New internal organisation

Client Experience

The Client Experience department is the operational arm of visit.brussels. Its name clearly expresses its mission: to create experiences for customers: business and leisure tourists, Brussels residents and Belgians, and thus strengthen their ties with the destination. These field experiences also allow the cluster to feed the organisation’s strategy.

About fifty employees divide their activities into three units, dedicated to the different targets: Visitor Services, B2B Events and B2C Events.

Visitor Services

Mission and objectives

The Visitors’ Services team is in charge of all contacts with those who visit or plan to visit Brussels. It informs and inspires them about tourism and culture through various channels:

• Four physical contact points (information desks at BIP and Brussels City Hall), the interactive experience.brussels exhibition and the Europe Station information desk in collaboration with the European Parliament);
• digital contact points (interactive terminals and touch screens in various locations in the capital);
• remote contact tools (telephone, e-mail, post, Messenger, chat on the association’s website).

The unit is also responsible for the creation, distribution and sale of publications tailored to the needs of visitors: city maps, thematic brochures and the official visit.brussels guide.

Key points from 2020

For this new unit, 2020 was, above all, a year of investment and development: distribution of tasks, centralisation and sharing of information, creation of new tools, increased interaction with the other visit.brussels teams, etc.

On the ground, after good figures in January and February of 2020, the number of visits to physical contact points followed the epidemic situation in Brussels. Visitor Services halted its face-to-face activities in March, and then followed the rhythm of the reopening and closing of museums throughout the year.

The team also continued to develop publications, including the preparation of a new version of the city map (to be published in 2021) and the finalisation and publication of the first official visit.brussels Guide.

Two rooms in the experience.brussels permanent exhibition have been fitted out or adapted:
“Memories of a Region” (improving accessibility for people with reduced mobility) and
“Instructions for Use” (updating information).

Finally, as with the other departments and units, the remaining budget was invested in the 2020 recovery plan, and in particular the implementation of the Hygiene Label in the points of physical contact to ensure their reopening at the same time as the museum spaces.

Outlook for 2021

With the absence of visitors due to COVID-19, the teams did everything possible to prepare for the future and ensure the satisfaction of tomorrow’s visitors. These investments will continue in 2021, particularly in the optimisation of the back office for better interaction with Brussels’ tourism customers. An updating of the experience.brussels educational exhibition is also on the agenda for 2021, as well as the strengthening of the collaboration with the European Parliament on Station Europe.

B2B Events

Mission and objectives

The B2B Events unit organises meetings between Brussels’ tourism partners (hotels, venues, cultural activities, attractions, etc.) and their professional targets, both for business and leisure tourism: online tourism agencies, trade fair and congress organisers, etc.

To do this, the department analyses the market, looks for interesting platforms (trade fairs, workshops, meetings, etc.) and orchestrates Brussels’ presence at events aimed at professionals and meeting the needs of its partners. It also contributes to the revenue of visit.brussels, in particular through the organisation of its own events.

Finally, as a single entry point for Brussels’ tourism partners, the B2B Events unit supports the other teams at visit.brussels with their projects, particularly through the collection of field information.

2020 in enkele hoofdpunten

In 2020, the B2B Events department coordinated Brussels’ presence at two face-to-face trade shows: Fitur (Madrid) in January and RDA (Cologne) in May. Together, these involved 17 partners and generated 300 business meetings.

Many other trade fairs or meetings were postponed and/or cancelled during the year, making way for virtual meetings. Among these, the virtual IBTM World (Barcelona) and WTM (London) fairs enabled the exposure of 14 partners and generated 210 meetings.

The unit organised several events of its own, both in person and online: the Brussels Ambassadors Night (March), honouring the actors who promote Brussels as a congress destination; the European Association Summit (March), bringing together major professional associations; the Career Day (November), organised for tourism students; the visit.brussels Awards (December), which rewards tourism-related sectors; and visit.brussels Day (December), dedicated to tourism partners. Only the first two were able to take place face-to-face.

