PRESS PACK

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1 PRESS PACK SQUARE-BRUSSELS CONVENTION CENTRE 60 YEARS OF BELGIAN HISTORY SQUARE-BRUSSELS CONVENTION CENTRE, A UNIQUE VENUE The economic importance of Brussels conference industry has nothing left to prove. To support this key economic policy for our economy, Belgium and Brussels in particular, can rely on a exceptional venue, SQUARE-BRUSSELS CONVENTION CENTRE. It is one of the rare conference centres in the world located right at the historic heart of a capital, which is also the heart of a capital for 500 million Europeans in the European Union. And this year it is celebrating its 60th anniversary. But first of all, some history: The Palais des Congrès was built on the occasion of the 1958 World Expo which revealed the need to have sites in the capital dedicated to hosting international conferences. The existence of the Brussels Palais des Congrès was, it seems, one more argument for Paul-Henri Spaak, Robert Schuman and Konrad Adenauer for keeping Brussels as the headquarters for European organisations. At the time, there were in fact only 2 such venues, one of which was the Brussels Palais des Congrès, a pioneer in Europe. It was, at the time, an underground building that was home to a major cultural legacy, as René Magritte, Paul Delvaux and Louis Van Lint had created 3 enormous murals there, which have been lovingly preserved. Thanks to Beliris fund, the public limited company Palais des Congrès S.A. managed the extensions and renovations which, launched in 2009, would give birth to the contemporary venue that we know today, with its light and open spaces. An audacious glass cube 13 metres tall, a real architectural feat, lets natural light seep in to the underground levels, thus creating an inspirational environment that is ideal for coming together and interacting. Work of the architectural bureau A2RC. The perfect balance between atmosphere and functionality, the flexibility of the spaces and the modernity of the facilities meet the needs of all sorts of different events, ranging from summits, conferences, business conventions and seminars to product launches, gala dinners, price giving ceremonies, fashion shows, exhibitions, press centres and much more. The location is perfect: in the city centre and close to one of the biggest multimodal hubs in the country (trains with direct links to the airport, the metro, buses and car parks) and a central position in Europe. Its location, its cutting-edge facilities and its operational excellence make SQUARE a benchmark in the conference world. 1

2 For the last 60 years, the Palais des Congrès has been a fantastic tool for Brussels, worthy of its position as the capital of Europe. SQUARE-BRUSSELS CONVENTION CENTRE, A MAJOR PLAYER FOR TOURISM IN BRUSSELS Brussels is the world s number 1 city for conferences (source: UIA). International economic impact studies suggest that, on average, a delegate spends around 325 Euros/day in the destination in which he stays. So it is an important, defining asset for a city s economy. Since it opened, the Convention Centre has hosted events and welcomed more than 10,000,000 visitors. Thanks to this extensive experience, the space has been optimised, quality products and services have been developed to meet the needs of the market more effectively, methods and services have been improved thanks, among other things, to the expertise and know-how of the GL events Group, who, since 2009, have been running the Palais des Congrès, which was then renamed, SQUARE. GL events won the contract at that time as a key player in the events industry. The group covers all aspects of events, focusing on three main sectors: organising trade shows and exhibitions, working with professional organisations and communities, managing non-residential spaces and services and, events logistics. Dedicated to exporting trades, the group works on 5 continents, in more than 20 countries, and is listed on the stock exchange. GL events has 3,934 employees, and in 2017, generated a revenue of 953 M. Its portfolio includes major sporting events like the London Olympic Games, international FIFA matches, 6 Nations tournaments, national commemorations, summits for European heads of state and World Expo, including Shanghai. In Belgium, SQUARE employs 25 people, representing an annual turnover of 15 million Euros. By attracting more than 200,000 participants every year, SQUARE generates somewhere in the region of 541 direct and indirect jobs, and promotes the local and national economy thanks to some 60 million Euros spent by its participants (source visit.brussels). SQUARE s ambition is to continue to contribute to the policies designed to boost the appeal of Brussels and economic growth, by incorporating a dynamic, ambitious management strategy to help promote the capital of Europe around the world. 2

3 SQUARE, A CONVENTION CENTRE AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF MODERNITY The Brussels Convention Centre is: SPACE (13,000m² multipurpose) - 4 auditoria offering a total of 2150 seats - Areas decorated by genuine murals by Belgian artists Paul Delvaux, René Magritte and Louis Van Lint - 2 exhibition halls with a surface area of 6,000m² - 23 multipurpose rooms - a penthouse with a breathtaking view of the capital (the Panoramic Hall) - opportunity to work with BOZAR and its stunning Salle Henri Le Bœuf (seats 2,200) SERVICES - catering - audiovisual & ICT - branding and decoration - communication - reception & security - logistics FACILITIES parking spaces (beneath SQUARE building with direct access) - Right outside the building: train, metro, tram, bus LOCATION - in the city centre - on the doorstep: 7,000 hotel rooms, 11 museums, restaurants, bars and shopping streets - a lush green neighbourhood: not far from Brussels Park, and within the Mont des Arts 3

