Bruges: A gem waiting to be discovered

Bruges is basically Belgium’s only internationally famed tourist destination, and rightly so. The whole old town looks like it came straight out of a fairy tale. Also, this city used to be one of the richest and busiest trade centres in Western Europe and it still has a lot to show for it. Marvelling at the Flemish Primitives in the Groeningemuseum, visiting the beguinage and the almshouses, hiking to the windmills edging the old town, looking at the belfry tower from Rozenhoedkaai or taking a breather at the romantic Bonifacius Bridge. In Bruges it is like time’s stood still. You might even forget for a little while what you came here to do: attending a conference!

Diverse conference venues

Besides many picturesque views the medieval Old Town of Bruges holds a lot of diverse conference venues. Because of Bruges’ rich medical history, medical conferences often find their way to this city. For example to the conference centre Site Old St John, which is located next to St John’s Hospital, one of Europe’s oldest preserved hospital buildings. The medieval exterior of the hospital building is still exactly as it was in the 12th century. Site Old St John has a plenary of 500 delegates and several breakout rooms of 150 people. Another frequently used location for conferences is the Concert Hall. This venue is extremely well suited for big audiences (1,289 seats) as well as for streaming live operations to a big screen.

Prestigious new convention centre

Bruges is focussing more and more on association conferences. In order to be able to host this type of conferences, Bruges is building a new state-of-the-art convention centre in the heart of the city. It will feature 4,500 m² of exhibition space, including a plenary room of 500 delegates, numerous breakout rooms and a catering area on the top floor with fantastic views over the city. The new convention centre will open its doors in 2021.

Hotels aplenty

Hosting a conference, your visitors will most likely need a place to stay the night. With more than 3,400 rooms, there is a place for every delegate in town! Bruges’ newest hot spot is the brand new Radisson Blu hotel. This four star, modern business hotel opened just this August. It houses 109 modern rooms, a restaurant with an outside terrace and a cosy bar. The meeting facilities are spread out over two floors and six rooms, the largest one with a capacity of 90 people. The top floor offers marvellous city views. Next to the hotel is a huge parking lot. Hotel Dukes’ Palace is one of the most exclusive venues on the continent, and was recently awarded the Five Star Superior label by Visit Flanders. Housed in the former residence of the Burgundian aristocracy, it comes with 110 rooms and suites of various sizes, combining contemporary comfort with authentic 15th century elegance. The hotel also sports a beautiful 3,000 m2 garden – a rare asset in central Bruges – as well as an underground car park for 120 cars, a fine dining restaurant and a large spa. Crowne Plaza Bruges is the biggest conference hotel in town, offering a large ballroom for up to 370 delegates in theatre style. The hotel has 96 spacious rooms, with an eye for detail and technology. A unique feature is the diagonally positioned bed for a peaceful night’s sleep. Martin’s Brugge, a three star superior venue, is the biggest hotel in the old city. It recently removed all of its conference space in favour of 22 extra rooms and now offers 199 of them in six different categories. The hotel is currently renovating all the rooms according to the new standard. Renovations will be finished by April 2019. This place is literally around the corner from the market and the belfry and is very convenient to house a large group of people for a conference. Above all that, Bruges has plenty of other hotels, ranging from chain hotels to lovely family owned boutique hotels.

Spending free time

Bruges offers a lot of fun ways to spend your free time. At Bourgogne des Flandres brewery you can have lunch paired with the local beers followed by the brewery tour. The actual brewer is always on site to give a little explanation while he’s working. The brewery also has two elegant meeting rooms able to accommodate up to 30 people. Coffee breaks can be held here on a nice canalside terrace. The Historium attraction on the market square lets visitors see Bruges as it was in its golden age. The main tour leads through several cinematic sets full of special effects and tells a love story based on one of Van Eyck’s most famous paintings.

Meeting in Brugge

The Bruges Convention Bureau is completely focused on MICE and Business. It works free of charge and shares advice and connections, which keeps you from blindly trying to find everything by yourself. Save time and money and contact them. You can arrange meetings and site inspections, and they will take you by the hand from start to finish. If you organise an event and your group stays in Bruges for at least two nights, you’ll get a free reception in the city hall.