There is only one bright spot. The traditional exchange building on Beursplein 5 is a marketing dream. The Occupy moment underlines the value of a recognizable symbol in an electronic trading world with a lack of a physical market place.
The Christmass tree has been moved to the Dam square, but next year the building at the Beursplein will capture the attention again. It has been confirmed the exchange building will open a cafe for outside visitors. The heavily guarded building hosts an internal bar, and it will open doors to outsiders.
Instead of training excess staff to serve beer and lunch, the management of the bar will be in the hands of an external firm (rumour: Harkema). An even bigger contrast to the Occupy movement, the exchange will try to obtain a permit to use the square for an outdoor cafe. The latter will probably take some time, but planned kick off for selling lunch to the public is in Q1 2012.