How a bicycle show became the RAI
Transcript
You are inside one of the biggest event halls in the country, and its name is a bicycle.
In 1893 the Dutch bicycle industry started organising exhibitions to show off its newest models. The organisation was called the R.I., for Rijwiel-Industrie. Rijwiel is an old Dutch word for bicycle, literally a "riding wheel." In 1900 a new invention needed showing off too, and an A was added, for Automobiel. Rijwiel en Automobiel Industrie: the R.A.I.
The bicycles and cars have long since moved on, but the name stayed. Today the RAI has eleven exhibition halls covering about eighty-seven thousand square metres, and in the winter some of that space becomes Winter Paradise.
So while you are on a ride, at the ice rink or queueing for something warm, remember that it all started with a few Dutch manufacturers proudly lining up their bicycles. In a country with more bikes than people, that seems exactly right.
Source: www.dutchnews.nl