The B2B Events unit has also been very involved in visit.brussels’ 2020 relaunch plan. It participated in the development of the Brussels Health & Safety Label’s protocol, and then managed the Health & Safety Fund to help partners meet the label criteria. By the end of 2020, 88 tourism partners had obtained this label.

Outlook for 2021

When faced with the health crisis, the team put its creativity to work to reinvent 2020’s events and maintain support for Brussels’ tourism partners. They will continue to do so in 2021, to ensure that professional events are held in three possible ways: face-to-face, virtual and hybrid.

B2C Events

Mission and objectives

The B2C Events unit aims to be an example of visitor welcoming by setting up and organising events for the general public, in close contact with visitors and inhabitants of the Brussels-Capital Region.

These events position the destination for international and local tourists by focusing on Brussels’ key themes, such as comics and gastronomy. They are unifying and offer great socio-economic potential for all related sectors.

The unit also organises events that are complementary to the visit.brussels management contract, such as Bright Brussels or the I Love Science Festival, and manages the destination’s presence at several trade fairs and exhibitions organised in Brussels for the general public.

Key points from 2020

2020’s calendar of events for the general public in Brussels was heavily disrupted by COVID-19.

Two events, which were a real source of added value for the sectors concerned, were held face-to-face. In mid-February, Bright Brussels attracted some 390,000 visitors, despite unfavourable weather conditions, with a walking tour featuring some twenty artistic light installations. The Comic Strip Festival was also maintained, in a museum format adapted to the circumstances. Renamed Experience BD, the event offered 10,000 visitors a visit to ten exhibitions in ten different universes over ten days at Tour & Taxis.

Many other events had to be postponed and then cancelled, requiring permanent changes to schedules, organisation and possible format according to the health measures: the I Love Science Festival and Digital Spring (postponed from April to November and then cancelled), the Iris Festival (cancelled a few days before the date, in May), Pride Festival 2020 (planned in May, postponed then cancelled), Bordeaux Wine Festival (scheduled for June and cancelled) and EAT.brussels (scheduled for September, postponed to November in an adapted format and then cancelled).

The B2C unit also contributed to visit.brussels’ 2020 recovery plan by managing the event enhancement fund. This fund, meant to support organisers, was initially intended for events in 2020. An adapted budget mechanism has made it possible to extend this support for events scheduled for 2021, such as Digital Spring.

Outlook for 2021

Efforts made in 2020 to try to adapt the planned events will not have been in vain. More agile and creative, the team plans to maintain the entire 2021 event calendar. Several scenarios are planned depending on the evolution of health measures, including hybrid formulas such as for the I Love Science Festival - Digital Spring double event or the Iris Festival 2021.

The B2C unit will also ensure the presence of visit.brussels at several public events, such as Batibouw (virtual edition), the Foire du Livre (decentralised edition) or the Brussels Travel Festival 2021 (adapted version of the Holiday Fair).

Media

The Media department manages all of visit.brussels’ external communication. It promotes Brussels’ image, its tourism offer and the visit.brussels organisation across all media channels in a 360-degree strategy, of which digital is an essential axis.

Some 35 employees are divided into three units that interact within the department: Communication, Editorial and Studio.

Communication

Mission and objectives

The Communication team coordinates external communication initiatives on behalf of various internal clients of visit.brussels. It sets the strategy and planning according to the targets and communication channels, and then mandates the Editorial team and Studio, which then produce the tools. At the end of the process, Communication analyses and reports on the results. When needed, it also collaborates with external partners, such as for the 2020 campaign to boost Brussels’ tourism.

This centralised approach, in collaboration with the other two units of the Media department, promotes brand compliance and consistency in communication projects, as well as measuring their impact.

Key points from 2020

The destination relaunch campaign was the Communication unit’s major project in 2020. It aimed to support Brussels’ notoriety and to differentiate its tourist and cultural offer, in a period of limited travel and, therefore, strong competition with other European capitals.

