Concise.pdf - Brugge Plus

© DIMITRI VAN ZEEBROECK
Domestic press campaign
PHASING
The press campaign was implemented in various
phases.
• 1. From May 1998 to the first half of 2000 the
emphasis lay chiefly on making the people of
Bruges, West Flanders and Flanders as a whole
aware of the fact that Bruges had been proclaimed
Cultural Capital of Europe, and providing them
with information on this.
Eavesdropper
• 2. From the second half of 2000 to the first half
of 2001, the population (local and national) was
informed of the progress being made, the range of ideas behind the cultural capital,
the infrastructure and the preparatory initiatives.
• 3. In the second half of 2001 and in 2002 the emphasis was placed on the programme
and project-related communication (local, national and international).
PRESS ACTIVITIES
The BRUGGE 2002 press department co-ordinated the press activities relating to the
entire BRUGGE 2002 project (and thus not for each separate project). However, partners
could at all times ask for assistance and support for their press actions. Press
sessions were organised at regular intervals, to look at the project in general, but also
major programme components, for example the architecture projects or what was on
offer in terms of music. The press information on the three major exhibitions was
also co-ordinated centrally.
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CONCISE
Journalists (local, regional or national) were invited to Bruges on important occasions.
There were ten major press conferences:
• February 3 rd 1999: presentation of the final report by Bart Caron, entitled “An
analysis of the cultural field” (City Hall)
• March 31 st 1999: appointment of Hugo De Greef to the post of intendant (City
Hall)
• September 27 th 1999: presentation of the logo, the thematic lines and the new
team (Municipal Theatre)
• March 31 st 2000: presentation of the sponsors (Provincial Government Palace)
• October 24 th 2000: presentation of the programme discourse (College of West
Flanders, Teacher Training Department)
• September 24 th 2001: presentation of the programme for the cultural year (City
Hall)
• March 14 th 2002: Jan van Eyck, Early Netherlandish Painting and Southern
Europe (Groeninge Museum)
• May 29 th 2002: HANZE@M4DICI (Provincial Government Palace)
• August 14 th 2002: Cloistered World, Open Books (Episcopal Seminary)
• June 3 rd 2003: Presentation of the BRUGGE 2002 final report (City Hall)
These press conferences were able to count on a sizeable response from the press.
For various other, more specialised subjects, the press was invited on a selective basis
(either the specialist trade press or the regional press). In 2001 there were thus 17
press activities, whilst in 2002 invitations were extended to the press (local, regional
or national) on 57 occasions.
Since the national press nonetheless seemed to regard Bruges as being rather a long
way away for journalists to come in person, the press department attached great