Host Your Next Event at Boom Chicago

The Best All-Around Venue In Amsterdam

Our warm, industrial space combines 100 years of history with modern facilities and top equipment. The building breathes inspiration and fun while being zero percent bland. Our fantastic staff has a can-do attitude… and they work for us, not some temp agency.

The complex consists of three theaters plus an impressive main bar. The building has excellent catering facilities, break out spaces, dressing rooms and a secret dungeon. Don’t go down to the basement.

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Why Choose Boom Chicago?

Versatile Event Spaces: Boom Chicago can accommodate everything from intimate groups to large-scale events with much of our tech available in house. In our state-of-the-art theater, stylish reception area, or team building spaces we can deliver spaces with or without seating
World-Class Hosts and Trainers: Boom Chicago is built on creativity. Our smart, and engaging hosts lead with knowlege and energy
Top Entertainment and Activities: It is easy to add our world famous improv comedy, tailored scenes, interactive workshops, and bespoke experiences.
A Prime Location: Our venue in the heart of Amsterdam is easily accessible by car, coach, bike or tram. Parking is available nearby at Q-Park Europarking. Enjoy the exhilaration of Amsterdam parking prices.
Full-Service Support: From planning to execution, our experienced team will ensure everything runs smoothly and your event a success. Our high speed internet comes from two separate providers, just in case. Think about how important (and rare) that is.
Great Catering and Drinks: We serve fantastic food and delicious drinks. We are full of creative ideas!
Customizable Packages: Everything is possible and nothing is niet mogelijk. We love to be your creative partner to create something truly special together.

Perfect for:

Corporate Meetings & Conferences
Product Launches & Presentations
Workshops & Team-building Events
Private Parties & Celebrations
Networking Events
Creative Retreats

Our Spaces

The Big House

The Big House has high ceilings and a beautiful, industrial look. The space has a flexible, flat-floor design and can be cozy for any sized group. For performances, the theater can be set up with small tables and lights. For dinners, we create beautifully decorated tables with linen and flowers. For conferences, we seat people in rows with or without small tables. Drink service can be provided before, during, and after the event.

Cabaret setting on the ground floor: 230 pax
Cabaret setting including the balcony: 350 pax
Seated Dinner: 190 pax Standing Event: 500 pax
Add the Upstairs Theater: +150 pax

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The Upstairs Theater

Walk past the beautiful 100-year-old stained-glass windows, past the Boom Chicago history exhibit, and up the stairs to our warm and flexible Upstairs Theater. This red-curtained space is perfect for performances and presentations, workshops, and parties. A flat floor means the space is perfect for a sitting, standing (or dancing) audience. The theater is very suitable for private dinners where you can toast success and put people in the spotlight. The room is equipped with lights, sound, a beamer, and a (small) screen.

Cabaret Seating: 90 pax
Conference Seated: 42 pax
Theater Seating: 120 pax

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The Attic

As you might imagine, the Attic is a very intimate space up lots of steps. This well heated and air conditioned room has a flat floor and seats 30 people. The airy space, filled with natural light, adds an additional break out room or meeting space. The Attic Theater is served by two, single-stall toilets on the same level.

Breakout Space: 20 pax
Theater Seating: 30 pax

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The Boom Chicago Bar

Eat, drink, laugh, network and connect at Boom’s central meeting place. With beautifully high ceilings and intimate spaces spread over three levels, this space is cozy by day and night. The Mezzanine is a perfect place for a borrel or a private dinner under the stained-glass windows from 1913.

Reception / Standing Event: 200 pax
Dinner on the Mezzanine: 14 pax
Borrel Drinks in the Mezzanine: 40 pax
Party Upstairs in the Gallery Nest and Mezzanine: 50 pax
Add the Upstairs Theater: +150 pax

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Other Spaces

Backstage: The backstage is 5m x 9m. With a ‘decor’ of props and costumes, it can serve as a green room or an unusual and creative additional breakout room.

Dressing Rooms 1 and 2: Near the Big House there are two spacious (changing) rooms with lights and mirrors. Each is equipped with a toilet and shower.

The Kitchen: The best conversations happen in the kitchen! This space can be used as a breakout room, a greenroom, a storage area, staging area and of course… a kitchen!. The large 45 square meter room can receive deliveries without going through the theater or bar.

Boom Chicago Show & Hosting

Comedy, Insights and Fun at your Event

No venue has more creative talent in house than Boom Chicago. Here are some of the additional components we can offer to make your event more memorable.

Top Hosts
Boom Chicago’s hosts are the best in the business with 30 years of experience. They travel around the world to MC the biggest events, but they are happiest leading events in our own space.

A Boom Chicago Show
Give us the information, and we’ll write tailored scenes to roast and celebrate what you do! Then we involve the audience to improvise and sing about them. A live, improvising musician adds even more energy and fun.

We are a breeding ground for international comedy talent, including Seth Meyers, Ruben van der Meer, Oscar winner Jordan Peele and the creators and stars of Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt and Joe Kelly). The next generation of comedy superstars is ready to create something special for you. You approve all scripts in advance.

The Future of Your Organization
This two-person performance takes a tongue-in-cheek yet also serious look at your organization and where you want to go. The actor-hosts facilitate an internal discussion, teach the basics of improvisational thinking, and end the show with big laughs.