Launched under the slogan “no Brussels without us” on 15 June, this campaign capitalised on the soul of the people of Brussels, a real specificity of the destination, as an invitation to visit them with a series of variations according to the tourism sectors (hospitality and catering, culture, green spaces, nightlife, etc.). It was deployed both online and offline, on all media: posters, TV ads, social networks, partnerships with various media and influencers, press relations, etc. The campaign was deployed in phases, the first aimed at inhabitants of the capital, the second focused on national audiences and the third targeted neighbouring international visitors. However, the campaign had to be re-evaluated and adapted in the light of the changing health situation.

In addition to this large B2C component, this vast communication project also aimed to federate the B2B partners of visit.brussels, encouraging players in the sector to seize the opportunity of the crisis to rethink their activity (with, for example, the development of ‘touchless’ and ‘corona-proof’ initiatives).

In 2020, Communication also coordinated the communication of two face-to-face events - Bright Brussels and the Brussels Comic Strip Festival - as well as numerous virtual events held throughout the year. It also supported two promotional campaigns for the Brussels Card until the end of December: an exceptional operation with a reduced price of €20, and a free 48-hour card for overnight stays in the capital.

Outlook for 2021

After an interruption during the 2nd lockdown at the end of October, the campaign to revive tourism in Brussels resumed at the beginning of December, to accompany the partial recovery of the cultural sector.

The relaunch will continue in 2021, with a view to supporting visit.brussels’ local partners and creating inspiration around the destination. New campaigns, adapted to the changing health situation and new media consumption habits, will be planned and implemented.

Editorial

Mission and objectives

Editorial is responsible for the content of all of visit.brussels’ online and offline publications in four languages (French, Dutch, German and English). Mainly based of briefings from Communication, it writes content for visit.brussels’ social networks, its two websites (visit.brussels and agenda. brussels), the numerous newsletters dedicated to cultural life, the expatriate community in Brussels, meetings, congresses and associations sectors, etc.

It also manages relations with the national and international press and acts as the organisation’s spokesperson.

Key points from 2020

In 2020, when the company reorganisation started, Editorial worked on the optimal functioning of its activities, which were created by the merger of several teams.

In terms of press relations, activities were largely dedicated to crisis communication, with the aim of maintaining permanent contact with the tourist clientele and promoting the destination. visit.brussels maintained a sustained presence in the press, with more than 3,000 articles published in the written press and online. The unit gave more than 100 interviews to the national press and handled more than 100 requests from foreign journalists. Over 200 press releases were written and sent out. In addition, two major press trips were organised, as well as a dozen reactive trips and a virtual trip prepared in collaboration with the Studio unit (and deployed in January 2021).

Editorial also developed the action plan for visit.brussels’ social networks, which had more than 400,000 followers on Facebook and 127,000 on Instagram by the end of 2020. As with the press relations, the objective was to maintain Brussels’ reputation, provide information on tourism and culture and reassure people about health and safety measures.

Finally, dozens of communication tools were produced to support the projects of visit.brussels’ teams: brochures, newsletters, leaflets, articles, guides, communication campaign materials, websites, exhibition materials, etc.

Outlook for 2021

In 2021, Editorial will continue to work on Brussels’ business and leisure tourism reputations, ensuring a strong presence of online and offline content through visit.brussels’ various communication channels.

Studio

Mission and objectives

Studio is responsible for the creation and production of all visit.brussels’ communication media: posters, mailings, presentation material, advertisements, videos, radio and TV ads, web portal, etc.

It is also responsible for the technical management and graphic design of the visit.brussels and agenda.brussels websites and manages the photo library in collaboration with the company’s photographer.

The objective is to develop effective and innovative communication tools, in line with visit.brussels’ identity. Studio mainly implements its projects on the basis of briefings from Communication, but it is also the single point of contact for any internal team requiring the production of an online or offline publication.

Key points from 2020

In 2020, Studio worked on variations of the relaunch campaign concept for several media: online advertisements, press ads, internally produced TV ads, etc.

It created and produced all the communication tools for the virtual and face-to-face events organised by visit.brussels. It also collaborated on the production of numerous communication media, with a strong growth in digital and interactive media, which generate engagement.

