There’s no tilting at windmills in the cosmopolitan centre of Dutch commerce, where conducting business of every kind is easy and straightforward. Jonathan Hart reports. Amsterdam is the clever clogs of Holland; effortlessly welcoming, hugely adaptable and happy to oblige or provide the necessary plug to help your business along. Freewheeling, frank and flexible, the commercial capital of The Netherlands has, after all, been on its international trading bike for nigh on 400 years. And should you detect a touch of take it or leave it in your initial dealings, it’s because all and sundry are eager to climb aboard. You shouldn’t need convincing of the advantages of pedaling along. Born of flower dealing and with an uncommonly rosy acumen in sidestepping bureaucracy, seamlessly shifting tack and diversifying into every conceivable growth sector, the city plays confident host to more than 250 major corporations, handling the gamut of business from banking to bio-technology with consummate ease. Facilitation is the name of the game, whether you’re looking for a sophisticated European base, a reliable distribution centre or somewhere your order for goods or services stands a better than average chance of being met, as and when you want them. Amsterdam could have invented the concept of public-private partnerships, the relationship between state, employers and workers virtually strike- and problem-free. At the same time, the city is the personification of social tolerance, its predominantly immigrant or expatriate workforce providing a harmonious, unforced and unfettered feel to daily life. This revolves around the adopted Nineties corporate edict of work hard, play hard, but without the accompanying power breakfast-style brouhaha or standing on ceremony. As such, there is arguably no more casual or cosmopolitan place in Northern Europe in which to conduct business, the city’s easy-come, easy-go apparatus as a port, trans-shipment point and tourist centre adding to the elasticity of demeanour and general conviviality of mood. While much manufacturing has been moved to spacious satellite estates to the west of the city, and the eastern dock transformed into a 21st century business and leisure complex, downtown, with its tall gabled houses, is relatively compact and easy to traverse on foot; provided you know where you’re going. Criss-crossed by canals and shaped like half the ubiquitous bike wheel, with Central Station the hub and main roads the spokes, the city can be confusing for pedestrians. Fortunately, each of the locals appears to speak half a dozen languages fluently and can point you in the right direction. Alternatively, there is a reliable network of trams, buses and metro lines - easily used with an all-purpose stripenkaart (strip ticket) - to save you resorting to the eye-wateringly expensive taxis. In food, drink and entertainment generally, appealing to all tastes and proclivities, Amsterdam doesn’t come cheap. Yet what you get for your money, along with business reliability, a spirit of can do and a sense of ease is hard to match. Currency: Euro €1=US$1.89
Tipping: hotels and restaurants include service in the bill, but it is customary to add 10%; add a similar amount to taxi fares
Time: GMT+1 (+2 summertime)
Electricity: 220 volts (standard European two-pin plugs)
Public holidays 2006: April 14, 16, 17, 29; May 5, 25; June 4, 5; December 24, 25
Climate: Holland has what is described as a moderate climate, but with frequent showers during most of the year; January and February can be bitterly cold with temperatures little above freezing; summers are warm and spring and autumn are both pleasant
Airport: Schiphol is 5 kilometres (9 miles) southwest of Amsterdam; trains operate from the airport to the city centre every 15 minutes, and hourly between 12.00 and 06.00 (journey time 20 minutes) and to the Rai Congress Centre; bus services link the airport and various towns; Connexion Airport Hotel operates shuttle buses to the major hotels, while the taxi journey is about 15 minutes and costs around €40 (US$48)
Hotels: Mercure located within the terminal, Sheraton linked by walkway and Hilton within walking distance; plus Dorint, NH, Ibis, Radisson SAS, Bastion, Crowne Plaza, Schiphol A4, Courtyard by Marriott, Chariot, Dorint Sofitel, Mercure, ETAP, Van der Valk Zurich
Business hours: 09.00-17.00 Monday-Friday
International dialling code: 31
In emergency: 112 (all services) business do’s and don’ts
Do be prepared for a fairly formal approach to business
Do make appointments at least two weeks in advance
Do ensure punctuality
Do address people by their full name unless you are already on first-name terms
Do avoid meetings in July and August, when many Dutch take their annual leave
Don’t forget this is a very egalitarian society
Don’t be surprised if the Dutch decide to check out your credentials
Don’t expect much small talk before meetings, the Dutch are anxious to get down to business
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