Brussels First For Hosting Services

Brussels is setting up a partnership and incentive programme for all professional organizers to enhance the use and the quality of hosting services in our city.
This hosting programme includes but is not limited to
• a brand new partnership with Brussels Airport to welcome conventions and trade fairs
• a concierge booth at the convention to deliver tourist information and personalized business assistance
• eligibility to a transport arrangement with the public transport company (conditions apply)
• various preferred rates for services and brochures       

A new brochure is detailing an extensive list of possible hosting measures. Please contact your usual BITC Customer Relations official to get a copy of this brochure.

New this year!

• Free Metro, Bus & Tram
All European Seafood Exposition (22-24 April) and Decosit (13-16 September) Exhibitors and Visitors were able to take the Metro, Bus and Tram for free to and from the Brussels Exhibition Centre (Heysel) when showing their badge. Visit the Brussels Exhibition Centre website for a detailed map of the Brussels metro system - Special arrangement between BI-TC, Brussels Expo and the Ministry of Mobility.

• BI-TC welcoming all MICE events at Brussels Airport
As from September 2008, BI-TC is now in charge of hosting all MICE events as soon as they get into Brussels Airport, international gateway not only for Brussels but also for the whole of Belgium. The desk is located in the baggage reclaim hall.

• Concierge and Information booth/desk
A Brussels Concierge Desk will take care of your participants or exhibitors by providing information and comprehensive services: Advice and booking (restaurant, shopping, etc.), Travel info, online flight check-in (Brussels Airlines and other companies), Tourism information and brochures, personalized services and assistance.

• BI-TC as a sponsor of Brussels shopping
BI-TC sets up a number of initiatives to assist the business travellers during their shopping activity in Brussels: Walk ‘n Shop folders, hotel brochures and folders, tax-free information.
  
Share-a-cab, a new initiative

Starting this summer, people in Brussels are now able to share a taxi ride with a complete stranger. If you have never had the opportunity to do this before, it is a strange sensation at first but the so-called "collective taxis" are expected to be a success because passengers pay a fixed lower rate.
The new "collective taxis" operate between 11 pm and 6 am to increase transport possibilities there where the limited number of night busses do not operate.
Passengers do have to reserve their taxi beforehand and come to the bus stop of their choice. En route they may be joined by other passengers.
Rides in the Brussels Region have a fixed price and only cost either 5 or 8 euros.
www.collecto.org

Great brochures

• The new ProBook is out. It is designed as a practical behind-the-scenes guide to the city and its major cultural events for professional organizers & the media.

• Open minds, open arms is a new brochure detailing a list of possible hosting measures in Brussels.

• Brussels Exclusive Labels is a first class guide offering an overview of the most select labels in Brussels - available in 5-star hotels.

• Shopping in Brussels is a detailed map covering the different shopping areas - available to guests in 2, 3 and 4-star hotels.

Reminder:

Smurf for All, All for Smurf, 10/06/2008 - 16/11/2008 @ CBBD
Fifty years after their birth, the Smurfs remain among the most popular characters ever created by a Belgian comic strip author. No age limit on this exhibition!
www.cbbd.be

Körperwelten 4, 29/08/2008 - 11/01/2009 @ Cureghem Cellars
Gunther von Hagen’s extraordinary exhibition visits Brussels again…
www.koerperwelten.be





 
Oceania - Ritual signs, authority symbols, 23/10/2008 - 15/03/2009 @ ING Cultural Center
As a first in Belgium, ING is bringing together around two hundred works of art from Oceania, to put on an exciting display of the exotic and breathtaking world of the South Pacific in all its diversity.
The Oceania exhibition is conceived as an imaginary journey through Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia in which visitors can acquaint themselves with the untold wealth of sculptures, masks, ritual artifacts, weapons, and symbols of status, intended to honor their gods, ancestors and nature spirits. A real discovery! www.ing.be/art

COBRA, 07/11/2008 - 15/02/2009 @ MRBA
Created in Paris in November 1948 by artists coming from Copenhague (Jorn), Brussels (Dotremont, Noiret) and Amsterdam (Appel, Corneille, Constant), the CoBrA movement produced some unique art forms.The project firstly aims at relating the story of the Cobra movement by putting it in its historical and cultural context. A must see for amateurs of the genre.
www.fine-arts-museum.be

More events on: www.brusselsinternational.be (Visitor/Events) 

Cantillon Brewery
Cantillon is a family brewery where LAMBIC, GUEUZE, FARO and KRIEK are made and where nothing has changed since 1900 when it was founded. The Van Roy-Cantillon family invites you to discover a fabulous world where beers, tools and brewing process are still the same as in the beginning. The Barrel Warehouse is a superb hall offering a unique setting for events. They can cater for 80 (banquet) to 120 (concert style). A visit is not complete without a tasting of a real traditional Gueuze-Lambic, and if you would like to know more about the Kriek or the Framboise, just ask the brewer…. he can talk about his beers for hours!
www.cantillon.be