4 SQUARE-BRUSSELS CONVENTION CENTRE, THE FUTURE... The Convention Centre continues to invest so that it can continue to be a welcoming, friendly meeting place, boasting the latest equipment and somewhere that the experience and know-how of the teams combine to create high quality events. By drawing on the international expertise of the GL events Group, SQUARE plans to consolidate its presence on the international conference market. SQUARE-BRUSSELS CONVENTION CENTRE also plans to focus on its collaboration with visit.brussels and Belgian and Brussels institutions to continue to promote medical conferences. Brussels is in fact a centre of excellence when it comes to healthcare, and SQUARE is keen to contribute on a practical level to the promotion of this vibrant, positive image of our country. As well as this, Brussels, the capital for 500 million Europeans, is also home to the headquarters of more than 2,000 international organisations. All of these organisations, which range from small, modest NGOs to large industrial groups and international institutions, offer amazing opportunities to promote Brussels and Belgium by giving them the chance to organise their events and annual meetings in our capital. We share this goal with visit.brussels, as a partner of the EAS (European Association Summit) for the last 6 years, an organisation dedicated to promoting the destination together. SQUARE is also intending to draw on the strategy developed by visit.brussels and focus its commercial approach on Brussels-based centres of excellence, identified in 5 key sectors for the economy: - life sciences and biopharma - high-tech and sustainable development - media and creative industries - business services - ICT. For its 60th anniversary, the Palais des Congrès offers the possibility to an association/a company to hold its first event at SQUARE. The selection criteria are the following: the association/company is based in Brussels and is active in one of the 5 above mentioned sectors the event gathers minimum 100 participants including 30% of international delegates who will spend minimum one night in Brussels Within the context of the European year promoting tourism between China and the European Union, SQUARE has decided to dedicate its development unit to the incredibly important market as far as the economy is concerned, represented by China. This is an investment that should bear fruit in the medium term, but it should also help Brussels and Belgium continue to be the nerve centre of relationships between Europe and China. Lastly, against the backdrop of the Convention Centre s 60 th anniversary, we have decided to change our name and our logo. We have decided to replace the word Meeting with Convention, which describes larger events, and which we feel better reflects SQUARE s ambition: to attract European and international conferences, which are so important for the capital. Also, as of 2018, SQUARE-BRUSSELS MEETING CENTRE is no more: LONG LIVE SQUARE-BRUSSELS CONVENTION CENTRE, SQUARE PALAIS DES CONGRES, SQUARE CONGRESPALEIS VAN BRUSSEL. 4

5 These new logos have been created by international design company WHY NOT ASSSOCIATES, historic partner of SQUARE. in English: SQUARE-BRUSSELS CONVENTION CENTRE in French: SQUARE, LE PALAIS DES CONGRES DE BRUXELLES in Dutch: SQUARE, CONGRESPALEIS VAN BRUSSEL 5

6 SQUARE, LE PALAIS DES CONGRES DE BRUXELLES: 60 YEARS OF BELGIAN HISTORY Did you know that...? - the job of events hostess, known around the world, was created at the Brussels Palais des Congrès against the backdrop of the 1958 World Expo. For this event, hostesses were hired to welcome more than 33,000 visitors. For the first time, these multilingual young girls from good families were given the chance to work outside the air traffic sector. Jean Destrée of Destrée Organisation, the initiator, celebrates also its 60 th anniversary. - Foire Internationale de Bruxelles en

7 - the European Economic and Social Committee was first housed in the Brussels Palais des Congrès. The story goes that after clocking in in the morning, some employees used the exits designed for delegates to sneak out and spend the day outside. - in 1971, a group of young Belgian farmers burst in during a meeting of Agricultural ministers with three dairy cows, which they had made climb some six flights of stairs in a rumble of thunder. 7

8 - in 1983, a session of the European Parliament was held at the Palais des Congrès before the Parliament built its headquarters in Brussels. This gave the Parliament the chance to show that it could meet wherever it wanted, and more importantly, to express its desire, with this symbolic gesture, to stay close to the Community s executive institutions. - at a time when older technology was in use, large numbers of ISICEM delegates were trapped when a slightly distracted speaker accidentally triggered an alarm that led to the closure of the SQUARE s many doors. For a few minutes, which seemed to go on for a very long time, nobody knew where to go. As it was a conference dedicated to emergency medicine, thankfully everyone was in safe hands! - in 1962 the Palais des Congrès hosted the largest conference for nurses of its time. 8

