High-tech new venues join a former brewery, a 1930s cinema and a turn-of-the-century spa in Belgium’s capital. Sara Turner takes a look.
SQUARE
Brussels’ new meeting centre, the much-anticipated Square, opened its 13,000 sqm of conference space in September last year on Mont des Arts, in the historic centre of the city. The original exhibition centre, Palais des Congres, was built for the 1958 World Expo. The structure was then closed, and over two and a half years a €75 million project saw the centre expanded, and the original sections renovated.
With a striking glass entrance shaped like a cube, Square stretches underneath a picturesque garden and also takes up many of the buildings around it. It hosts a number of large international conferences, and the new Kwint restaurant and 23 meeting studios (for between two and 250 people) can be used for smaller events.
Square has four auditoria, with lecture theatre-style seating – the Gold hall can host up to 1,200 people, Copper hall 500, Silver hall 300, and Arc 150. Dating from the seventies but now fully restored with the latest technology, the Arc has a genuine retro feel, with wood panelling and original chairs.
There are also a number of open spaces that can be used for conferences or exhibitions, such as the 4,000 sqm subterranean Grand hall. The light-filled Panoramic hall offers views over the garden and Brussels skyline. Designed by Arne Quinze, the walls are unusual in that they look as if they are made of crushed white paper. It is often used for high-profile awards, dinners and fashion shows.
A unique draw is the Delvaux-Magritte foyer with original murals by Belgian artists René Magritte and Paul Delvaux. This space, located between the auditoria, opens on to the garden with the possibility of holding cocktails in the open air in warmer months.
Rue Mont des Arts; tel +32 2515 1300; squarebrussels.com
LE PLAZA
The 80-year-old Le Plaza hotel is on one of Brussels’ main thoroughfares, Boulevard Adolphe Maxlaan. For events, it offers three sumptuous ballrooms, plus the crown jewel, the Theatre. It also has six boardrooms, all with natural daylight.
Le Plaza Theatre has its own separate street entrance. It was originally a popular cinema, built before the advent of television, that showed the latest newsreels from around the world. Decorated in grandiose red, grey and gold, and equipped with the latest technology, it can hold up to 800 people theatre-style or 450 for a dinner.
Salon Adolphe Max, on the ground floor, can seat 200 theatre-style or 180 for a banquet. Named after a former mayor of the city, who also gave his name to the street the hotel is on, it has a red, yellow and gold colour scheme with crystal chandeliers.
On the same level is Salon Versailles, which has a ceiling of delicately painted clouds, and cream and gold panelling. It can host up to 100 people theatre-style. In the basement is Salon Memling, available for banquets of up to 200.
188-126 Boulevard Adolphe Maxlaan; tel +32 2278 0100; leplaza.be
BRUSSELS EVENT BREWERY
A former brewery and bottling site for Bellevue beer, this industrial space opened as an event venue in 2001 and is not only used for awards, dinners and cocktail receptions but can also be hired as a film studio.
There are four spaces available. The Silo was originally where the bottles were stored, ready to be filled with kriek (Belgian cherry beer), but is now a funky event venue. Spread over three floors, each measuring about 300 sqm, it is perfect for cocktails and canapés, or relaxed beer and chat. The exposed brickwork and three double-helix staircases make the space suitably eye-catching.
The three studios are large, empty spaces ready to be transformed with lighting, stages and decorations. There are also big backstage and catering areas. The areas are fairly separate, so can hold a number of different events at the same time, but equally you can take over the lot. Studio 1540 (covering 1,540 sqm) can hold up to 2,000 people for a drinks reception, while Studio 440 can hold up to 350 theatre-style. Studio 360 can seat 250 delegates.
A member of Brussels Special Venues, Event Brewery is located five minutes’ drive from Brussels-Midi/Zuid Eurostar station and ten minutes from Brussels International airport. There is plenty of parking.
58 Rue Delaunoy; tel +32 2410 7878; eventbrewery.com, venues.be
BELVUE MUSEUM and COUDENBERG
Located next to the Royal Palace, the Belvue Museum and Coudenberg are great options for evening events with a touch of history. The museum opened in 2005 with exhibitions on Belgian history, and the Coudenberg, which opened in 2000, is the excavated remains of the old palace, severely damaged by fire in 1731.
The Coudenberg, a labyrinth of excavated streets and buildings stretching under the Parc de Bruxelles and Koningsplein, has a number of rooms varying in size, while the Belvue has one main event space, the three-storey glass Atrium. Events can be held across both venues, with delegates perhaps enjoying preprandial drinks among the stones of the Coudenberg, before heading across to the museum for a warm supper.
Gatherings are limited to outside museum opening hours – meaning the evenings or Mondays – although the Lounge of the Borgendael Wing, once part of the existing royal palace, can be used at any time of the week (except during temporary exhibitions). With a grand crystal chandelier and detailed cornice-work, its splendour makes for a good backdrop to shop talk. It accommodates 50 people. The Reception room is available Tuesday to Sunday 9am-6pm, and Mondays on demand. The area at the front of the building is currently a car park but come July there are plans to turn it into a garden, which will be used for summer cocktails. There is also a terrace beside the Atrium.