Beermania (shop with 300-400 Belgian beers plus event space for tastings, 15-50)
The first worldwide online beer shop. The store stocks over 400 Belgian Beers as well as an extensive range of beer related products such as glassware, books and pre-packaged gift collections. Over the years the store has become a virtual Mecca for the Belgian beer devotee and rightly desires its reputation as a veritable shrine for the enlightened. A visit to the store is a must for those with a similar religious interest. For the curious and unconverted it is now possible to experience a virtual visit and discover the rich world of Belgian Beers.
www.beermania.be

Bier Circus
Situated behind the Parliament, this typical pub/restaurant offers an impressive selection of beers, especially Lambics, which have their own section on the menu card. There is also a special page dedicated to vintage specialities. The many positive comments of both Belgian and oversees visitors are a testimony to the quality of the cuisine. Beer lovers have a tasty visit to look forward to!
www.bier-circus.be

Sofitel Brussels Le Louise metamorphosis
Sofitel Brussels Le Louise – formerly known as Toison d’Or – has undergone a complete make over and is emerging as a new hotel where the Belgian ‘Art de Vivre’ is present all over. Especially the Crystal Lounge, born of the genius of Antoine Pinto, is set to become one of the best bars in Brussels. With its 85 seats, private corner for 45 guests, 350m² garden terrace and Live DJ performances on Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays, the Crystal Lounge Bar & Restaurant is a resolutely modern setting where good food and original drinks will make any visit memorable.
www.sofitel.com

SQUARE & BOZAR – the synergies
Every day we come nearer to the 20th day of the 9th month of 2009 when Square, the totally revamped congress center in the heart of Brussels will open its doors and will mark the start of the new life of what today is already called the new Convention District of Brussels. Within walking distance congress and convention organizers will find not only the brand new meeting facilities of Square, but also the extensive possibilities of the BOZAR complex with its great Henri Le Boeuf room for 2200 participants and its extensive exhibition rooms. Smaller facilities such as the Musical Instrument Museum, BELvue and the Espace Culturel ING as well as the Royal Museums of Fine Arts complete the vast choice on offer within walking distance. Add to that the proximity of the Central Railway station and Metro and Brussels has itself a success in the making!
www.square-brussels.com
www.bozar.be

Bozar	© Square / A.2R.C

Porte de Hal, original Brussels special venue
The Porte de Hal was built some 600 years ago as one of the 7 gates in the city walls and is therefore the place of choice to introduce the public to the ‘fortified’ city of Brussels over the centuries. With the help of models, virtual reconstructions, games and objects this unique building not only tells its own story but also that of Brussels. Learn how exactly a drawbridge functioned or how the gate was defended or just admire the great collection of original objects.
A full floor has been earmarked for exhibitions and events; the magical attic floor is also available for animations and children events. So never call the Porte de Hal a static museum, be brave and climb to the parapet and admire one of the best panoramas in town!
www.kmkg-mrah.be

Espace 53, a new face for a classic
A new wind blows at Autoworld and both the restaurant – now called Retromobilia – and the event space – Espace 53 – offer a great solution for events out of the ordinary. New is also the Comptoir du 50aire where every Thursday, Friday and Saturday between 6 and 9 pm free tapas are served with the drinks whilst listening to the DJ music.
www.espace53.be

The Cellars of Cureghem presents new website!
The Cellars of Cureghem are definitely hot these days, especially with the exciting exhibition of Körperwelten. A good time to discover the totally re-vamped website with all the latest news and information!
www.cureghemcellars.be

Whether you’re having an evening off or staying in town over the weekend, Brussels always has plenty of suggestions & surprises for you…

Museum’s nights, 25/09/2008 - 18/12/2008
After the success of previous editions, the Brussels’ Museums open their doors again Thursdays for late-evening openings or ‘nocturnes’. For full details on the programme go to
www.brusselsmuseums.be. Keep those Thursday evenings free for culture!!

Mozart vs Mozart, 27/11/2008 - 24/12/2008 @ Bozar
A musical humour show that tells us, in 10 funny and slightly facetious sketches, scenes from the life of father and son Mozart. One hour and thirty minutes of great classical music, seven musicians on stage in period costumes for a humorous trip through the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart! Two very talented artists bring a great evening of entertainment and first class music, an excellent way to prepare for the end of year period. The show can also be performed at private functions.006 for the "Mozart
www.ffortissimo.be
www.bozar.be

• In Berlin @ Brussels Day, 15 October 2008 www.brusselsday.be
• In Brussels @ ESAE Masterclass, 16 October 2008
• In Roma @ BTC, 6-7 November 2008
• In London @ WTM-World Travel Market, 10-13 November 2008
• In Barcelona @ EIBTM, 2-4 December 2008
• In Palm Springs @ USTOA Workshop, 3-5 December 2008

Everyday at the BIP-Brussels Info Place, our new offices at the heart of the Brussels Arts Scene, where the ‘Mont des Arts’ links the historic centre to up-town shopping & the EU village where the world meets!