9 - since 1980, the biggest film stars have been visiting the Palais des Congrès. Before the Magritte Awards, the Brussels Film Festival was hosted at this cultural hub. - the Palais des Congrès was the nerve centre of King Baudouin s funeral. All employees were repatriated during their holidays in July so that, over the course of 4 days, they could work day and night to welcome press from around the world. - in 1971, the Palais des Congrès hosted the 22nd International Astronautical Congress in the presence of the three astronauts from the Apollo 15 Mission. This congress helped to highlight previously unsuspected water reserves around the world. - the colour and leather used for the seats in the Salle Cooper by Poltrona Frau, are the same as those used in Lamborghini cars. 9

10 - with its three murals, one by René Magritte (Les barricades mystérieuses, a horse rider in white appears in a twilit wood), one by Paul Delvaux (Le paradis terrestre procession of doe-eyed beauties in a golden garden) and one by Louis Van Lint (Composition abstraite), SQUARE is home to a fantastic legacy. - the painting entitled L empire des lumières, or Empire of Light, by René Magritte, 146cm x 114cm, was sold at auction by Christie s in New York for more than 20,562,500 USD. What might our mural, measuring 12m x 5m be worth Current expert estimates say... that it s priceless. - René Pechère, the famous landscape architect, designed the Mont des Arts garden. To create this ambitious work he was inspired by the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon: he built up layers of gravel, straw, peat, clay and sand, thus taking up the challenge to grow trees and plants 140cm above the Albertine car park. Among other things, he gave Brussels: the Cité Administrative garden, the Botanical Gardens and many other internationally renowned public and private spaces. 10

11 - artist Arne Quinze designed the Panoramic Hall. It was his first permanent work in Brussels. Playing with lines and asymmetrical shapes, the minimalist style and uninterrupted white guides the visitor s gaze outside. He also designed the suspended sculpture 30 metres long in the Kwint restaurant in the Convention Centre. - the SQUARE bubble (logo) refers to the square of the cube, as well as the traditional speech bubble found in comic books (which are so important in Belgian culture) to symbolise the dialogue and interaction that take place at SQUARE. - Laurent Gerbaud, famous Belgian chocolatier, opened his first workshop right outside the Palais des Congrès. The tempting sweet chocolatey aromas occasionally seep out, intoxicating conference delegates from around the world. 11

12 - fun fact: the roof of the glass cube is a colourful mosaic using different materials that represents the first official street map of the neighbourhood, designed in The architects at A.2R.C, who renovated the Palais des Congrès, originally wanted to use several glass cubes decorated with real trees inside, a reference to the huge trees in Magritte s mural. For practical reasons, this idea was abandoned, but the tree structures traced by the metal beams in the middle of the glass cube were inspired by this initial plan. - the Copper Hall, an auditorium that can seat 500 people, was dug out of the Rue Mont des Arts. Quite a challenge! - ASEM: Asia-Europe Meeting on 4-5 October

13 - the Gold Hall auditorium can rotate 180 degrees, with space for 1,200 people or more, as the back wall of the stage can be removed, offering a stunning view of Delvaux s mural in the next-door foyer, and beyond, through the glass doors, of the city of Brussels. - the Mont des Arts district and its surrounding area were historically an important trading centre. Once called the Saint-Roch quarter, after a Saint associated with the plague, or the Jewish quarter, for centuries the Mont des Arts was a major site for trade. From the 10th century until the fire in 1730, the sumptuous Palace of the Dukes of Brabant attracted large numbers of luxury goods merchants, as well as beggars and paupers. At the end of the 19th century, King Leopold II wanted to redesign the Mont des Arts with gardens and terraces to give the city some style and prestige. - on 18 February 2016, Bertrand Piccard, the pilot of Solar Impulse came to tell us about the wonderfully fascinating scientific and human adventure of Solar Impulse. The auditorium was captivated by his 13

14 enthusiasm and by the feats achieved by this airplane which has flown round the world powered exclusively by solar energy. - in 2017, SQUARE hosted some rather unusual conference delegates. 700 pigeons came to SQUARE for the 35th Pigeon Olympiad. Vets were kept busy looking after these birds from around the world. Some of these champions are record breakers in terms of the speeds at which they fly between two destinations, and are worth hundreds of thousands of Euros. They are given maximum security, with guards watching these champions day and night. - the stars aligned at SQUARE on 26 October Actors Robert Pattinson and Ashley Greene came to present their film, Twilight. Fans came out in force, arriving at the Mont des Arts in the early hours with some spending the night there. As soon as the doors of the Gold Hall were opened, they rushed in. Frontrow seats were hard to come by. Phew, their idols are in sight and ready for autographs. 14

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