Belvue Museum, Mont des Arts, 7 Place des Palais; tel +32 2545 0801; belvue.be
Coudenberg, Mont des Arts, 7 Place des Palais; tel +32 7022 0492; coudenberg.com
CASINO VIAGE
The first casino to open in the city centre, Casino Viage launched in April, and as well as offering gambling also has space for private functions. The Theatre is equipped with the latest lighting and production technology and can hold 1,000 people standing or 310 seated.
It has a dedicated elevator direct from the entrance, so guests don’t need to traipse across the gaming floor itself, but equally it provides easy access for people looking to combine their meeting with some blackjack, roulette or poker. There are also four meeting rooms with space for 15 people in each, and a rooftop restaurant with panoramic views over the rooftops.
30 Anspach Boulevard; tel +32 2300 0100; viage.be
LA MAISON DES MAITRES CHOCOLATIERS
Enviably located on the Grand Place, the Maîson des Maitres Chocolatiers opened last November and temptingly combines chocolate with meetings. On the ground floor is a shop selling handmade confection by ten of Belgium’s best manufacturers, including Marioca, Corné and Les Chocolats d’Edouard.
On the first floor is the Chocolate Discovery room, seating up to 55 people, where visitors can find out about how chocolate is made and nibble on the sweet stuff. On the top floor, with sweeping views, is a venue where the team at La Maison can rustle up a dinner inspired by Aztec cooking or chocolate cocktails.
4 Grote Markt, Grand Place; tel +32 2888 6620; mmcb.be
LE CAFE DU VAUDEVILLE
This theatre opened in 1884 as one of the city’s main stages for comédie en vaudeville, a form of popular French entertainment combining comic satire and songs. Now the grand old dame is available for hire, and with the theatrical surroundings it needs nothing but a little lighting to create a dramatic effect.
It is located in the 19th-century shopping arcade Galerie de la Reine, part of the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert. Usually, only the stalls area (with removable seating) and stage are used to host events, leaving the balconies free for technical staff. It’s a unique space for presentations, catwalk shows, dinners and awards, accommodating up to 200 people for a formal dinner.
The Café du Vaudeville restaurant is connected to the theatre and is a good option for a business lunch. The relaxed eatery serves freshly made salads, fish and meat, and has outside seating in the gallery. n
13 Galerie de la Reine; tel +32 2511 2345; chouxdebruxelles.be
Visit meetingpointbelgium.be, belgiumtheplaceto.be
Out of town options
Looking to escape the city? Several countryside properties specialising in meetings, conferences and teambuilding activities are only a short drive from the centre of Brussels, in Wallonia, the French-speaking southern section of Belgium.
La Hulpe is remarkably green, home to the ancient Sonian Forest and a number of fresh-water lakes. For a small town of less than 7,500 inhabitants, it has two very different but equally impressive venues, Dolce La Hulpe and Château de la Hulpe. Château du Lac Martin’s Conference and Spa hotel, meanwhile, is elegantly situated on the edge of Genval Lake. All three are within a 30-minute drive of the capital.
CHATEAU DE LA HULPE
Gentle grassy slopes meet the tree line in the public park Domaine Solvay, where you’ll find La Hulpe Château, built in 1842. With views over the grounds from its terraces, this classic venue is perfect for a summer garden party and has beautifully decorated rooms to suit a variety of events.
The largest is the Grand Salon, seating up to 100, with wood panelled walls and parquet flooring. Next door is the brightly coloured Salle à Manger, decorated in blue and turquoise, for up to 50 people. Jardin d’Hiver seats 20 and features warm orange walls and an open fireplace. Salon Chinois, for up to ten delegates, is decorated with hand-painted rice paper.
111 Chaussée de Bruxelles; tel +32 2634 0930; chateaudelahulpe.wallonie.be
DOLCE LA HULPE
A ten-minute drive from the château is the contemporary hotel Dolce la Hulpe, managed by Dolce Hotels and Resorts. The property opened in 2007 but the structure dates back to 1973, when it was an IBM training centre.
Dolce La Hulpe has 4,500 sqm of dedicated meeting space equipped with up-to-date technology (free wifi is available throughout) and comfortable ergonomic seating. There are 23 meeting rooms, 12 breakout areas and two auditoria – the largest of which can seat up to 500 people – plus a 750 sqm ballroom that can host up to 625 delegates.
For after hours, the hotel has a spa, pool and fitness centre, tennis courts, bars and two restaurants. Guests can also borrow bikes to explore the forest, via marked trails.
There is also an exclusive teambuilding option in the Cube. Without giving too much away, the action takes place in a disused laboratory and involves a number of tests to challenge your knowledge, co-ordination, fitness and metal agility.
135 Brusselsesteenweg; tel +32 2290 9800; dolce.com, destinationcube.com
CHATEAU DU LAC
As the name suggests, Château du Lac is perched beside the placid Lake Genval, a 15-minute drive from La Hulpe. Set slightly back from the water, events can be held outside on the lawn or in a number of meeting rooms.
The building looks like a medieval castle, although it was built as a spa in 1906. It’s been in the hands of the Martin family since 1934, first as a factory for tonic water and then becoming a hotel in 1985.
The 121-bedroom property has 23 meeting rooms, from 20 sqm to 1,000 sqm, all with wifi access. The largest, Argentine, can hold up to 1,050 guests theatre-style.
The restaurant can also be hired out, and teambuilding activities such as a fast-paced three-hour “crime scene investigation” for ten to 75 participants can be organised.
87 Avenue du Lac; tel +32 2655 7111; martinshotels.com
