our video standard is PAL and not NTSC), 230 volts / 50 Hertz instead of 110v/60Hz you get in the US. The power plugs are quite different as well! Bring converter plugs, adapters and check if you're equipment can work with this power standard.

Tap water is 100% good and safe to drink everywhere in the nation and Dutch people do so themselves. There should be plenty of bottled water available at IBC as well. Most restaurants serve decent food as well.


Money & paying

Holland is a EU member and we pay with the Euro here.

Do NOT expect to be able to pay much (definitely not all stuff) with your credit card. Hotels should accept most major cards and restaurants usually (but a lot of them don't!) accept at least 1 major card. Most (smaller) shops probably do not accept any credit cards. Gas stations do. Most people here in Holland pay with a debit card or cash.

If you have a credit card with pin you should be able to withdraw money from ATM's that you find everywhere (called a "pin automaat", "geld automaat") here in Holland. Big banks in Holland are: ABN Amro, Postbank, Rabobank & SNS Bank and most of their offices have ATM machines and are available throughout the city. Amsterdam has a number of currency exchange shops as well. The RAI center (were IBC is being held) has a couple of ATM machines as well!

If you have a debit card that may work as well. I don't know for sure since I don't have a foreign debit card. I do know that my own debit card works fine in the US!

Generally we don't really tip much here. But if you found the service very good you can tip. People don't rely on it (minimum wages are higher here and employers are required by law to pay a good wage & health benefits) like they do in some jobs in the US.


Driving around Holland

Yes, Holland is still the most expensive gas country in the world. Expect to pay 2 - 4 times as much for GAS here as in the US.

Minimum driving age is 18, not 16.

The roads are of excellent condition as well if you're thinking of driving around.

The normal speed limits are 120 km/h on the freeway, 100 (or 80 or 70) on city rings and motor ways, 80 outside a city (and not on the freeway) and 50 (sometimes 30) inside a city / town. Do keep check of your speed since Holland is littered with speed traps, both stationary and mobile, including laser guns and (undercover) police vehicles (usually on the freeways). You are required by law to wear a seatbelt. If an undercover police vehicle will (try to) pull you over a sign will popup (the car will usually be in front of you) that can say "stop politie" (stop police) or "politie volgen" (police follow). They are required to identify themselves and you can ask for that.

A couple of additions to Americans / Canadians that are going to drive here in Holland. We do not have right turn through red (just wait till it turns green) and we do not have the same rules for an intersection (ie, go in the order that you arrived in).

If it is an intersection (or road inside a city / town) that is not a road that always has the right of way (and doesn't have traffic lights) traffic coming from right (including bicycles) have the right of way.

You will see what we call "shark teeth" on the road if you approach a road that always has the right of way (you need to wait to turn onto such a road until no traffic is in the immediate area of the intersection).


Entertainment

Amsterdam is a city with some good bars and clubs. I've only been out in A'dam (as we abbreviate it to) a couple of times. There are a couple of well known clubs like iT, Escape, Melkweg and Paradiso. Basically you need to head to the center of the city.

Perhaps something like this might help: http://www.amsterdamtourist.com/

I do see that a lot of that stuff is very outdated. I checked a few things out and no, do not tip the bouncers, pay in guilders (we have euros now) or dress up. Most clothes are fine (don't wear jersey's and certain kind of sneakers though).

Amsterdam's own site seems to be a bit more up-to-date: http://www.iamsterdam.com/visiting_exploring/culture/nightlife

Yes, soft drugs (coffee shop / hash bar) are legal. Alcohol can be purchased from age 18.

[Fergus Meiklejohn]

Hey Rob

I'm sure US citizens don't need visas, (thank god we're not there yet!)
But I have it on high authority that the EU is rushing through emergency legislation requiring Citizens of California and employees of Californian media companies to place a brand new RED 1 camera in the hands of a budding young EU filmmaker as "collateral" to allow them to pass through customs.
Outrageous isn't it! I'll PM you my address :shifty:

Seriously though I look forward to meeting other members of the RED fan club (oops I mean serious RED reservations holders) in the tent or the bar on Saturday. I can't afford a hotel, so I'm flying in for the day from London :biggrin:

[RobRoySyd]

There's only a couple of points I'd add to Rob's very detailed guide:

When walking around IBC keep a map handy, I got hopelessly lost several times there. NAB is way easier to navigate and as Rob says, the RAI seems to cover a much larger area.

From my experience IBC has a very different vibe compared to NAB.

Highly recommend an all day canal boat pass, it'll get you not only a great experience just from the ride but also to a lot of the must see places.

IBC seems to be a much bigger event for Amsterdam than NAB is for Vegas and accomodation can be very hard to find, some hotels get booked out almost a year in advance. Rooms in most hotels are minute, we stayed in one on Centrum over a shop which was very convenient but very cramped.

And yes watch out of cyclists and trams.

[Mathieu Ghekiere]

I would like to go to IBC this year, as I did last year. It's superb you can go for free if you just register early.

Can I get confirmation from RED that they will show their workflow and images from Crossing the Line, like they did on NAB?
Because that would be my primary reason to go...

Thanks,

[Brice Ansel]

Can I get confirmation from RED that they will show their workflow and images from Crossing the Line, like they did on NAB?
Thanks,
I was wondering the same. And will the red team come in Europe with some new footages in their suit case aswell?
yes I know I'm a dreamer.

[Rob Lohman]

We will show workflow, cameras, accessories and images (in the 4K digital cinema) etc. I don't know *what* we'll be showing on the big screen.