12th October - Amsterdam... I'm comin' for ya!



FOMO. That's what I'm feeling right now. The last time I had Amsterdam-inspired FOMO was in 2017, when the majority of my workplace jetted off to the Dutch capital for some ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event) inspired madness. I was deemed one of the necessary 'stayers', as the office copywriter, and lived out a week of envy sat in a Camden dungeon, with a few other 'stayers', whilst the leavers gallivanted around a week full of 'conferences' and 'networking', which may or may have not included a few coffee shops and several pints of Heineken. 

That's the thing about ADE... Don't get me wrong, there is networking involved. I attended a fair few conferences through the 2018 and 2019 versions, but also, set in this oh-so-relaxed of cities, many meetings take place on small tables situated by beautiful canals, with the lure of rich edam cheese, crispy frites and mayo, or sugar coated waffles, nearby. For those reasons alone, ADE is one of my favourite weeks of the entire year and though 2020 and to an extent, 2021, were quelled by the pandemic, it looks as though 2022 is back in full roaring glory, with an entire schedule of events taking place across every night this week. 




I've tried to sell the beauty of Amsterdam to my other half, though I feel like my representation of it was not the best. When we attended, the City was in a full lockdown, during a dark and exceptionally rainy weekend in December, with sinister characters lurking down the narrow streets, and little to no charm or character filling the incredible destination in the same way it does on those golden brown Autumn afternoons. Now, due to other work commitments, it is implausible for me to take a week off during this exact week, but next year, I'm making a promise right now, that ADE 2023...




... I'm comin' for ya! 

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