MEETINGS & EVENTS

We met, you met, they met… in Brussels!
Meetings and events are very much part of the lifeblood of Brussels. Medical congresses, European summits, exhibitions & fairs of all types, events, product launches and meetings for innumerable other reasons represent over 55.000 gatherings every year. They attract some 14 million participants with an estimated average buying power of 350€ per day.

Brussels Meetings Week
Each year for the last 4 years, Brussels has promoted the image of the Meetings Industry during a whole week of events which is designed to raise awareness at every level – among politicians, European & international institutions, corporate decision-makers, job seekers, students and ultimately the community at large.

“The internationalisation of Brussels is one of the major challenges for the economic development of the Region. This is a fact nowadays, and the Meetings & Events sector is an indispensable driving force behind it.” explained BI-TC President Philippe Close.

This year the Meetings Week had been rebranded with a more youthful look, a new logo and more dynamic website, plus regular information and news on Facebook

An eventful week…
It started with a Job Day on 13 March in Bozar where job applicants had a unique chance to meet potential employers face-to-face and sell themselves.

Over 60 top national and international buyers took part in a VIP Programme over 2 days and visited a range of the best Brussels venues for meetings and incentives, including a hard-hat site inspection of the Square Meeting Centre (due to open in September) and an evening at the Museum of Natural Sciences, winner of this year’s Best Brussels Special Venue Award.

There was also plenty going on at EMIF 2009 at the very chic and design Brussels village, complete with its Magritte photo studio. The Brussels International/EMIF Networking Evening at Tour & Taxis attracted over 900 industry professionals and the Career Day for tourism schools was once again a sell-out.

The big finale – the Brussels Tourism Awards 2008 on 20 March took place at the high-tech venue, AA Docks. It was an Oscar-style performance including limousine, chauffeur and two glamorous Brussels International presenters…To find out who the winners were and why, just click on BRAVO… Get a feel for this 4th Brussels Meetings Week online, complete with photos and short articles on current industry issues… www.brusselsmeetingsweek.be