US Ambassador supports international opportunity   

By The Holland Times Thursday 01 April 2010, 12:04

Excerpts from the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands, Fay Hartog Levin's speech at The Hague International Spirit business club reception held on 9 March 2010

I am delighted to host The Hague International Spirit business club tonight. I have met some of you before, but I am glad all of you could be here this evening, and I hope this will not be the last time I can say welcome to my home.

The theme of this evening’s Reception is “The Power of Customer Service in Local Business.” I congratulate the business club for focusing on this critical priority area for any business.

I must tell you that I think a public/private initiative like THIS is the perfect vehicle to promote The Hague as a truly international city. And a place where people, be they visitors or businesspeople, will want to return often. Once people come here for any reason, as we know, they tend to want to come back again and again.

You are fortunate to be promoting a city with so many attractions. The Hague has it all: atmosphere and style, historic buildings and world class museums, every modern amenity, and a thriving business and tourist industry.

Recent investments in the city center have added elegant modern office buildings, hotels and restaurants, shops and housing.

And I am told that here in a place that has long been known as the “green city by the sea,” more than one third of the city consists of woods, parks, avenues with monumental trees, and historic country estates.
But as we know, there is still more to this story.

The Hague is already prominent in international affairs, especially those involving the courts. As the home to the UN International Court of Justice, the Peace Palace, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and the International Criminal Court, The Hague is a legal center of world importance.

Thousands of international and local staff work at these institutions and create a unique and vibrant international community. They work alongside other thousands employed by local and international businesses.

With all of this going on, as you might suspect, The Hague has put in place a number of programs to promote business in specific sectors. Many of you may work with one. I’d like to mention just one specifically, but one I think indicates the kind of innovative approach we’d all like to encourage. The Creative City program was set up to attract new businesses to The Hague and stimulate the creative sector. The main target groups are architects, designers, artists and specialists in computer games and new media.

The program includes making commercial properties available to creative industries, for example the former Laurens cigarette factory which was converted into an innovation center for creative and innovative businesses, and is now known as the Caballero Fabriek. And many of you have probably visited the old KPN building, where the public now sees expositions and theater performances. I am all for recycling, whether we are talking about paper and glass or buildings, and these are exciting and important initiatives.
You can tell I am impressed by The Hague and by what is happening here.

But if I can leave you with one observation, it is that you can’t stop now. We always need to do more. To be truly successful, this city must welcome visitors and create an atmosphere that communicates that everyone who lives in The Hague or works here, or just passes through, is truly important.

Overall, there is no better way to accomplish this than by raising service standards in general to meet the needs of all customers, local or foreign.

The U.S. business model embraces a high level of service for guests and clients as a basic element in any commercial venture. We do this because it works. “The Hague International Spirit” shares that vision and I commend the city of The Hague, ING and VNO for establishing such a worthwhile project.