At the end of the year, Studio, in collaboration with Editorial, developed a virtual press trip to present the destination. This virtual press trip took place in January 2021.

The visit.brussels website, managed by Studio, had stable traffic, slightly up on 2019: 2,469,219 open sessions, 4,239,051 page views and 1,916,455 users. In addition to the regular updates, the team has started to redesign the ecosystem of this site, drafting the specifications.

Outlook for 2021

In 2021, Studio will continue to support the Communication and Editorial teams, as well as the various departments of visit.brussels, in the creation and production of communication tools. It will also continue its sustainability policy, which began in 2020, including a voluntary reduction in paper.

The new ecosystem of the internal visit.brussels website should be deployed in the course of 2021.

Finance & Operating

The Finance & Operating department brings together visit.brussels’s general services and support. It plays an essential intermediary role in the functioning of all the organisation’s teams.

Its activities are divided into three units which together employ 27 people: Income Services (commercial activities generating own revenue), Internal Services (support services including IT support, governance and the purchasing unit) and Accountancy.

Income Services

Mission and objectives

Income Services manages part of visit.brussels’ revenue and runs the organisation’s own projects: the Tram Experience (discovery of Brussels gastronomy on board a converted tram), guided tours of the Town Hall, the ‘last minute’ ticketing service Arsene50, which enables widespread access to cultural events, and the ticketing platform for visit.brussels’ partner cultural and tourist operators. It also operates the BIP conference centre (Brussels Info Place, the Brussels-Capital Region’s showcase reception complex), sells media space and manages the sponsorship of certain projects.

By generating the organisation’s own income, Income Services is able to justify the trust placed in visit.brussels by the Brussels-Capital Region and the subsidies it is granted.

Key points from 2020

As far as the Tram Experience is concerned, 2020 was spent renovating the tram. This investment, together with sponsors’ support, made it possible to review the interior and exterior layout and to adapt the tram to Brussels Health & Safety Label standards. Everything was also prepared - partnerships, collaborations with chefs, communications, database, etc. - for the resumption of activities as soon as hotels, restaurants and bars could reopen.

Guided tours of the Town Hall were heavily affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Income Services organised a total of 307 tours and sold almost 1,723 tickets over 6 months. It also carried out a promotional campaign for the Dutch public.

Fully digitalised and responsive since 2019, the Arsene50 ticketing service distributed 17,750 tickets in 2020, mostly during the first quarter. Income Services also redesigned the back office of the platform to make it more stable and intuitive. It also deployed promotional initiatives when possible (flyers, social networks, partnerships...).

Income Services also operates a ticketing platform for various museums, attractions and external partner events. This saw the sale of 63,692 tickets. The platform also assisted museums in booking time slots for visits, in compliance with COVID-19 measures. Finally, the unit selected a partner for the replacement of the ticketing software following a call for tenders and launched a new public contract for the replacement of the electronic payment system. Both projects will enable the deployment of a state-of-the-art ticketing system with new features that improve the customer experience.

From March onwards, the BIP was strongly impacted by the crisis. 254 meetings or conferences were organised during the year, generating a turnover of €152,086.28. In addition to the implementation of the Health & Safety Label, the unit took advantage of this reduction in activity to invest in fitting out the rooms, in particular their digitalisation (with video streaming equipment) to enable hybrid events to be held. A new mini-website has also been created in preparation for the recovery.

In terms of partnerships (sale of media space in visit.brussels’s communication tools), the unit adapted the Let’s Meet business tourism brochure, with the creation of a digital catalogue. It also consolidated its collaboration with the European Parliament, the only partner of 2020. Finally, to support the tourism sector, it offered free access to its existing advertisers as well as to technology and incentive companies, particularly affected by the crisis.

Sponsorship activities did not generate any income in 2020. The unit invested a lot of energy in relationships with sponsors and in the reorganisation and cancellation of planned partnerships.

Outlook for 2021

Income Services turned this year of crisis into an opportunity to improve its projects and ensure their future development.

