Ostend: City by the sea

Ostend (Oostende), the only conference city by the sea at the Belgian Coast, offers an interesting diversity of conference venues such the Thermae Palace – part of Ostend’s cultural heritage, or the Kursaal – equipped with the latest technology. It is a compact meeting city where all hotels and venues are within walking distance. Ostend has also the widest choice of 3 and 4 star hotels of the Belgian Coast.

Blue Energy

Over the past years, Ostend underwent great developments regarding ecology. Research and development of new types of energy are the spearheads of the Belgian government in its North Sea policy. These are mostly carried out in Ostend. In addition to the research infrastructure for Blue Energy (wind, tidal and wave energy) and sustainable aquaculture, the city by the sea hosts high-quality technological companies working in these areas. These developments attract new specialized and professional conferences and symposiums. The main topics are green and blue energy, sustainable aquaculture, harbours and transhipment, fishery and shipping, and of course tourism, leisure and hospitality.

Great artists

Ostend has a wide offering of tourist sights, museums and art galleries. Great artists thrive at the seacoast, where the constant play of light and reflections has always fascinated and inspired them. And this is true of Ostend. Immerse in the brilliant cultural world of the internationally renowned artist James Ensor (1860 - 1949). The city is full of references to the painter. You can visit the house where he was born, which also displays several of his most important paintings and his grave. The James Ensor House contains his furniture and his collections of musical instruments, dolls, puppets, masks and vases. In his studio, he painted the artworks which today can be admired in the New York Guggenheim, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and in the Royal Academy of London.

All-round

Many historic buildings have been converted into meeting facilities. This is why Ostend has a wide range of conference and meeting venues. Most of them are situated at unique locations in the city and yet all venues are within walking distance from each other. As for hotel accommodation, Ostend has more than 2,000 rooms to offer, the most of which belong to either three or four-star hotels. All hotels are within walking distance of the most important conference venues and offer the best value for money. Due to its wide range of facilities and activities for partner programmes and evening activities, Ostend can really be called an all-round destination.

Easy to reach

Ostend is easy to reach, both international as national. You can get to Ostend from the main international air hubs London (via Calais - Eurostar) and Amsterdam in 2.5 hours and from Paris in 3 hours. Brussels International Airport is only an hour's drive by car. There are direct connections by train to Paris, Brussels, Antwerp and Kortrijk. Ostend-Bruges airport is only a few minutes’ drive from the city centre. Charter flights from sunny destinations such as Spain, Tenerife and Turkey land at this airport and private jets can land here as well.

Conferences

Ostend has all you need to organize your conventions by the sea. Kursaal Oostende is one of the largest congress centers in Belgium with a capacity of over 3,000 persons. The Kursaal has a magnificent Auditorium with over 2,000 seats, the Delvaux Hall can host up to 700 persons, the Hall of Honor has a capacity of 1,500 people and the meeting center another 400. Another option is the Thermae Palace Hotel. This hotel in Art Deco style is the perfect setting for conferences up to 600 delegates and receptions up to 1,000 guests. Most of the nine conference and meeting rooms have sea view. Neighbour of the Thermae Palace Hotel is the Wellington Racecourse. Outside the horse racing season, the main building of the racetrack is used as a conference venue for 2,750 participants, bearing the name 'Ostend Sea Place'. Next to it is the 'Bagatelle' in which receptions and dinner buffets for up to 300 person can be organized. Corporate Events From staff parties to product launches the City by the Sea has the right venues for all activities. In joint consultation, the team of the Oostende Convention Bureau will put together an original formula for your event. Moreover, the team offers customized services and takes care of the logistics and the permits. Fort Napoleon is an idyllic location in the dunes and is well adapted to all kind of business events. Their three-master “Mercator” is a maritime museum ship that provides the ideal location for a reception or a buffet. The Hip at the Wellington Racecourse is the location for organizing your big corporate events.

Incentive programs

Ostend offers a wide range of inspiring incentive programs. Ranging from sporty and adventurous teambuilding events to culinary and cultural activities, tailor- made workshops and incentives. If you are into sporty teambuilding activities, then you have certainly come to the right place. After an afternoon of blokart racing, a high impact sailing trip or the latest Ecobuilding day, you will feel totally reinvigorated from the intense seminar or workshop you had in the morning. Ostend has also a lot to offer for your next family day. For all outdoor events, locations such as Domain Raversyde, Fort Napoleon and the Kursaal offer an all-weather guarantee.

Ostend Convention Bureau

The conference department of the Ostend Tourism Board offers, free of charge, professional, custom-made and personal services. Organisers can rely on an appointed account manager who will help them to compose a tailor made program. Everything is arranged professionally and up to the last detail: conference venue, hotel nights and - if desired - partner programmes and other peripheral events. The Ostend Convention Bureau provides a wide range of services like bidding assistance, logistic support, contacts with all the municipal services, site inspections, procurement of visual displays, negotiating better deals by means of leveraging on supplier contacts and an online hotel reservation tool.