12 Ways Boom Chicago Makes Your Event Better!

A Daytime Event Host

A great host will add energy and fun to your program. They can interview guests, run a panel and energize the crowd after lunch. A professional improviser can react quickly to any unexpected moments and welcomes last minute changes.

Watch a video here!

A Master of Ceremonies

An evening program or award ceremony needs a skilled presenter with charm and humor. Hmmm… where can you find one of those? With funny, tailor-made moments, our MCs can make an evening dynamic and exciting.

Watch a video here!

Interactive Workshops

Don’t just sit back and watch: Participate! We can lead interactive activities and workshops to reinforce your messages or themes with great, aha moments! We are great at bringing energy back in the morning, after lunch, or anytime!

The Future of Your Organization

Is your company in transition? The Future of your Organization is perfect for any business with an eye on itself. The interactive, two-person workshop-performance takes a tongue-in-cheek yet also serious look at your organization and where you want to go. Boom Chicago founders Andrew Moskos and Pep Rosenfeld developed this one-hour interactive activity based on 30 years of experience in the business and creative worlds.

The Great Photo Challenge

This Boom Chicago original is the best team building event ever. Groups compete to do group photo tasks that are created especially for your organization. The scoring is both fair and not the most important thing. The game is smart, but does not require great or equal language skills. After the game, everyone comes together for the Photo Finish, a tailored comedy awards show performance, starring your company and your photos. Food, drinks and prizes are served!

Watch a video here!

Music Improv Spectacular

Your CEO or inspiring leader joins our cast on stage to be interviewed and tell stories. Then the actors take over and create scenes, characters and even songs based on those stories. With a live improv musician, it’s a special night everyone loves, especially the guest!

Past storytellers include: Tanja Dik, CEO of the Johan Cruyff Arena, Ted Lasso creator Brendan Hunt (Coach Beard), Superstar DJ Sunnery James and Mayor Femke Halsema.

Styling

Easily adapt the appearance of the building for your event. Three large screens in the Big House are ready for your videos, pictures, and logos. Hang banners and large objects from the 10m high catwalk without ladders or equipment. The stage decor is fabric that can be printed and customized for your event as a total stage customization. In the bar and toilets we have frames to display your own posters and places for large items. Two stiched beamers can project impressive, wide images.

Improvisation Training Workshop

Learn our famous improvisation teamwork skills. Let us put more ‘yes and’ and less ‘yes but’ in your work culture. Add in a focus on active listening and ‘love every idea for a minute’ and you can teach great work skills while people are laughing together and having fun. These workshops bring out the creativity in a team. [Watch the video]

A Great Energy

Our team is passionate and works only for us. That contagious energy makes our venus in demand for a variety of events. We are perfect for comedy shows, private dinners, congresses, meetings, training programs, TV recordings, awards shows, guest productions, birthday parties, team building sessions and weddings. Also funerals. It’s the circle of life, Simba.

Presentation Skills Training

When robots and AI do more of the work, what will be left for us? Inspiring people, leading the team, closing the deal and connecting with an audience! Those all involve presentation, and it’s a skill. The more fun and confidence people have standing on stage, the better their messages will come across. A presentation workshop at your event can make it even more valuable

A Tailored Wrap Up

Events need to end big! We can write and perform a humorous and energetic wrap up to hit the topics and themes of the day from an insider-outsider’s perspective. We can even incorporate observations about the day that just happened. Don’t end with polite applause. End your event with a thunderous cheer!

A World of Catering

Your chef or ours? Bring in your own caterer or let us propose creative options with one of ours. We have relationships with top kitchen teams for different budgets and concepts. Seated, walking, buffet options are all possible. Let’s find the best match for your style and wishes!

About Us

Boom Chicago, a partner of Unique Venues of Amsterdam, combines excellent facilities, creativity, humor, and a can-do attitude. We are still owned by our founders Saskia Maas, Andrew Moskos and Pep Rosenfeld who are still active and passionate about events.

In 1993, Boom Chicago introduced improvisation comedy to a mainstream Dutch audience. Since then, the successful ensemble has made more than a million people laugh while continuing to innovate in our theater and in the business arena.

Boom Chicago has launched the careers of Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele and the creators and stars of Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt and Joe Kelly) and the stars and writers of 50 great TV shows. Best of all, the next generation of comedy superstars is on stage tonight.

We wrote a very funny book! The 30 Most Important Years in Dutch History (Akashic Books) is an oral history of Boom Chicago plus our take on life in the Netherlands over the past quarter century. ‘One of the Best Comedy Books of 2023’ Vulture/New York Magazine. ‘Catnip for comedy fans’ — Publishers Weekly.

Pep Rosenfeld also wrote a book about comedy in the workplace called Work/Laugh Balance. “Pep Rosenfeld certainly is [funny], and his book will inform and amuse. As he says, ‘Humor is a powerful tool – it’s a shame not to use it.’” –Michael Hasted, Arts Talk Magazine

Sustainability

Boom Chicago embraces sustainability. We minimize our energy footprint with energy-efficient lights to reduce electricity consumption. Our heating and A/C system is from 2023 and uses modern energy reduction design. We recycle paper, plastic, and glass to minimize what we send to the landfill. To tackle food waste, we work with local caterers who repurpose what is possible and donate excess food to local organizations. Our community-based caterers support local businesses while promoting sustainable practices. They, and Boom Chicago, hire people with a distance to the labor market.

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