We are thrilled to announce that the Bruges Meeting & Convention Centre, in collaboration with the European Academy of Childhood-onset Disability (EACD) and Visit Flanders, has been shortlisted for the Exhibition News 2025 Award in the Best Commercial or Association Partnership category.

About the EN Awards

The EN Awards (Exhibition News Awards) are prestigious awards recognizing excellence in the exhibition industry. They celebrate outstanding achievements by individuals, teams, and companies involved in trade shows, conferences, and live events. The EN Awards 2025 will take place on March 28, 2025, in London.

There are awards to be won in many categories, including Employer of the Year, ESG Award, Best Operations Team, and more. BMCC has submitted a case for the Best Association Partnership category. And that’s thanks to the incredible partnership formed during the EACD conference between Visit Flanders, EACD, Visit Bruges Convention Bureau, Concertgebouw, BMCC, and many other stakeholders.

About EACD

The European Academy of Childhood-onset Disability (EACD), which promotes research and education to improve the quality of life for individuals with childhood-onset disabilities, hosted its 2024 conference at the BMCC and Concertgebouw in Bruges. The event brought together over 1,300 attendees from around the world, proving Bruges’ ability to host large-scale conferences seamlessly.

The Local Organizing Committee (LOC), EACD, and local stakeholders created the innovative EACD+ program, which included:

• A Sports Festival, Concert, and Technology Experience Room to enhance access to sports, culture, and technology.
• A revamped scientific program with a stronger focus on end-user involvement in research and accessible summaries of scientific abstracts.
• A pre-symposium to boost innovation and collaboration from an end-user perspective.

An Impact Task Force, led by Prof. Elegast Monbaliu (Local Conference Chair) and EACD President Bernard Dan, identified needs and gaps, aiming for a long-term impact of improving the quality of life for people with childhood-onset disabilities. The BMCC is the most accessible venue in the whole Flanders region, earning the M+ label from Visit Flanders. Delegates and patients were very glad to see that there were no boundaries to come to the conference.

The conference’s success has already been recognized, with EACD and Visit Flanders winning the Incredible Impacts Award 2024 at the ICCA conference in Abu Dhabi. The grant funds will:

• Ensure the long-term sustainability of EACD+ Belgium.
• Expand the EACD+ program to future conferences in Germany and Ireland.
• Establish a permanent Impact Task Force within EACD.

EACD, as a founding member of the International Alliance of Academies of Childhood Disability (IAACD), aims to extend the successful EACD+ model to other member academies. The conference was not only a milestone event but also the start of many impactful initiatives to come!

Meeting in the heart of a world heritage city makes every event unique. 

Hosting an event in the heart of a world heritage city centre like Bruges is unique. The BMCC is located in the heart of Bruges, within walking distance of hotels, tourist attractions and world-famous museums.

• The direct train journey from Brussels Airport to Bruges takes only 80 minutes.
• Bruges has 3400 hotel rooms within walking distance of the BMCC.
• The BMCC has a maximum capacity of 2500 people.
• The BMCC is a sustainable venue thanks to the solar panels, heat pumps, green roof,…

Together we will make your trade fair, meeting or conference an unforgettable event. We are here to make your wishes come true. Sound good? Contact us for a chat without obligations and we will discuss what we can do for you.