#INSPIRE2018AMS HAS CONCLUDED.

Watch for highlights shortly of three inspiring days!

Please Note: Nederlandse deelnemers die naar het congres komen hier ook punten voor krijgen voor enkele belangrijke beroepsgroepen: VGCt Preconference 6 punten, Congres 14 punten; FGzPt: Preconference 6 punten, Congres 12 punten. 

Certificaten worden de volgende week naar u gemaild voor deelnemers die aanwezig waren.

Attended INSPIRE 2018 in Amsterdam? Access slides, and continue connecting with fellow participants by downloading the Schema Events App, available for your smartphone or tablet on iOS (9.0 or later) and Android devices (4.1 and up), or any other laptop, desktop, or other smartphone or table devices using your browser (safari and chrome work best): www.SchemaEvents.com 

Need a certificate of attendance? Contact the ISST Office directly at: CERTIFICATES

Amsterdam: Melding History with Modern Urban Flair

Amsterdam, the city of canals, gabled rooftops, hypnotizing Rembrandts, and remnants of splendor from its 17th-century Golden Age, when it was the wealthiest city in the world, is also less red, more tasty, more comfy, and more connected than ever before. It is the capital and spiritual “downtown” of the Netherlands, where LED billboards mix with Golden Age drinking holes and hip coffee shops. Outside the center, you’ll find tree-lined canals, hidden courtyards, and wood-paneled cafes.

Amsterdam offers multiple options for colorful day trips: through the tulip fields of Kuekenhof, the cheese market of Alkmaar, the halls of the first modern painter of the 17th-century at the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, the streets with a Golden Age atmosphere in Vermeer’s hometown of Delft, the backyard beauty of the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Hoge Veluew National Park in Gelderland, or the stunning tower of de Dam in nearby Utrecht.

The canals of Amsterdam are reminders that the Dutch have managed nature. On a sunny day, the waterways come to life, flooded with boats, while cafes with canal-side seating fill. One of the most cherished words in Dutch is gezelligheid, which means “coziness.” You’ll witness the spirit of gezeligheid as you linger in conversations at a local café, or as you walk along the canals at night. The Netherlands has long cherished a “live-and-let-live” spirit, where tolerance for differences is welcome.

Amsterdam may feel a bit like a global village, with 820,000 inhabitants from 179 nationalities, and nearly everything a mere 10-minute bike ride away. For a small space, the city packs a cultural wallop, with scores of concerts, museums, festivals, and a legendary party scene. It’s impossible to resist Amsterdam’s charms, in a city defined by its houses, but with more than 7,000 registered monuments, most stemming from humble merchants that were built on 160 human-made canals stretching 75 km, covered with more than 1,500 bridges. Amsterdam is home to the largest historical inner city in Europe, famous for its UNESCO site waterways known as Grachtengordel, a 17^th century urban expansion plan for the wealthy that is a lasting testament to the city’s Golden Age. Within a single mile, Amsterdam houses some of the greatest achievements in Western art, including Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Gogh, and so many more masterpieces.

You will find many of the treasures in smaller details, like the tiny alleyways off the beaten track, hidden garden courtyards, shop windows, vistas of church spires and gabled roofs that look like so many unframed paintings. With your umbrella in tow, you’ll be ready to take refuge from the propensity toward sudden bursts of rain by exploring the Museum District. Walking along the Prinsengracht canal may remind you of the beauty you experienced witnessing a Golden Age painting at the Rijksmuseum, and your best selfies may be next to local artists painting their finishing touches on their own versions of Rembrandt’s Nacht Wacht.

Amsterdam offers Holland’s best people-watching, as the Dutch are uniquely among the world’s tallest people. Culturally, the Dutch are known as being open and honest, in a way that some may experience as refreshingly blunt. As travelers and connoisseurs of world culture, the Dutch may be known to appreciate Vermeer paintings, Indonesian food, and the latest French film, all enjoyed with an un-snooty, blue-jeans attitude.