On 4 May, the ‘Grand Opening’ of the Bruges Meeting & Convention Centre – in short BMCC – for (inter)national PCOs, meeting planners and associations took place in Bruges. Olivier Wauters, Executive Director of Eventonline, went to take a look and talked to some key-stakeholders.
The BMCC opened its doors on 18 December 2021 after a two-year construction process. “Earlier in the year we already held a ‘Grand Opening’ for other target groups, such as local residents and the people of Bruges themselves, as well as corporates on 26 April,” explains BMCC Director Sarah Cornand. “We deliberately do this in different stages, which makes it personal. Every target group has its own points of interest. That way, we can respond to them in a targeted manner. Just to be clear, with the BMCC we are aiming at different target groups, not only association congresses, but also small and large corporate meetings. The BMCC can even accommodate private parties, although this is not a priority target group. Large public events, on the other hand, such as trade fairs and product launches. In short, large events that require large areas are perfectly at home in Bruges’ biggest venue.
In terms of capacity, the BMCC can go very far. “From small meetings for management committees of companies with a dozen people to large events with 2,500 participants. Clouseau, for example, will be coming here in October for a concert,” says the BMCC director.
“It is in any case an extra asset in terms of capacity, but it goes far beyond this technical aspect,” adds Jasmine Kestens, Sales Manager of Visit Bruges Convention Bureau. “It is also an image aspect. Bruges is known as a city of culture. The entire inner city is a Unesco World Heritage site for a reason. With the arrival of the BMCC, which is, after all, an innovative building, with a lot of attention for sustainability, which we as the City of Bruges also consider very important. We also want to play this off internationally.
The fact that a cultural heritage city like Bruges hosts such a venue is an important asset. Evelyne Bardyn, Head of Congresses & Events of Tourism Flanders/VISIT FLANDERS and EventFlanders agrees. “It is important for Flanders that our congress cities, such as Bruges, have a state-of-the-art congress centre. This ensures that, in addition to the tourist assets that are often well known, the conference potential is given opportunities to grow. The accessibility of the destination and the presence of strong expertise remain crucial. We notice that in the decision-making process of an association planner, the location also plays a role, as does the experience. A place where the various actors of entrepreneurs, visitors and residents can connect and where networks can grow, that is what we can offer here. Moreover, it is a location that responds to contemporary needs and is future-oriented. This is something that most conference planners are looking for. So we are very happy with the arrival of the BMCC here in the heart of Bruges and surrounded by beautiful heritage. A win-win, in other words.
Bunker makes way for state-of-the-art
At the site of the new BMCC, there used to be an exhibition hall built in the 1960s. Originally a temporary infrastructure, but as often happens with ‘temporary’ buildings, it stayed put for a long time. “Not really a nice building, as the hall soon got the nickname ‘the concrete bunker’. However, there was a need for such an area. Wedding parties, trade fairs, festivals, etc. were organised in this old exhibition hall. We have noticed that the customers of yesteryear are returning to the new building. It is nice that they want to organise their event in the new BMCC. They notice the famous upgrade and we are of course delighted that they are coming back, to have a place alongside other events,” says Sarah Cornand.
Joint Forces
That BMCC works closely with Visit Flanders Convention Bureau and Visit Bruges Convention Bureau is no coincidence. “I think we all have our areas of expertise,” says Evelyne Bardyn. “From Tourism Flanders we focus more on international planners, and for this event we supplemented this with the contacts of Jasmine and Sarah. In any case, cooperation is indispensable to generate such an inspiring programme. It takes a lot of coordination, so it is also important that everyone sees the added value of the various partners so that a perfect experience can be offered to the guests we bring here.”
“The opening of the BMCC proved to be a great opportunity to let those present discover or rediscover Bruges. The choice of a meeting planner or association to opt for a particular location, in addition to the possibilities of hosting the meeting, is also the importance of what you do after the conference. Or the experience itself. Covid has taught us that when we make a move for an event, it really has to be worth it. And that’s what we want to pass on today. We have the expertise in the form of the content programme that we offer here, but at the same time we also want to convince meeting planners that a world heritage city like Bruges has a lot to offer conference delegates in the form of an attractive social programme or ‘spouse programme’,” says Jasmine Kestens.
“All three of us have the same goal and that is to put Bruges on the map as a conference city. The three parties therefore work closely together to further realise this ambition,” says Sarah Cornand.
