Controversial choice of Heineken as sponsor of '750th Anniversary Amsterdam'

27 February 2024

Heineken and the city of Amsterdam join hands to make the 750th anniversary of the city possible. The Amsterdam-based brewer will officially be main sponsor of the Amsterdam 750 anniversary year. By attracting beer brewer Heineken as the main sponsor of the festivities, a significant gap has been closed both financially and organizationally.

To celebrate the festive collaboration between the city and the brewery, Mayor of Amsterdam Femke Halsema and Heineken ceo Dolf van den Brink raised a glass in the old boardroom of Heineken on the Tweede Weteringplantsoen in Amsterdam. The mayor explains the choice for Heineken as follows: "Anyone who looks at the rich history of our city cannot ignore Heineken."

However, this choice is not without controversy.

Chairman Sheher Khan of the Amsterdam council faction of multicultural party DENK calls it a 'very bad' signal. "We are increasingly coming to the conclusion that alcohol has serious consequences, from diseases such as cancer to social and psychological problems. The costs for society are high."

The leader of the faction of liberal party VVD, Daan Wijnants, is positive. He points out that Heineken has a long history in Amsterdam and has previously invested in the city.

Coalition parties PvdA (Labour) and GroenLinks (GreenLeft) are less outspoken. Imane Nadif (GroenLinks) wants to know whether the agreement with Heineken is in line with municipal policy on sponsorship. Lian Heinhuis (PvdA) says she does not think it is surprising that an Amsterdam company is contributing to the anniversary year.

Sources: events.nl, ad.nl, parool.nl and marketingtribune.nl.

Press release Heineken: https://www.theheinekencompany.com/newsroom/heineken-and-amsterdam-join-hands-for-the-citys-750th-birthday/

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