The Tram Experience is ready to welcome visitors with a completely refurbished tram, an adapted corporate offering and consolidated partnerships.

As for the guided tours of the Town Hall, Income Services is still aiming to increase the number of its Dutch visitors.

The unit will also continue to develop the marketing of its two online ticketing platforms, now with more powerful tools. The Arsene50 ticketing service intends to see a return to the figures achieved before the crisis (45,000 tickets per year) in 2021. It also aims to develop the offering, notably with the major Flemish cultural institutions and theatres in Brussels.

Prospecting and development work will also continue for the BIP. The technological equipment ordered in 2020 will be installed in 2021, and communication will also be renewed, with the launch of the new website and the publication of new brochures.

In terms of partnerships and sponsorship, Incomes Services intends to resume and consolidate its collaborations as soon as possible, depending on how the health situation evolves. The now cross-disciplinary approach and collaboration with the other visit.brussels teams will support this evolution.

Internal Services

Mission and objectives

Internal Services comprises three cross-disciplinary support units: Governance, Purchasing and IT support.

As a Brussels public interest organisation, visit.brussels carries out its activities within a framework of missions and objectives defined in its policy letter, with performance indicators issued by the Brussels-Capital Region.

As such, Internal Services enacts the action plan, the policy letter, budgets, grants and the financial audit. The unit centralises and carries out all visit. brussels purchases and legal actions. Finally, it manages the organisation’s IT and telephony environment and provides support to users.

Key points from 2020

The centralised governance and purchasing units set up in September 2020 aim to strengthen the coherence of visit.brussels’ activities and optimise their management, while facilitating the work of the organisation’s employees. They are currently being developed with tools to ensure greater transparency and an effective cross-disciplinary approach, and should be fully operational by summer 2021.

In 2020, the team started to set up a purchasing unit which will eventually centralise all orders and purchases within visit.brussels, as well as relations with suppliers. This approach will provide an overview of budget consumption and compliance with public procurement rules. It will also make it easier to inform suppliers and bidders, and optimise the purchasing process through an overall, integrated approach. Finally, it will allow the other visit. brussels teams to concentrate more on their core activities, relieving them of these administrative and management aspects.

For its part, the Governance unit began developing project overview sheets in 2020. Tracing the path of a project from its objectives to its evaluation, these sheets will serve as a framework for each visit.brussels employee when starting a project. As with centralised purchasing, this approach will enhance transparency and cross-disciplinary collaboration, providing a clear framework and process which focuses on results. It will enable us to draw up an overall, visible schedule of the activities undertaken, and will make the work of the cross-disciplinary teams more efficient. For Governance, the project overview sheets will ensure that each project is in line with the framework and objectives set by the Brussels-Capital Region.

Outlook for 2021

For both purchasing and good governance of activities, the implementation of a centralised and cross-disciplinary approach will enable visit.brussels to optimise and improve its procedures, streamline collaboration with suppliers, and thus improve the quality of services and products.

In terms of purchasing, 2021 will be a benchmark year, with the launch of public procurement contracts that best encompass and represent the needs of the organisation with its cross-disciplinary vision. The Governance unit will gradually take on a consultative role, offering visit.brussels’ teams advice and best practices to facilitate and develop their work.

Strategy & International

The Strategy & International department lays the strategic foundation for visit.brussels. It contributes to the organisation’s positioning and supports its development, by informing its various units about the opportunities and expectations of its partners and clients.

Its activities are divided into three units, which together have 46 employees: International Development, Marketing Strategy and Industry Coordination. These three complementary units work in synergy, reinforcing cross-disciplinary exchange and consistency.

International Development

Mission and objectives

The International Development unit places Brussels on the international map of conferences and trade fairs (MICE - Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions), focusing its approach on the five Brussels centres of excellence: life sciences and bio-pharma, ICT, sustainability and clean technologies, creative industries and media, and business services.

It aims to strengthen the image of Brussels with the world’s major associations and conference organisers, as well as leisure tourism professionals. Its activities cover field research (potential customers, needs analysis, new growth sectors, etc.), promotion of the destination and canvassing.

