Antwerp hosts international association buyers for MICHELIN Awards familiarisation trip

Antwerp Convention Bureau welcomed eight international association buyers to the city on last week for an exclusive familiarisation trip designed to showcase Antwerp’s growing appeal as a destination for high-level association meetings, conferences and events.

The buyers experienced a curated programme themed around MICHELIN, material innovation and 40 years of fashion, bringing together Antwerp’s strengths in gastronomy, science, fashion, sustainability, culture and world-class event venues.

A highlight of the visit was the prestigious MICHELIN Guide Ceremony at the iconic Handelsbeurs, one of Europe’s oldest stock exchanges. The ceremony places Antwerp firmly on the international gastronomic map and formed part of a wider two-day programme that demonstrated how the city connects culinary excellence with creativity, innovation and destination storytelling.

The programme included a behind-the-scenes visit to BlueChem, Belgium’s first incubator for sustainable chemistry, where delegates explored Antwerp’s innovation ecosystem and met companies working at the intersection of science, sustainability and fashion. This included insight into Fairbrics, which is transforming captured CO₂ emissions into polyester materials, and Bloom Biotech, which is developing sustainable textile materials from microalgae. The visit underlined how Antwerp’s industrial DNA, port, chemistry sector and textile heritage are being used to support the materials and event narratives of the future.

Delegates also experienced Antwerp’s fashion and cultural offer through visits including MoMu, the Fashion Museum Antwerp, and a sustainable fashion walk marking the wider city story around the 40th anniversary of the Antwerp Six. Site visits included event spaces such as A Room with a ZOO, Hotel FRANQ, Hilton Antwerp Old Town, Horta Grand Café and Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp. The programme showcased a range of options, from a 25,000 sq m venue beside one of Europe’s oldest zoos and Belgium’s largest pillar-free ballroom to a former bank hotel, an Art Nouveau hall in the fashion district and a 13th-century botanical complex with 14 meeting rooms, five signature restaurants and four Michelin stars.

Tadeja Pivc Coudyser, CEO of Antwerp Convention Bureau, said: ““This programme allowed us to show international buyers a side of Antwerp that goes beyond beautiful venues. From the Michelin Awards at Handelsbeurs to BlueChem, which literally demonstrated how to create fabric out of thin air, and on to fashion innovation and cultural storytelling, the city demonstrated how meetings here can connect with real local expertise and memorable experiences. That combination is what makes Antwerp such a strong choice for associations and event organisers.”

The visit was designed to highlight Antwerp’s ability to host events that go beyond logistics, creating programmes that connect delegates with the people, places and sectors shaping the future. The itinerary also reflected Antwerp’s compact and accessible layout, with many venues within walking distance of each other, supporting the idea that in Antwerp, the city itself becomes part of the event experience. By combining gastronomy, science, sustainability and fashion, the fam trip demonstrated how the city can support events with strong content, memorable experiences and clear destination value.

Atholl Swainston-Harrison, Chief Executive of the International Artist Managers’ Association (IAMA), said: “Alongside the glowing comments shared by my colleagues, I would like to add my compliments and sincere appreciation to the Antwerp Convention Bureau team and its partners. It was a most inspired programme, and inspiring too. It was certainly a benchmark among all the familiarisation trips I have attended. I truly meant it when I said I have never destroyed such beauty on my plate in 24 hours as I did during my time in Antwerp. It was simply superb.”

The familiarisation trip forms part of Antwerp Convention Bureau’s ongoing work to position the city as a leading European destination for international meetings and events, particularly for organisations seeking strong sector connections, distinctive venues and authentic delegate experiences.