Flanders Convention Bureau

What Flanders Convention Bureau does

Flanders Convention Bureau is a publicly funded destination marketing organization within Toerisme Vlaanderen (VISITFLANDERS), the official tourism agency of the Flemish Government in Belgium. Headquartered in Brussels, the bureau offers free advisory services to international association conference organizers and corporate event planners, assisting with venue selection, local expert matchmaking, legacy and societal impact planning, and international event promotion. Its core customers are association conference organizers, corporate event planners, academic institutions, and conferences in six key industry verticals: Care & Health, Smart & Sustainable Living, Circular Economy, Creative Industries, Gastronomy and Nutrition, and Cycling and Sports. Selected case studies include The World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards, Stereopsia (XR, 85% international participation), CODART (100+ curators), UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism, and iPRES 2024.

The bureau's product portfolio centers on the proprietary Impact Methodology, a pre- and post-conference framework for measuring and planning lasting societal impact with Flemish industry standard-bearers. Supporting offerings include curated access to heritage venues in Antwerp, Ghent, Leuven, Bruges, and Kortrijk, free downloadable e-books on sustainable conferencing, and the HYBR hybrid event platform, which combines TED-style talks, Clubhouse-style discussions, Teams-style collaboration, and LinkedIn-style networking in a unified physical-digital experience. The bureau is supported by an ecosystem of partnerships with KU Leuven, Ghent University, VITO, VRI, Flanders Make, Foodpairing, Flux50, and Biodiversa+.

The organization does not generate revenue from customers; all services are provided free of charge and funded through the Flemish Government. Distribution is delivered through three named International Association Experts (Milo Vergucht, Tuya Beyers, Gemmeke de Jongh), direct sales to association and corporate clients, and content marketing through LinkedIn, Twitter/X, a quarterly newsletter, and the website. The bureau is recognized as a 2024 ICCA Incredible Impacts Award finalist.

Name

Flanders Convention Bureau

Legal name

Flanders Convention Bureau

Website

https://flandersconventionbureau.com

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Flanders Convention Bureau is a publicly funded destination marketing organization under Toerisme Vlaanderen that provides free advisory, venue-finding, impact-planning, and promotional services to association and corporate conference organizers seeking to host events in the Flanders region of Belgium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Convention and Visitors Bureau Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Conference Centers & Dedicated Meeting Venues (THAHAAAB)

Keywords

• Destination marketing services
• Conference venue sourcing
• Association conference support
• Hybrid event platform
• Convention bureau services

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Convention Bureau Services: As a service of the Flemish Government administered through Toerisme Vlaanderen (VISITFLANDERS), the Flanders Convention Bureau provides free advisory services to conference organizers. There is no revenue model in the traditional sense as all services (venue finding, expert connections, impact planning, international promotion) are provided free of charge to attract conferences to the Flanders region.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Flanders Convention Bureau provides free advisory services to association conference organizers and corporate event planners, including venue finding, connections with local experts, planning of legacy and societal impact, and international promotion of events. It positions Flanders as a conference destination by leveraging heritage venues, leading universities, and innovation clusters, and supports organizers through its proprietary Impact Methodology and the HYBR hybrid event platform.

