Recently, Olivier Wauters, Executive Director of Eventonline, visited Skyline Park in Izegem. There, he spoke with Patricia Vanwymelbeke, who has been with Skyline Communications for 15 years and has been responsible as Event Space Coordinator since Skyline Park was founded.
Skyline Park offers several event spaces with breathtaking views, an outdoor terrace at a height of 40m and state-of-the-art technology, ensuring an unforgettable experience. Whether meeting rooms, coworking spaces, business hubs or offices, Skyline Park has something for everyone.
‘Coworking can be as little as one day, depending on the client’s needs. For example, companies can give one or two people a separate workspace,’ Patricia explains.
‘We also have smaller meeting rooms for 2 to 6 people, boardrooms for up to 20 people and medium-sized rooms for 10 people. We also have a training room for 48 people. Last year, we added a new creative room on the 9th floor, suitable for 40 people. So in total, we have 11 meeting rooms and boardrooms spread across both towers. We also have an event room, spread over two floors, with a maximum capacity of up to 240 people, taking into account fire safety regulations.’
Skyline Communications is a technology company, and you can see that in the facilities. All boardrooms are equipped with large screens for teleconferencing, and even in the smaller rooms there are projection facilities. ‘The training room was originally intended for internal use, as Skyline offers open training for clients. But now we are also getting more and more requests from local companies to rent this space,’ states Patricia.
Skyline Park’s strategic location, in the middle of an industrial area and close to the motorway, offers easy access. ‘We have a spacious car park with enough charging stations, which is very important these days. We get companies from all over Flanders and even the Netherlands coming over,’ says Patricia.
How does Patricia see the evolution in organising meetings and events?
‘At first, little seems to have changed, but as soon as you ask further, you notice that more is needed than just renting a space. Clients now expect technical support for presentations, for example. Meetings nowadays are almost always accompanied by presentation facilities. In our event space, we even have a control room, and if necessary, we work with external technical partners.’
What about catering?
‘In the large halls on the 10th and 11th floors, we work with four regular catering partners, where the customer is free to choose. In good weather, our plaza, the square between the two buildings, can also be used for a reception, for example. For the meeting rooms, we offer various packages, from breakfast to extensive lunches. For smaller rooms, we do not provide hot meals, but there are plenty of alternatives available.’
As for the future of the events market, Patricia sees a rising demand for multi-day training courses and business events in particular. ‘We are increasingly receiving requests for private events, but our focus is mainly on business events. Every year we see a growth in the number of returning companies, which is a sign that we are doing well,’ concludes Patricia.