The 13-strong team based in Brussels is in charge of the local market and multi-market projects, while five tourist attachés promote the destination in the five priority markets (Germany, Spain, France, Italy and the Netherlands). The department also works with agencies representing Brussels tourism in the United States, the United Kingdom, BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) and Dubai.

Key points from 2020

In early 2020, before the first COVID-19 lockdown, International Development hosted 90 international conferences in Brussels and two technical visits. During the year, it also processed 328 requests for potential conferences and trade fairs, including six applications.

Unable to actively promote the destination, the unit was mainly involved in the management of two tourism recovery funds: the digital technology investment support fund (112 applications approved for the implementation of digital and hybrid solutions in venues), and the support fund for B2B conferences, meetings and events (57 applications approved for subsidies to event organisers affected by the crisis).

In addition, the team, including the foreign attachés, continued their contact and analysis work, in order to gauge the potential for collaborations in the years to come. It also supported its customers in the search for solutions in both the MICE and leisure sectors: development of hybrid proposals, cancellation of events, keeping Brussels in tourism programmes, etc.

Outlook for 2021

The COVID-19 crisis has led to a major shift in the MICE and charity sectors, and hybrid solutions are emerging as a benchmark model for the future. With a large portfolio of venues with a capacity of 500 to 1,500 people, as well as several that are highly exclusive, Brussels has many assets to position itself as a European hub for hybrid conferences. To enable this, the team put together a register of venues equipped to host hybrid events.

In the leisure sector, in addition to culture and heritage, International Development is developing a luxury tourism offering, for which there is a growing demand. A register and several collaborations are also being put in place.

For 2021, International Development’s objectives remain unchanged. In both the MICE and leisure sectors, it will continue to position and market Brussels in its 12 priority markets, with a specific focus on neighbouring countries. It will also maintain contacts with markets further afield, via the agencies that represent it there. The first MICE events in Brussels, in hybrid format, are expected to resume in September 2021.

Marketing Strategy

Mission and objectives

The Marketing Strategy unit implements visit.brussels’ marketing strategy. It supports the organisation in adopting the strategy that is most effective and best suited to the needs of its partners and customers.

The unit supports operational teams, by centralising market information, issuing recommendations and analysing the results of campaigns and initiatives undertaken.

Based on input from the sector, it identifies priority targets and segments as well as their needs. It analyses market opportunities in order to optimise the positioning of Brussels’s cultural and tourist offering. Finally, as a knowledge centre for Brussels tourism, the unit provides visit.brussels’ partners with useful information, notably through regular surveys and newsletters.

The team also works on the strategy for the visit.brussels brand and its spin-off brands (EAT.brussels, Bright Brussels, the Brussels Comic Strip festival, visit.brussels Awards, Health & Safety Label, etc.) in order to develop a consistent image that is recognisable to all. It also supports the organisation in its approach to sustainability and accessibility.

Key points from 2020

In 2020, Marketing Strategy supported visit.brussels’ teams with the permanent change brought on by the health crisis, by collecting and analysing information on the choices, needs and expectations of Brussels’ tourism customers.

The team helped develop the 2020 Recovery Plan by defining the targets of each initiative implemented, and carried out the operational oversight of the funds put in place for the sector (scoreboard, monitoring of applications, etc.). It also monitored specific projects in this plan, such as:

• Defining a sustainability plan, based in particular on a calculation of the environmental impact of tourism in Brussels;
• developing a special dashboard available to partners so they could find out the latest figures;
• creating a newsletter to inform partners of the latest trends and share studies and examples of best practice.

Finally, the unit was involved in the organisation’s digital transformation, supporting the teams to provide the most appropriate digital solutions to hit their targets. It also participated in specific communications about Brussels’ green spaces.

Outlook for 2021

In 2021, Marketing Strategy will continue the activities undertaken in 2020. It was also involved in various one-off projects, such as redesigning the web ecosystem (various websites, social networks, etc.) with the Media department. The objective was to conduct a review of the best structure to adopt, taking into account the many targets, and to define the most efficient way to produce this structure. The digital tools would then be gradually updated.

