 All of us here @ Brussels International send you our best wishes for the festive season and a very profitable 2008! We hope you have enjoyed our eNewsletters in 2007 and above all found them useful & informative.
 Talking of festive seasons, Brussels is very much alive with our Festival of Winter Wonders which is on until 1 January. So you’ve still got time to squeeze in a quick ‘buying’ visit & some Xmas spirit!
www.winterwonders.be
And then it’s the January sales, so you have no excuse!
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 ALECHINSKY FROM A TO Y, until 30 March 2008, Royal Museums of Fine Arts
This year, Pierre Alechinsky, one of Belgium’s most prolific contemporary artists, celebrates his 80th Birthday.
The Royal Museums of Fine Arts are organizing a Retrospective to mark the occasion. Visitors will discover the wealth of his many themes, his affinities with other artists and the diversity of the techniques with which he experimented. His work is always bursting with vitality & vivacity.
www.expo-alechinsky.be - www.fine-arts-museum.be
  Expo 58. Between Utopia & Reality,
19 April - 20 October 2008, Atomium
2008 is the 50th anniversary of Expo 58. To mark the occasion, the Atomium invites you to discover - or relive - the magic of this event which is still ever present in the collective memory and showcased a united Belgium. It was the first World Fair of the post-war period and a landmark, just before the arrival of the Golden & Swinging Sixties…
www.brussels-expo58.be - www.atomium.be
 Paintings from the British Royal Collection.
From Breughel to Rubens,
9 May – 21 September 2008, Royal Museums of Fine Arts
A unique exhibition of some 50 paintings from private collection of HM Queen Elisabeth II. All are Flemish masterpieces from the 15th to the 17th centuries including works by Memling, Metsys, Gossaert, Breughel the Elder, Rubens & Van Dyck.
www.fine-arts-museum.be
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Accessible Brussels is fast becoming a major centre for meetings & events around the theme of sustainable development both at national & international level. Here are just a few highlights from the last 3 months showing how much is happening here:
  Members of the influential World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) met in Brussels in October for their Annual Council & Liaison Delegates Meeting. The WBCSD is a CEO-led coalition of some 200 mostly large & multinational companies committed to advancing sustainable development through core business activities.
This year’s meeting brought together 420 participants at the Conrad & Bristol Hotels for 5 days of high-level meetings. This was the largest gathering of the organization to date, a reflection both of the urgency of the issues being discussed and the growing determination of senior executives to find solutions. Despite the complexity of running some 60 separate meetings in such a short period of time, the venues provided a pleasant atmosphere and smooth organization. It wasn’t all work, however, as delegates also enjoyed a banquet dinner hosted at the Royal Museums of Art & History, steeped in culture & history.
www.wbcsd.org
  Also in October the second Alternative Tourism, ethical & sustainable (Tourisme, autrement, éthique et équitable) fair took place at the Tour & Taxis exhibition centre with over 125 exhibitors and 7000 visitors, all passionate about more responsible tourism.
 www.tourisme-autrement.be
 ‘How Green are you?’ was the theme of an MPI (Meeting Professionals International) debate in November at futuristic Living Tomorrow. Deloitte Touch gave some fascinating insights into their own internal ‘Greening the Dot’ campaign among 2000 staff in Belgium and MCI demonstrated greener practices & applications for the meetings industry.
www.mpiweb.be
 In December a new 2 day sustainable development fair, Planet Attitude, was held for the first time at Tour & Taxis. Themes included eco-construction, energy consumption, social responsibility….Over 100 exhibitors took part, not to preach but to help people reach their own conclusions and to offer numerous creative solutions.
www.planetattitude.eu
  And in February next year the 4th Annual Brussels Climate Change Conference will take place at Management Centre Europe and focus on EU & global issues relating to climate change.
www.climate-policy.eu
The Brussels agenda continues to look very green…
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Dining with dinosaurs
  The Museum of Natural Sciences reopened at the end of October after extensive renovation. It houses Europe’s largest dinosaur gallery including the famous iguanodons of Bernissart. The emphasis is very much on science & authenticity, but everything is explained interactively in 4 languages. An original venue for an event with a view overlooking the collection or a prestigious seated dinner among the dinosaurs themselves. www.naturalsciences.be
Les Brigittines, a new centre for contemporary arts
  This original arts centre for movement & voice training is run by the City of Brussels and located within the ‘twin chapels’ of Les Brigittines. The original chapel has not been used as such since the French revolution. It has served as a warehouse, stables & a dance hall, but has now been saved from further deterioration. Next to it stands a modern twin with the latest in studios and equipment.
