Travel to Belgium

Belgium has a rich history from its humble beginning to a prosperous nation in the heart of Europe. Belgium is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO. Belgium has a population of about 10 million. Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups, the Flemish and the French-speakers, mostly Walloons, plus a small group of German-speakers.

Belgium's two largest regions are the Dutch speaking region of Flanders in the north, with 59% of the population, and the French speaking southern region of Wallonia, inhabited by 31%. The Brussels Region, officially bilingual, is a mostly French speaking enclave within the Flemish Region and has 10% of the population. A small German speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the political history and a complex system of government.

The name 'Belgium' is derived from Gallia Belgica, a Roman province in the northernmost part of Gaul that was inhabited by the Belgae, a mix of Celtic and Germanic peoples. Historically, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg were known as the Low Countries, which used to cover a somewhat larger area than the current Benelux group of states. From the end of the Middle Ages until the 17th century, it was a prosperous center of commerce and culture. From the 16th century until the Belgian revolution in 1830, many battles between European powers were fought in the area of Belgium, causing it to be dubbed the battleground of Europe. Upon its independence, Belgium eagerly participated in the Industrial Revolution and, at the end of the nineteenth century, possessed several colonies in Africa. The second half of the 20th century was marked by the rise of communal conflicts between the Flemishand the Francophones ffueledby cultural differences on the one hand and an economic evolution of Flanders and Wallonia on the other hand. These still active conflicts have caused far-reaching reforms of the formerly unitary Belgian state into a federal state.

The 1830 Belgian Revolution led to the establishment of an independent, Catholic and neutral Belgium under a provisional government and a national congress. Since the installation of Leopold I as king in 1831, Belgium has been a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. Although the franchise was initially restricted, universal suffrage for men was introduced in 1893 and for women in 1949. The main political parties of the 19th century were the Catholic Party and the Liberal Party, with the Belgian Labour Party emerging towards the end of the century. French was originally the single official language adopted by the nobility and the bourgeoisie. It progressively lost its overall importance as Dutch became recognized as well. This recognition became official in 1898 and in 1967 a Dutch version of the Constitution was legally accepted.

After World War II, Belgium joined NATO as a founding member and formed the Benelux group of nations with the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Belgium became one of the six founding members of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951 and of the European Atomic Energy Community and European Economic Community, established in 1957. The latter is now the European Union, for which Belgium hosts major administrations and institutions, including the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and the extraordinary and committee sessions of the European Parliament.

Belgium is a fantastic country to visit and see the immense culture displayed in the wonderful cities and towns. Ask anyone who has been to Belgium and you will find that they love this little country with a big history.

The Benelux countries play a heavy role in European business, industry and commerce, with thousands of high-profile meetings and conferences going on throughout the year. Political issues such as eco-technology are also high on the agenda. Naturally, these meetings attract delegates from across the globe. Belgium and the Netherlands ooze with history and culture, and they are popular tourist, as well as business, destinations. Quite often the fields cross over. CEOs take informal trips to look for possible new company sites; delegates turn tiring conferences into relaxing stopovers. Thus meeting rooms have to cater for both recreational and business users. We at Holiday Inn Meetings BE do this admirably, never forgetting that along with an efficient conferencing service, our clients want the relaxation and comforts of a good hotel.

Every country has its own way of doing things, and both Belgium and the Netherlands run on restrained efficiency. This extends to dress codes, presentations and, of course, business meetings. We at Holiday Inn have 29 Benelux meetings hotels, and we respond to our clients' needs and wishes with the same efficiency with which they conduct their own affairs. At the same time, we never forget the needs of foreign visitors – with tourists arriving from countries across the globe, every week of the year, this isn't a problem.

So, what does a client in the Netherlands or Belgium expect from venues like us at Holiday Inn Meetings? In the Netherlands in particular, meetings can be lengthy, drawn-out affairs. The meeting room is a forum for debate, and everyone is expected to contribute and be listened to. Although there will be a chairperson, the aim is a common unity and an agreed approach to solving a problem. Once this point is reached, things move very fast indeed. As you can imagine, constant replenishment of refreshments and stationery items is a necessity, as is overnight accommodation and a swift checkout system. An allocated PR who knows the hotel and area like the back of their hand is a definite bonus.

We at Holiday Inns BE provide all this and more, with our dedicated Meetings Host and repeat booking services ensuring that even the most complex meetings run smoothly and efficiently. One thing that works in our favour is the civilised way in which Dutch meetings are conducted, with established protocols of behaviour and abhorrence of underhand tactics like pre-meeting lobbying and hidden agendas.

In Belgium, each area has its own unique culture. Some areas are Dutch influenced, some German influenced and so on. However, when it comes to meetings, some factors are common to all. The Belgians have strong rules on etiquette, for example, and while meetings can be open and friendly, things like putting your elbows on the table, removing your jacket and unpunctuality are considered bad manners. We at Holiday Inn Meetings BE have a range of business hotels across Belgium and the Netherlands, from large cities like Brussels and Amsterdam, to charmingly historic towns like Moerdijk. All these areas attract tourism as well as international business traffic, making Benelux meetings very much cosmopolitan affairs.

Belgium is a low-lying country on the North Sea coast in the Benelux. With the majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of the Belgian capital of Brussels, and as a member of the long-standing international Benelux community, Belgium sits at the crossroads of Western Europe. Its immediate neighbors are France to the southwest, Luxembourg to the southeast, Germany to the east and the Netherlands to the north.

Belgium is a densely populated country trying to balance the conflicting demands of urbanization, transportation, industry, commercial and intensive agriculture. It imports large quantities of raw materials and exports a large volume of manufactured goods, mostly to the EU.

Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830. It was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II and has many war graves near the battle zones, most of them are around Ieper (in English archaically rendered as Ypres, with Yperite another name for mustard gas due to intensive use there in WWI). It has prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy.

The Belgian attitude towards life is one of humility, and being proud of what's given to you. A real Belgian patriot is very hard to find. The different duchies and counties making up the "Southern Low Countries" were first united in the 15th century, only to be separated in the 16th century from the "Northern Low Countries" (today Netherlands) after decades of war. Afterwards the territory we today call "Belgium" was part of the Spanish (1501-1713) Austrian (1713-1790) and French (1790-1815) Empires. It was briefly re-united with the Netherlands in 1815 but broke away again in 1830 to become the Kingdom of Belgium. Every one of these rulers have left their mark in palaces, castles, forts and cities which form the rich historic tapestry that is Belgium today.