Kingpins Amsterdam announces upsized venue change

Denim trade fair Kingpins is moving the venue of its Amsterdam show, which until now has been held at the former gasworks complex Westergasfabriek, to SugarCity in the town of Halfweg.

The relocation, which will take effect from the April 2020 edition, will see the event’s footprint grow by 40 percent in square footage, from 70,000-square-feet to 100,000-square-feet, which will allow organisers to add “exciting features to the show and evolve some of its key areas to better serve exhibitors and attendees.”

The new location is a 15-minute drive or 25-minute train ride from Schipol Airport and a 10-minute train ride from Amsterdam Centraal, with a train station directly outside the venue.

The space itself shares many of the same attributes that have come to define Kingpins Amsterdam, with organisers of the event describing an “industrial grittiness and historic soul that is the ideal backdrop for the most progressive sourcing show in the denim industry.”

Commenting on the news in a statement, founder of Kingpins Show, Andrew Olah, said: “Our original Amsterdam venue has seen us grow from a show with barely 37 exhibitors to one with more than 100 exhibitors and nearly a dozen activations in six years. We have expanded out of the Gashouder building into three others and added a series of tents.

“As much as we love the Gashouder and Westerpark, we have dreams and goals for the show that don't fit under that amazing blue dome. We have been looking for a space that captures the spirit of Kingpins Amsterdam and pushes us to the next level. I believe we have found it.

“We hope that this change will help to maintain the momentum and vibrancy that are the hallmarks of Kingpins Amsterdam - as well as provide us with the space and opportunity to try new things.”

The move does not affect the Kingpins Show schedule, with upcoming Kingpins Amsterdam 2020 editions taking place from 22 to 23 April, and again from 28 to 29 October.

Photo credit: FashionUnited