Heineken House opens in north London, expects 6,000 people a day

Heineken owner Michel de Carvalho, former Dutch Olympic gold medalist Ellen van Langen and Heineken owner Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken hand over the key to Holland Heineken House to the Chairman of the Dutch Olympic Committee André Bolhuis. JOHN OURAND PHOTO

Heineken executives are expecting 6,000 visitors to come to the Holland Heineken House each day during the Olympics and said six of the days are sold out.

“We’ve been doing this since 1992,” said Dennis Hogenboom, Heineken’s senior sponsor manager. “If you’re Dutch and you’re at the Games, you know about Holland Heineken House and you want to come.”

Heineken and the Dutch Olympic Committee officially opened the Holland Heineken House on Thursday with an event that included a Town Crier and an English Beefeater. “Those are typically English,” Hogenboom said.

Set up in Alexandra Palace in north London, far away from the Olympic Park, the Holland Heineken House is set up like a trade show, with Dutch Olympic sponsors setting up stands.

Dennis Hogenboom, Heineken’s senior sponsor manager, poses with a traditional English Town Crier at the opening of the Holland Henekin House. JOHN OURAND PHOTO

The Alexandra Palace venue includes a “medal room” where the Dutch Olympic Committee will celebrate their athletes’ Olympic wins and a VIP area where Dutch athletes can hang out in private during the event. It has restaurants, big screens and, of course, tons of Heineken on tap.

During the Games, orange spotlights will be trained on the Palace every night, turning it the color of the Dutch national team.

“The Olympics are the biggest platform in the world,” Hogenboom said. “From Heineken’s point of view, it makes sense to do something like this around the Games.

Heineken installed stadium seating to allow fans to watch the Games on a big screen. JOHN OURAND PHOTO (3)