The old chapel with a capacity for 300 is available for serious seminars and professional events. Contact: M. Lemaître adm@brigittines.be
www.brigittines.be
Brussels closer to London & India
Eurostar has brought London even closer to Brussels with the opening of the UK’s new high speed line & international station at St. Pancras. The magic figure is now just 1h51.
www.eurostar.com
 ...and there’s even a special website to celebrate, with 151 reasons to visit Brussels – from bars to the bizarre, from chips to chocolate…!
www.brussels151.com
 Brussels is now the European hub and stopover for Indian independent airline, Jet Airways’ daily flights between North America & India. www.jetairways.com
 ABITO renews itself
Members of the Association of Belgian Incoming Tour Operators & DMCs offer clients a quality service in Brussels. ABITO has just voted in new by-laws and a new Executive Committee with Vinciane Jacquiez (@dmire) as President and Hugo Slimbrouck (Ovation) & Michel Deswaene (Hansa Incoming) as Vice-Presidents.
www.abito-incoming.be
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The 3rd Brussels Meetings Week, designed to raise awareness of the economic importance of the meetings industry to the city, will take place
17-21 March 2008 to coincide with a new look EMIF (European Meetings Industry Fair). The outline programme is as follows:
If you are Corporate or Association event organizer and are interested in participating in the VIP programme, 18-19 March, contact the appropriate media above.
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From Russia with genuine appreciation:
 “We organized a conference & incentive program for the Russia and CIS units of Solvay Pharma in Brussels, 26-31 August 2007. There were about 500 participants. They stayed in Sheraton, Crowne Plaza & Holiday Inn; visited Ghent & Bruges; had a dinner at the Cureghem Cellars and saw many other fascinating things. Everybody admired the beauty of the country, cities & sights”.
Irina Zabrovskaya, PR Director, ADV Corporate Communications, Moscow
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REMINDER: Last chance to see some brilliant Brussels exhibitions & events
 Le Grand Atelier, Pathways of Art in Europe until 20 January 2008, Bozar
www.europalia.eu
www.bozar.be
Rubens, a Genius at Work until 27 January 2008, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
www.expo-rubens.be
www.fine-arts-museum.be
 Europalia.Europe Festival until 3 February 2008
www.europalia.eu
Leonardo DA VINCI. The European Genius until 15 March 2008, Koekelberg Basilica
www.expo-davinci.eu
 ‘This is our History’ until 23 March 2008, Tour & Taxis
www.expo-europe.be
Discover a different Brussels
- with help from the experts
The best way to discover Brussels is on foot or by bike in a small group with a knowledgeable & enthusiastic guide.
The guide service at Brussels International offer tours in 10 different languages: guides@brusselsinternational.be
 The umbrella organization, ‘Voir et Dire Bruxelles’ groups together 6 different cultural associations (ARAU, Pro Vélo, Arkadia.be, Itinéraires, La Fonderie & le Bus Bavard) which offer a wide range of themed tours from Art Nouveau to the footsteps of Jacques Brel, from Art Deco to Tintin…
www.voiretdirebruxelles.be
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 Your key to Brussels
The Brussels MICE Card is certainly a green product for your delegates, offering as its key feature unlimited use of the public transport for 2 to 7 days. The first major exhibition to take advantage of this excellent value card was gigantic SEAFOOD.
Your new MICE Card contact @ Brussels International is Sophie Bouchard
s.bouchard@brusselsinternational.be
Your Brussels event online
Check out what’s happening when on our MICE Calendar. And if you are organizing an event for a minimum of one day with over 50 delegates, we would very much appreciate it if you could put it online in the calendar. It’s very quick & easy. www.micecalendar.be/scripts/logon.asp
 Brussels tips & ideas?
Find the latest hot tips for venues, restaurants and everything involving meetings & events in Brussels on the new MICE blog, ‘Brussels Meetings Boudoir’. It has a definite feminine touch & charm. Contribute too with your own experiences.
www.brusselsmeetingsboudoir.blogspot.com
or via the Brussels International homepage (Organizer)
Another tasty recipe from Brussels:
Bouchée à la Reine
(Vol-au-vent Queen’s style for 6) |
What you need:
300g veal rump steak
2 filets of chicken
200g tinned mushrooms
Small tin of veal dumplings
45g butter
3 flat spoonfuls of flour
75cl chicken stock
3 egg yolks
10cl of thick sour cream
1 glass white wine
Pepper & nutmeg
6 pre-cooked pastry cases |
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What you do:
- Slice up the mushrooms and the veal dumplings
- Chop the meat into small pieces, fry quickly until pink & set to one side
- Melt the butter in a pan, add the flour and cook while stirring for 3 min
- Pour in the stock slowly, mix with the roux and bring to the boil
- Add the meat, mushrooms, white wine, pepper & nutmeg and continue to heat while stirring al the time
- Mix in the dumplings stirring softly
- Separate the egg yokes and mix with the cream in a bowl, then stir it into the mixture and simmer for 5 min
- Heat the pastry cases in the oven at 180ºC. When they are heated through and completely dry, take them out and remove the tops
- Place them on individual plates (accompanied by rice or pasta) and fill them with the mixture before replacing the tops. Serve immediately
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At major events over the coming months…
In Warsaw@EFAPCO, 10-12 January 2008
In Paris@ Bedouk, 6-7 February 2008
In Brussels@ the Brussels Meetings Week, 17-21 March 2008
In Brussels@ EMIF, 19-20 March 2008
In Frankfurt @ IMEX, 22-24 April 2008
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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 |
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Renewable Energy House
AA Dock’s