Hainaut: Ready for the digital future

Hainaut offers conference–goers a typical blend of Belgian culture, nature, art history, heritage and even accessibility. Nearby Brussels and Lille (France) are located a mere 50 km and 80 km away, respectively. With more than 200,000 residents, Charleroi, the largest city in the province, is the beating heart of the regional economy, and it also boasts an international airport. Mons is both the provincial capital and 2015's European Capital of Culture. The province also highlights facilities in La Louvière, Tournai and Mouscron. Like the Flemish art cities, Hainaut is deeply committed to its rich historical and cultural offerings, including UNESCO World heritage sites. These treasures include a mix of classics, such as the bell towers and the Tournai Cathedral, but also cultural and industrial heritage. The famous carnival of Binche is a cultural fixture, but Hainaut is also home to the most important mining sites in Wallonia and the hydraulic boat-lifts of the historic Canal du Centre. What was commonly viewed as a symbol of bygone glory in the '90s is today an attraction which conference tourists with an interest in industrial history enjoy visiting.  

Mons 2015

In addition to its industrial landscapes, Hainaut has always excelled at developing its cultural strengths. Residents of Mons will proudly tell you about local festivals, but the city is also the European Capital of Culture for 2015. Mons wants to capitalise on this special role to be the European hotspot for technology and culture in 2015. This desire has led to investments in a new station with impressive architecture that will connect the city centre with the Les Grands Prés shopping centre and the Digital Innovation Valley.  

MICX

A short distance from that architectural masterpiece in Mons, you will find a new and modern conference centre. The building, which took three years to complete, was designed by internationally renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, who also designed the master site plan for the new World Trade Center complex in New York city. The prestigious project, named MICX (Mons International Congress Xperience), is under the management of Artexis. It is situated close to the new station and the city centre, as well as to the Lotto Mons Expo. The largest conference hall in MICX can accommodate up to 500 people. The conference centre was immediately able to book reservations for this year from large companies such as Microsoft and Google.  

Digital Innovation Valley

Receiving bookings from these two Silicon Valley greats was more than a pure stroke of luck. Digital technology is a priority of Hainaut in general, and of Mons in particular. Mons has created its own valley — the Digital Innovation Valley, where the Initialis science park has already attracted a series of world-class centres. The Microsoft Innovation Center, or MIC, which opened in 2009 in the valley, strives to develop health applications and to guide start-ups. In the same period, TechnocITé set up in Mons as a specialised training centre for digital media and as a business incubator. Furthermore, Google built its data centre in the vicinity (Ghlin) and established the private-public organisation Euro Green IT in the valley. That brings with it the know-how of companies like IBM, Cisco, Alcatel, Mobistar and Deloitte. Above all, however, the project focuses on experiments to demonstrate the impact of new technology on sustainability. The expansion of the Digital Innovation Valley goes hand in hand with educational opportunities in and around Mons; particularly with universities (UMons, and UCL Mons, a satellite campus for the University of Leuven), but also with the university of applied sciences (HelHa).  

Charleroi DC

The city of Charleroi is similarly interested in technology. Although Carolos, as residents of the city are known, focus more on aviation and space technology. And that too is another industrial evolution because the specialisation in aircraft engines, for example, dates back to the strong steel industry of the last century. Gradually an intricate network of sub-contractors for the manufacture and repair of components emerged. After aviation, the aerospace industry set up in Charleroi with specialists in satellites components and space launch platforms. Charleroi, like Mons, has its own expo venue (Charleroi Expo). In addition to halls, the venue has a specific conference infrastructure (Geode) that can host organisations of up to 450 people. The city is definitely appealing to the conference market with the Centre Espace Meeting Européen (CEME), a conference centre featuring halls with a maximum capacity of 250 participants. Under the name Charleroi District Créatif (Charleroi DC), the city is hard at work on an ambitious project located to the north-west of the city centre. In addition to a redesign of the public space, the project includes: the renovation of the existing expo venue and of the Palais des Beaux-Arts, the development of a new conference centre and the creation of a university centre in the Zénobe Gramme building.  

The green lung

Our account thus far of Hainaut's history and future is missing one very important nuance. Despite the province's industrial past and the importance it places on cutting-edge technology, Hainaut is also a very green destination with stunning nature reserves, forests, parks, gardens, ponds and lakes. Hainaut uses this green factor to target business and conference markets with diverse ideas for incentives or programmes which companies can utilise right away. Frequently these programmes offer top culinary draws (such as Chimay and the Biercée Distillery). To smoothly integrate these lesser-known opportunities into the well-known conference facilities, the province gives organisers the option to call on the services of a conference bureau, Hainaut Meeting & Events, to explore possibilities and to test out proposals.