Fresh efforts to breath new life into the centre of Brussels have been given a mayoral seal of approval.
Centrepiece of current such endeavours is a new meeting venue which officially opened on 5 February.
Philippe Close, the city’s mayor, was among the guest speakers at the event and said it would play a key role in helping to regenerate the centre of Brussels.
“I am very glad to be able to open this exciting new facility,” he said.
There is a growing feeling in some quarters that the city centre has attracted an unfortunate image in recent times and this latest development will go some way towards correcting that.
The new events venue is located on the ground floor of a building currently used for guests staying at the adjacent Novotel hotel, just round the corner from the iconic Grand Place and the city’s Central rail station.
The space, called “Zinnia”, will be available for hire for groups of up to 200 people and is designed to offer a city centre alternative for those looking for a suitable venue for anything from wedding parties and communions to corporate get togethers and formal meetings.
Created by WiZiU and designed by WeWantMore, a design firm, Espace Zinnia is inspired by the Grand-Place Flower Carpet and built to adapt easily to different formats.
It is spread across 330 square metres and boasts a 130 sq mt terrace. Full on-site catering facilities, including finger foods and tailored menus, can be provided along with easy parking and multi-lingual support. There is also an adjacent room, called “Zinn’tje” which can accommodate up to a dozen people and is aimed at more “intimate” meetings.
The space is used until late morning for breakfast for the hotel guests but, from 11am Zinnia becomes a fully private venue for workshops, seminars, product launches, corporate events, or cocktail parties. The space is transformed to suit the specific needs of each event.
The team ensures that each event retains its unique character while finding its place within the venue’s overall ambiance
A spokesman said, “By creating a space with its own unique identity, free from traditional hotel conventions, WiZiU asserts a new vision: that of hospitality that creates experiences, adapting to the energy of the city and those who bring it to life.Espace Zinnia is one of its most striking manifestations: a space designed for today and tomorrow, rooted in Brussels and conceived to host a new generation of inspiring events.”
Jurgen Vanderhaeghen, the hotel general manager, told this site he was excited by the potential of the new venue, saying the idea was partly to attract more non-tourists to the city centre.
There is deemed to be a shortage of suitable places in the centre for events and functions and that, he noted, is something the new space aims to address.
“It is a highly flexible venue designed to adapt seamlessly to various needs from intimate gatherings to large scale events. It is ideally located, right at the heart of Brussels so could not be better placed. We are delighted to be involved with this project and confident it will prove a big success.”
The venue also pays homage to one of the highlights of Brussels – the flower festival held on the Grand Place every two years.
It has been given a floral “theme” and many of the packages available to anyone wishing to hire the facilities for a function or event have a relevant name such as “the Afternoon Petal” and “The Full Bloom.”
These references are not merely decorative; they guide the very essence of the space. In Zinnia, the main hall, floral tones, natural materials, and lines inspired by the Grand-Place’s heritage invite a fresh perspective. The space is adaptable, transformable, and encourages a more vibrant, contemporary approach to events, added a spokesman.
Further info: https://zinnia-events.brussels/
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