Leonardo Da Vinci: The European Genius, until 15 March 2008, Koekelberg Basilica
This mega 3000m² exhibition-event presents models, original documents, Codices as well as inventions derived from research into all the fields of science conducted by the famous artist. It is based on 5 themes that marked the man & the artist: his life, his painting, his writings, his machines and Europe in the footsteps of Leonardo. The exhibition is part of the festivities marking the 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.
www.expo-davinci.eu





This is our History, 26 October 2007-23 March 2008, Tour & Taxis
From the ruins of Europe in 1945 to the present day, this fascinating exhibition will be a total theatrical experience - integrating film, music, objects from everyday life (over 500 from 80 different European museums), interactive displays, artistic creations…
Organised by the Museum of Europe, it will offer a unique insight into the history of European integration. Visitors, as the principal actors, will discover how the big picture of Europe and their own life stories intimately intermingle.
www.expo-europe.be


CITYSCAPE, from 15 September 2007, for one year
A striking sculpture – 40m long, 25m wide and 18m high - of tangled wood that will stand for one year on the Prowinko building site on Avenue de la Toison d’Or, in the heart of Brussels’ luxury shopping district. This unusual work by Belgian artist, Arne Quinze is open to all who wish to discover its hidden meaning. CITYSCAPE is not only about visual pleasure: it also wants to reflect the growing international influence of the capital of Europe!
Surface: 300m² + Covered terrace in front of the sculpture: 180m². Rental possibilities for fashion shows, seminars, cocktails, dinners &
special events. www.cityscape.be

Expo 58. Between Utopia & Reality, 19 April-20 October 2008, Atomium
2008 marks the 50th Anniversary of Expo 58. For this great occasion, the State Archives & Brussels City Archives invite you to the Atomium to discover or relive the magic of this event which is still so present in the collective memory and showcased a united Belgium. The first World Fair of the post-war period, it was a turning point just before the arrival of the Golden Sixties…
www.brussels-expo58.be

REMINDER : Europalia, Europa, 3 October 2007-3 February 2008
Europalia is the major cultural event of 2007 and a festival for the whole EU & its 27 Member States in this most European of years. Over four months you will be able to see top works of art from every corner of Europe, discover our European cultural links & similarities and appreciate what makes each country in the Union so different.
www.europalia.eu

For more information on the amazing range of cultural events taking place in Brussels from now until the end of the year, consult our online calendar of events.
www.brusselsinternational.be (click on Events/Cultural)

Opening in October, The Dominican Brussels is situated in the historic centre, behind the Monnaie Opera and just off the Grand’Place. Award winning architects FG Stijl have created an eclectic mix of design in both the interior & exterior – resulting in an array of new styles and experiences. All 150 rooms have been individually designed to produce a unique atmosphere. Their layout around a central courtyard reinforces the intimacy of the hotel. 3 meeting rooms combine to give 179m² of space for up to 300 for a reception.
www.dominican.be

Hotel BLOOM! (former Royal Crown Hotel Brussels) next to the Botanical Gardens is undergoing a complete revamp which includes a novel renovation project - making over 4,100m² of bedroom wall space available to young artists from 31 different European countries.

The new hotel’s theme is ‘blooming’ (creation, flowering, growth), and so will its business. The first 174 rooms, the lobby & reception area have already been transformed into light, modern spaces which are both attractive & functional. The hotel also has 12 new meeting rooms over 2 floors and linked by an open staircase.
www.hotelbloom.com

Be Manos
This new 5* boutique hotel is close to the Eurostar & Thalys terminals at Brussels South station. It has 60 bedrooms (the smallest of which is 30m²) and offers all the facilities required for modern business. Both a home & an office-away-from-home with two meeting rooms for 12 to 60 people...
www.bemanos.com







For more info on all kinds of original venues in Brussels: www.brusselsinternational.be or consult your Let’s Meet in Brussels 2007

In June this year the world’s eternal rock band, the Rolling Stones stayed for a week at the famous Conrad Hotel in Brussels while they rehearsed for their European Bigger Bang Tour 2007. They even found time to hold a great party to celebrate Ron Wood’s 60th birthday in another well-known city venue - the theatre at Hotel Plaza.

After this Brussels week of relative peace & preparation, they went on the road for 30 days starting at Belgium’s Werchter Festival and moving on to a new country after each gig. Mick Jagger told his Belgian audience of 33.000, “We have been in Brussels for a week now, and we really feel at home”.

Genesis too rehearsed here before their 2007 Reunion Tour and held a special dress rehearsal at Brussels Expo in front of an invited audience of 250. All the guests agreed on one thing “Genesis ready to go after Brussels rehearsals”. At the end of June they came back to Brussels and played to a 45.000 sell-out audience at the King Baudouin Stadium.

June was definitely a busy musical month for Brussels. Brian Wilson of Beach Boys fame gave his first European concert here at the Ancienne Belgique on the night of his 60th Birthday. It was a great nostalgic event with so many songs from his iconic album, Pet Sounds and people even came over from the UK & Holland to hear him again live.

And as far back as 2005 U2 started the European leg of their Vertigo World Tour here too. So what’s the attraction of Brussels for so many rock bands? Apart from the rehearsal facilities away from the public eye and the ‘art de vivre’, Belgians have a reputation as a good tolerant audience who give a warm welcome to music stars of the past, present & future.

