To Brussels on Business
Business and Exhibitions magazine № 3 (63) 2013
For an ordinary person Brussels is primarily the capital of Belgium, featuring EU headquarters, a NATO office; a city with a flower-paved main square; home of the legendary Manneken Pis. For professionals, however, Brussels is the location of BRUSSELS EXPO.
BRUSSELS EXPO exhibition centre nested in the very heart of Europe is a throbbing world trade, industry and business hub. The exhibition centre was constructed in 1935 for the World Expo, launching five exhibit halls. A year later, the “Parc des Expositions de Bruxelles asbl” non-profit association was established, aiming at organizing exhibitions, fairs, and congresses, catering for the general public.
At present, the centre comprises the total of one hundred fifteen thousand square metres shared by twelve exhibit halls. Most of them were built after the war. The last capital renovation hit the centre in 1998, featuring construction of the Princess Astrid Entrance Hall, connecting car park C with the main halls. Later on, BRUSSELS EXPO saw Exhibit Hall 3 and catering area renovation as well as advanced access control and air conditioning systems installation. Today BRUSSELS EXPO is a harmony of inimitable architectural solutions and an innovative infrastructure.
One of the centre’s distinctive features is the Auditorium 2000 ready to welcome up to 1860 visitors, witnessing international conferences hosted by world-famous figures on a regular basis.
Exhibit Hall 5 with its unconventional design and core location is the face of the centre. Its thirteen thousand square metres witness the most significant events. Other exhibition spaces can be easily transformed to suit the purpose and concept of any particular event, including complete redesign or partial re-equipment. The fact that the centre’s technical teams are multilingual means they can ensure the best possible collaboration between them and local, European and international clients.
The visitors' comfort is one of BRUSSELS EXPO’s top priorities; therefore, the vast parking areas can accommodate up to twelve thousand cars.
BRUSSELS EXPO is Belgium’s biggest exhibition centre featuring twelve exhibit halls ranging from three to thirteen thousand square metres, two conference-halls, and meeting rooms
The better part of the centre’s frequenters are Europeans, thus the most wanted means of transportation to Brussels Expo is railway. Railway infrastructure is well developed throughout Europe. Thus, Brussels is easily reached by Eurostar from London and by Thalys from Paris, Amsterdam and Cologne. Both trains stop at “la gare du Midi” station. From “la gare du Midi” station, take the direct metro line 6 direction Roi Baudouin. Get off at Heysel. This will take about 15 minutes. You can also reach BRUSSELS EXPO from Brussels Airport (Zaventem) by the Airport City Express that runs four times an hour (between 6 a.m. and midnight).
BRUSSELS EXPO is famous for large-scale events. Marine Maintenance World Expo, the international exhibition of marine maintenance technologies, services and systems together with the latest ship and off-shore rig maintenance concepts and techniques is one of them. A truly global event with exhibitors and visitors expected from all over the world, Marine Maintenance World Expo will not only attract operations directors, marine superintendants, and fleet maintenance chiefs from the world’s shipping lines, off-shore rigs and naval defense fleets, but will also bring in managing directors and maintenance equipment specifiers from marine maintenance and repair service providers and dry docks. The next event is scheduled for September 10-12, 2013. Despite the strictly specialized nature of the event, it continues to annually attract thousands of visitors, which largely the credit of one of the organizers – UKIP Media & Events, an international organizer of almost thirty industry-leading exhibitions around the world. The Brussels exhibition tops the list.
Expo Dino World, another unusual project scheduled for July 1st – September 30th, 2013 will unfold on the 4.5 thousand square metres of Exhibit Hall 2. This dinosaur exhibition is targeted at the children’s audience, featuring life-size models of the most famous species of prehistoric giants. Vast majority of the world’s largest exhibition centres neglect and underestimate the value of children’s projects, whereas it is a very profitable market.
Apart from exhibitions, BRUSSELS EXPO organizes numerous corporate events every year, featuring Belgium’s and international leading companies. The place remains the centre of attention of all Western European countries.
Alexey Shaburov,
President of Sokolniki Museum and Educational Centre
Source: Business and Exhibitions magazine № 3 (63) 2013