Also with the Media department, work began to clarify the brand architecture and to develop a brand book and bring it to life. This work will then enable consistent and harmonious implementation in the operational departments.

As far as data is concerned, the department will begin a review, with a view to optimising data collection (B2B and B2C) and its use in visit.brussels’ communications.

Finally, at the beginning of 2021, Marketing Strategy collected the opinions and expectations of Brussels residents regarding tourism for the first time. This survey was part of visit.brussels’ desire to ensure that tourism develops in line with the priorities of the capital’s inhabitants. The first analyses show that the people of Brussels are satisfied with the economic and social role of tourism. They highlight their desire to be more involved in its development.

Industry Coordination

Mission and objectives

The Industry Coordination unit is the link between visit.brussels and its partners. Its mission is to federate and mobilise the various players in the field towards a strategy that promotes Brussels’s tourism offering. It identifies the needs of partners in order to help visit.brussels’ departments respond to them better and ensures that the capital’s offer is correctly passed on to the visitors concerned.

ts 18 employees work in several sectors: culture (including performing arts, contemporary art, design, museums and exhibitions, heritage, new art, pop culture and jazz, street art, comic strips and digital entertainment), hotels and tourist accommodation, event venues, restaurants, food & beverages, sport, tourist attractions, Destination Management Companies, tours, heritage, venues, districts & municipalities, education, international associations, Professional Conference Organisers, centres of excellence, Europe Direct, filming, the nightlife sector & the LGBT community. Their job is to support and enhance the value of partners active in these sectors, create innovation and growth with them, and develop synergies to promote and strengthen the image of the Brussels-Capital Region. Listening to the partners, they organise various information initiatives with them (newsletters, meetings, brainstorming, etc.) and appropriate training courses throughout the year.

Key points from 2020

In 2020, all of visit.brussels’ sector partners were strongly affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Only the film sector has escaped this trend, with many applications and film shoots in the capital.

Industry Coordination focused its efforts on designing the five tourism support funds set up by visit.brussels: for B2C and B2B events in Brussels; for investment in touchless technologies; for investments in health and safety related to the Health & Safety Label; for congresses, meetings and B2B events and for investment in digital technologies. It helped to define them according to the priority needs of partners, who were the main target of the support provided. 436 eligible applications were submitted and 426 were finalised, representing a total amount of €4,566,648.31.

The unit was also very active in the development of the 2020 Recovery Plan, in an unprecedented co-creation process with partners from various sectors. This approach enabled it to gather regular and progressive feedback from the field, and consider recovery initiatives and scenarios. To do this, the team was able to bring together 360 people digitally, in sectoral and multi-sectoral meetings organised throughout the year. It also set up more than 200 individual meetings and participated in the implementation of numerous specific recovery initiatives:

• Creating a continuously updated web page to inform visitors of the applicable rules;
• negotiating a special price for the purchase of protective equipment by partners;
• implementing an e-learning platform (continued in 2021);
• in addition to the campaign, promoting the museums’ heritage to maintain the visibility of Brussels’s tourism offering;
• support for healthcare staff, with the creation of a street art work as a tribute to healthcare professionals and distributing free Brussels Cards to hospital staff in the region.

Outlook for 2021

Continuing the approach begun in 2020, Industry Coordination is actively contacting partners to continue the tourism recovery in 2021. This consultation work, through meetings and individual encounters, allows us to take into account their perception and needs, and to gather relevant ideas for the future.

The team works closely with the other visit.brussels departments, both B2B and B2C. The aim is to ensure the availability and consistency of the offering on the ground and to pass this on to the teams responsible for providing it to visitors.

In 2021, Industry Coordination will play an important role in attracting (back) the people of Brussels, across all target groups. Here, special work is being carried out with the districts and communes to highlight the offering (culture, activities, catering, etc.) and to promote the city to its inhabitants, beyond the absolute city centre. Attracting local tourists and tourists from neighbouring regions is an important issue for the short and medium term revival of tourism.