Featuring 3 large auditoria; an exhibition hall of 4000 m² & five floors with flexible meeting space, SQUARE (formerly Palais des Congrès) will be suitable for all types of events - international conferences, product launches, gala dinners, political debates, corporate events, medical congresses, fashion shows, European summits, film screenings…you name it, they will be organise it. Reopening is still on target for September 2009…
www.square-brussels.eu

MCE - short for Management Centre Europe – has completely renovated its ground floor reception area & restaurant. The Centre welcomes over 20.000 business people a year on training courses & for meetings. MCE offers 7800m² of space with 38 meeting rooms & an exhibition area for 7 to 700 participants.
For an eBrochure, contact: info@mce.be


And for something completely different, new and original – an event venue at No. 19 Grand’Place which is being managed in exclusivity by the Choux de Bruxelles consortium. The ground floor (160m²) & 1st floor (130m²) have been renovated and can cater for all types of events. Ideal for corporate entertaining when there are big events on the Grand’Place, and it can also be combined with the nearby Vaudeville theatre (just see below) which is part of the same group.
www.chouxdebruxelles.be


FRESH NEWS: The adapted by-laws of the re-newed ABITO (Association of Belgian Incoming Agencies and DMC’s) were officially signed on September 11, 2007.

The new Association re-created in Brussels under the same name is composed by licensed Belgian incoming agencies. ABITO will be managed by its General Assembly composed by all Active Members and the day-to-day work is given to a new Executive Committee. The new president is Vinciane Jacquiez (@dmire) and the Vice Presidents are Hugo Slimbrouck (MCI Benelux) & Michel Deswaene (Hansa Incoming). To read the press release, click here.

Theatrical Bruxelles-en-Scène
In the Alice in Wonderland-style labyrinth underneath the elegant Galeries Saint-Hubert Arcade in the historic city centre, you can organize almost anything from a simple guided tour to chocolate-making demonstrations, receptions & buffet dinners.
Then on the ground floor above there is the recently restored Vaudeville Café & Theatre where they offer a variety of ideas for fun-filled evenings.
And it’s a real theatre with its own stage where your company teams can even perform!
www.bruxelles-enscene.be

And for these & many more ideas, consult Experience Brussels – the ultimate guide to creating Brussels incentives. To order a copy or download, click here.

REMINDER: Brussels Museums Late-Evening Openings 2007
Every Thursday evening from 27 September to 20 December, between 5 pm and 10 pm.
www.brusselsmuseums.be








REMINDER: Biennial Art Nouveau, October 2007
Guided tours and interior visits
www.voiretdirebruxelles.be













The build-up to Christmas starts in the beautiful Sablon on 3 nights from 29 November to 1 December, when all the antique & other shops welcome customers from 07.00 to 23.00. These ‘7s’ are also the occasion for the inauguration of the fantastic end of year illuminations on the Place du Grand Sablon & in all the surrounding streets.
www.sablon.org

Then on 1 December (until 1 January 2008) the Festival of Winter Wonders takes off across the historic centre of the city with its traditional Christmas Market & many other attractions. This year’s surprising Guest Country is Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.
www.plaisirsdhiver.be

There’ll be the traditional exhibition of Nativity Scenes at the Koekelberg Basilica, now in its 7th year.

And don’t forget the Christmas shopping in December and the Sales throughout the whole month of January when prices come tumbling down by as much as 30% to 70%.

And for fashion lovers, there’s the Fashion Districts of Brussels. Follow this excellent little guide as it introduces you to the city’s trendiest areas. From the ultra-cool ‘quartier Dansaert’ to the luxury of the Avenue Louise, via the classic ‘Galeries de la Reine’ arcades, it shows you the best fashion & design shops as well as some unusual addresses.
To order a copy, click here



For information on all the many cultural events taking place from now until the end of the year & beyond, consult the online monthly events calendar
www.brusselsinternational.be (click on Events/Cultural)

From a recent article on ‘Savouring a weekend in Brussels’, published by the International Herald Tribune:

“But travellers who ignore Brussels, home of the European Union, twice-fried French fries and the surrealist painter René Magritte, do so at their peril. For one thing there’s the food – a veritable galaxy of Michelin stars. Then there is the beer: more than 600 varieties, including ales brewed by monks. Add to that a thriving design scene and the city is finally making cultural waves”.

For the full article: www.iht.com/travel

Two useful Brussels guides & a website

After Hours is the essential guide for conference delegates, speakers, and businessmen and -women keen to relax, go shopping, enjoy evenings out or a spot of exploring after work. This pocket guide also includes a map and themed walks of around 2 hours.
To order a copy or download, click here

And what’s so special about Belgian ‘frites’?

Well for one thing, as the International Herald Tribune points out, they are twice-fried.

Here’s how you make this very Belgian & Brussels of specialities:

• Peel your potatoes (preferably slightly floury Belgian ‘Bintjes’) and slice them into pieces around 1cm thick
• Wash and dry them with a cloth
• Heat oil (beef fat or vegetable) to 160ºC and put in the chips. When they start to surface, leave them for one more minute before taking them out
• Then increase the heat to 180ºC, put them back in and cook until they are golden
• Drain them and remove any surplus oil

If you want to know more about Belgian ‘frites’ and the campaign to defend the traditional chip stall (Fritkot as they are known in Brussels), there’s even a website: www.frites.be
One of the most famous ‘fritkots’ is Chez Antoine on the attractive Place Jourdan in the European Quarter – great for a weekend autumn snack or to build into a Brussels incentive programme.

Brussels International is the official Brussels Convention & Visitors Bureau.

We are here to convince you – and help you make the wise choice – to hold your next meeting or event in Brussels… naturally!

We have up-to-the-minute information on www.brusselsinternational.be, as well as a wide range of attractive and practical printed material for you & your clients.

We are also completely neutral. We offer independent advice and can put you in contact with DMCs, PCOs, hotels, venues & other suppliers - according to your own particular needs – all free of charge.

Brussels International – Tourism & Congress

Rue de la Violette 18 Violetstraat
B-1000 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 549 50 50
Fax: +32 2 549 50 59
mice@brusselsinternational.be
www.brusselsinternational.be