The long anticipated opening of SQUARE, Brussels Meeting Center, is finally here. SQUARE, formerly known as the Congress Center of Brussels, is a completely renovated exhibition center located within the Grand Place in the center of Brussels.

SQUARE offers 13,500 sqm/145,312 sqft of meeting space with a 4,000 sqm/43,056 sqft flexible space Grand Hall that is filled with natural daylight from the main glass entrance. Further facilities include three auditoria; the Gold, Copper and Silver which seat 1200, 500, and 300 respectively. The Arc, a semi-circular auditorium seats 150. There are 30 meeting rooms each accommodating up to 100 attendees. The Panoramic Hall on the top floor offers bird’s eye views of Brussels. SQUARE has its own gourmet kitchen for catering events and a public restaurant.

E-mail: info@SQUARE-brussels.com
Website: http://SQUARE-brussels.com
Presentation on www.i-mi.com

One of the hot issues to be tackled at this year’s EIBTM is the growing importance within the industry of Generation Y.  Dedicated sessions within the Professional Education Program focus on the needs of this dynamic generation.

Generation Y – those born between 1977 and 1995 - are already seeing organisers look at meetings and events in different ways particularly with regard to technology; making organisers think seriously about what technologies can be used to entice them to attend and engage with their conferences, meetings, incentives and events.

Rob Davidson, expert on the subject, Senior Lecturer in Business Travel and Tourism, University of Westminster, will be facilitating a seminar entitled “Motivating Generation Y – how you can design meetings and use technology to involve them?”

Corbin Ball, CMP, Corbin Ball Associates will tackle the subject of ‘Social media for meetings: What are the best choices?  Web 2.0, Twitter and social media are key words and products that Generation Y understand and acknowledge as useful marketing tools. This workshop reviews current social trends and helps work through the technology maze.

Website: www.eibtm.com

According to ICCA (International Congress & Convention Association) statistics, Berlin is attracting the most event attendees. During 2008, Berlin welcomed over 100,000 attendees, more than other international convention cities such as Barcelona with 81,933, Paris with 73,872 and Bangkok with 58,007. Between 1999 and 2008, a total of 517,943 visitors attended events in Berlin.

The German capital now ranks amongst the top international convention destinations of the last decade such as Vienna (636,800), Barcelona (623,313) and Paris (573,564). It is interesting to note that 30,850 people attended events in Berlin in 1999 and by 2008 the number of attendees going to Berlin tripled to 106,171 attendees. 

Websites: www.berlin-convention-office.com

Presentation on www.i-mi.com

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Blythswood Square, a 5-Star, 100 guestroom and 7-suite hotel is opening in Glasgow’s city center next month. The property is housed in a landmark building that dates back to 1823 and was once the home of the Royal Scottish Automobile Club (RSAC). The building features wood paneling, marble staircases and flooring and Art Deco fittings and fixtures. The Town House Company refurbished the building at a cost of £26 million.

For events, four private rooms seat from 14-80 delegates and a private state-of-the-art screening room seats 50. All event areas are outfitted with the latest technology.

The hotel’s restaurant is located in what was once the RSAC’s opulent grand ballroom, and the Salon lounge is the place for Afternoon Tea at Blythswood Square. The Urban Day Spa specializes in organic products and has ten treatment rooms.

E-mail: enquiries@blythswoodsquare.com
Website: www.blythswoodsquare.com

The Traders Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi just opened in August in the Qaryat Al Beri complex. The new property features 301 guestrooms and suites that range in size from 32 sqm-70 sqm (344 sqft-753 sqft). Executive Floor amenities include a private lounge with complimentary refreshments and dedicated concierge service.  The hotel has a state-of-the-art boardroom that accommodates 14 attendees and an outdoor area for events that can cater for up to 500 attendees. Hotel dining choices include the Afya restaurant featuring international cuisine, a lobby lounge and a pool bar. 

The Qaryat Al Beri complex offers a variety of dining, retail and recreation choices including an authentic Arabic souk (market), and CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La.

Website: www.tradershotels.com

On 17 August 2009, Airlink inaugurated non-stop service between Nelspruit Kruger and Livingstone. The creation of this new route was based on research conducted amongst trade participants at Travel Indaba. This new service gives travelers more time at both Kruger National Park and Victoria Falls. It is now possible to enjoy a game drive and breakfast at a bush lodge in Kruger before traveling to Livingstone and arriving in time for a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River in Victoria. Prior to the creation of this route, travelers had to stay overnight or connect through Johannesburg, adding an extra day to their itinerary for travel.

Airlink flights operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays departing Nelspruit Kruger at 11:55 hours, arriving Livingstone at 13:50 hours and departing Livingstone at 14:20 hours, arriving at Nelspruit Kruger 16:45 hours. More frequencies will be added to this route based on demand.

Website: www.flyairlink.com  

Etihad Airways is expanding its destinations in India with a new service to Hyderabad. The Abu Dhabi/Hyderabad service begins in November. The service will operate four times weekly and then increase to a daily service at the start of 2010. Equipment to be used on this route is an Airbus A320 configured in two classes of service with 20 seats in Business Class and 120 seats in Economy Class.

Etihad currently operates 38 flights a week from the United Arab Emirates to India, with flights from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai, New Delhi, and also Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Kochi (Cochin) and Kozhikode (Calicut) in the southern Indian state of Kerala, as well as Chennai (Madras).

Website: www.etihadairways.com