BRUSSELS SPECIAL VENUES JOINS THE EVENT CONFEDERATION

Copy of the Event Confederation Press Release, September 2021

The event sector is working on its future. With Brussels Special Venues, the EVENT Confederation proposes a new member as an additional association within the confederation and at the same time proposes its new director. Hugo Slimbrouck leads the EVENT Confederation since September 1, promoting the sector with a post-Covid multi-year plan.

Brussels Special Venues, in short BSV, celebrates its 15th anniversary as a leading information and reservation platform for event venues and as such represents more than 30 exceptional partners in Brussels. BSV, a non-profit association, joins the EVENT Confederation which aims to unite the forces of all players in the “live” event sector in Belgium.

The Belgian EVENT Confederation already wrote a positive story in response to the sector being severely damaged by Covid19. Before the pandemic, several smaller associations existed. More and more these are now working together under the umbrella of the EVENT Confederation. EC has the ambition to gather all players large or small within the event industry at large. Additional members can also be expected in the future, discussions are in full swing. Today the counter is already at 5 confederation members while the EVENT Confederation did not exist a year ago:

• BESA – Belgian Event Suppliers Association
• Febelux – Trade Fairs – Congresses – Events
• ACC – Event bureaus
• UPT – Union Professionnelle des Traiteurs
• BSV – Brussels Special Venues

Continuity assured with a strategic multi-year plan. In the past year, the EVENT Confederation has been the mouthpiece of our industry towards the government. Through consultations with cabinets at the federal and regional levels and with the input of captains of industry, we contributed to the revival of our industry, which, according to a recent Deloitte study, comprises 80,000 employees, freelancers, and entrepreneurs. In addition, a lot of work is being done on continuity. The appointment of a full-time federation director was therefore an absolute must. Hugo Slimbrouck will take over from Bruno Schaubroeck and Stijn Snaet from 1 September. Slimbrouck must further develop the confederation into a dynamic player who takes on the tasks that may be expected of a modern contemporary federation and who can rightly speak on behalf of and for the Belgian event sector.

The EVENT Confederation also has a vision and plan in place that we will be working on over the coming months. The broad outlines have already been mapped out, partners have already been approached and work is being started. In addition to the Covid recovery, priorities for the future are a clear definition of the sector, its own Joint Committee, maintaining and expanding the network, innovation, CSR, safety,
education and training, diversity, and inclusion.

On his appointment as director of the EVENT Confederation, he said:
“I am very honoured by this appointment. During my career I saw the events industry from many angles. The next few years will be a huge challenge because what the EVENT Confederation has achieved in the past year is not only ground-breaking but also just the start of the long-term campaign to unify the event sector. And thereby create a clear picture for all stakeholders of the benefits events offer to the local
economy, the sharing of knowledge and the support of the local culture in the broader sense of the term.

Events not only play a role in motivation and knowledge transfer, but also create opportunities for new investments and innovation, regardless of our direct economic impact and the creation of employment for about 80,000 talents. In fact, we need to formulate a clear description of the real ‘raison d’être’ of the events community. “

HUGO SLIMBROUCK – BIO
Born and raised in Bruges, Hugo Slimbrouck can look back on a richly filled career in the world of professional events. Early in his career he worked for various international hotel. He created and managed Meeting in Bruges and worked for one of Belgium’s most renowned event agencies in the early 2000s. Hugo Slimbrouck later specialized as an international destination marketer with a focus on corporate events, international conferences and incentive travel. For the past 14 years he worked for the MCI Group where he built and managed a global portfolio of strategic partners. Hugo is also a regular speaker at international conferences and trade fairs in the world of business events, incentive travel and associations. In the field of association management, Hugo is a former board member and global president of SITE (Society of Incentive Travel Excellence) and was chairman of the umbrella trade association JMIC (Joint Meetings Industry Council) for three years.

www.linkedin.com/in/hugoslimbrouck

BRUSSELS SPECIAL VENUES
Whether you are looking for a space for an intimate business dinner or rather a location for 10,000 people: the members of BSV offer no fewer than 340 venues! The members welcome any type of event: meetings, international conferences, product presentations, exhibitions and fairs, receptions, dinners, shows and concerts, press conferences, … and this for corporate events, associations, institutional organisations, or the private sector.

Brussels Special Venues offer all types of venues: specially designed event spaces, but also industrial or design locations, museums, concert halls and theatres. And all that with the extra touch! These Brussels entrepreneurs offer beautiful locations, excellent facilities, attractive settings, contemporary technology, quality services, professional guidance, and a flexible organization. Your
safety and security are dear to us!

BSV will gladly and quickly guide you in the choice of your event location. To this end, BSV offers a super handy tool for free when searching for the right location on our website www.venues.be.

For more information: info@venues.be

CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION

• EC – NL – Bruno Schaubroeck  – 0475 288 304 – Bruno@event-confederation.be
• EC – FR – Vinciane Morel – 0476 781 789 – vinciane@event-confederation.be
• BSV – Heidi Martens – 0495 55 71 86 – info@venues.be

CONTACT HUGO SLIMBROUCK

• E-mail hugo@event-confederation.be
• Mobile +32 475 75 52 73
• Twitter Hugo.Slimbrouck
• LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/hugoslimbrouck

Hugo will be your primary contact for all questions towards the EVENT Confederation