Product overview

Flanders Convention Bureau operates as a convention and visitors bureau for the Flanders region of Belgium, offering a portfolio of conference planning services rather than a unified software product. The core offering centers on free expert assistance for association conference organizers, including venue sourcing, local expert connections, and impact planning through their proprietary Impact Methodology. Supporting offerings include access to heritage venues across Flemish cities and free downloadable guides on sustainable conferencing. The HYBR Platform represents their sole technology product—a hybrid event platform combining physical and digital event capabilities. All services are provided free of charge as part of the Flemish Government's tourism promotion efforts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Conference Planning Services Free expert assistance for organizing conferences in Flanders, including venue finding, connecting with local experts, planning legacy and societal impact, and international promotion of events. Targeted at association conference organizers and corporate event planners.
• Impact Methodology A proprietary methodology where experts work with conference organizers to reflect on the positive, long-term impact of their conference before it starts and map its long-term impact afterward. Aimed at association conference organizers seeking to demonstrate societal value.
• Heritage Venues Access to unique heritage venues in Flemish cities including Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Leuven, and Kortrijk for hosting conferences and events. Aimed at conference organizers seeking distinctive European venues.
• Free Downloads (E-books and Guides) Free e-books and guides on sustainable, impactful event planning available for download, including materials on gastronomy and conferencing. Targeted at conference organizers planning events in Flanders.
• HYBR Platform A hybrid event platform developed by VISITFLANDERS Convention Bureau that combines physical and digital event experiences, featuring TED-style talks, Clubhouse-style discussions, Teams-style collaboration, and LinkedIn-style networking capabilities. Targeted at conference organizers running hybrid events.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% international participation achieved for Stereopsia conference
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vlaanderen Ruimtelijk (VRI - Flemish Space Industry)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVRI groups 42 Flemish companies and research/educational institutions active in the space sector. The organization bridges the space industry with other sectors through collaboration, living labs, and international missions.
• VITO (Flemish Institute for Technological Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVITO leads research on sustainable solutions including turning waste from steel furnaces into building materials using CO2. Walter Eevers leads a team of 900+ scientists at VITO.
• KU LeuvencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTop 100 European innovative university with strong research in rehabilitation sciences, bioengineering, and technology. Partner for clinical research and AI wheelchair development.
• Ghent UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTop 100 European innovative university collaborating on digital archives research and various academic conferences. Partner in iPRES 2024 organization.
• FoodpairingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGhent-based data-science and food tech company offering AI platform for food product development. Chef app used in 140 countries. Collaborates on gastronomy innovation.
• Flanders MakecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLargest player in Industry 4.0 and digital transformation in Flanders. 163 member companies from manufacturing, logistics, pharma, and food sectors. Bridges universities and companies for industrial implementation.
• Flanders' CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgramme of Government of Flanders aimed at improving quality care and stimulating responsible entrepreneurship in the care economy. Coordinator Carine Boonen facilitates cross-fertilization.
• Flux50coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManages smart energy transition in Flanders. Organizing international missions with Flemish companies and partnerships with International Clean Network, European technology platforms, and Digital Innovation Hubs.
• Biodiversa+ (European Biodiversity Partnership)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Biodiversity Partnership uniting more than 80 ministries supporting biodiversity research and knowledge brokerage. Led by Hilde Eggermont before she became Director General of INBO.
• ESA (European Space Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAngelique Van Ombergen works at ESA studying physical and psychological effects of spaceflight. ESA research on astronaut health conducted in collaboration with Flemish researchers.
• iPRES 2024 ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital Archives Flanders, University of Ghent, VRT broadcasting organization, and meemoo (Flemish Institute for Archives) joined forces with Gent Congres. Cooperates with 20+ organizations from media, government, culture, and research.
• XR4EuropeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEuropean XR (Extended Reality) network that Stereopsia conference has close ties with, highlighting importance of being located in Brussels near European Institutions.
• International Clean NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational partnership for clean technology and sustainability, part of Flux50's international collaboration network.
• European Digital Innovation HubsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEuropean network for digital innovation, part of Flux50's international partnerships for smart energy technology sharing.
• INBO (Research Institute for Nature and Forest)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHilde Eggermont currently serves as Director General of INBO. Research institute focused on biodiversity restoration and environmental conservation.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• German Convention Bureau (GCB): National convention bureau for Germany providing free advisory services to association and corporate meeting planners, matching Flanders' role of promoting its country/region as an international MICE destination.
• Atout France: France's national tourism development agency, which includes a business tourism component promoting France as a destination for international conferences and corporate events — a directly comparable national CVB role.
• Switzerland Tourism (MICE division): National tourism organization with a dedicated conventions and incentives bureau that markets Switzerland to international associations, offering comparable venue-finding and incentive services to meeting planners.
• Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions (NBTC Holland Marketing): Dutch national tourism and conventions marketing organization that actively promotes the Netherlands to international associations and corporate event planners — directly competing with Flanders for European association congresses.
• VisitBritain Business Events: The British national tourism agency's business events division that markets the UK to international association and corporate meeting planners — same destination-marketing function with similar buyer base.

Regional players

• Visit Wallonia: Belgian regional tourism agency promoting Wallonia to international visitors and event organizers — sister entity within Belgium that competes for the same association congress share as Flanders.
• Visit Brussels (Brussels Convention Bureau): City-level convention bureau covering the Brussels-Capital Region — directly overlaps with Flanders Convention Bureau's footprint and target customer base while operating at a sub-national scale.
• Luxembourg Convention Bureau: National convention bureau of Luxembourg promoting a small European country as a meetings destination — directly comparable in scale, service scope, and association-targeting model.

Others

• ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association): Global industry association for international meeting planners whose ICCA Incredible Impacts Award framework shaped Flanders' Impact Methodology — a thematic peer and ecosystem reference rather than a destination competitor.
• European Cities Marketing: European network of city tourist boards and convention bureaus — provides benchmarking, data, and marketing collaboration that destination CVBs like Flanders participate in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/meetinflanders
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/flandersconventionbureau

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Flanders Convention Bureau