Concise.pdf - Brugge Plus

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BRUGGE 2002
design, whilst the lighting was the work of Modular.
De Brugse Boekhandel sold exhibition catalogues,
background literature and various merchandising
products in the BRUGGE 2002 store. At the BRUGGE
2002 information desk a team of local and
European volunteers provided visitors with information
on everything that was going on in the BRUGGE
2002 programme.
At the rear, on the ground floor, the B.V.B.A. Koyot
ran the B-Café, which soon turned into “the place to
be” for anyone wanting to rub shoulders with artists,
members of staff and members of the public.
The sponsors had the chance to receive guests in the
VIP room. The two rooms on the upper floor played
host to book presentations, receptions, BRUGGE
2002 activities and welcome receptions for groups
in the framework of the public network.
The profile of the visitors coming to the information
desk was diverse, but for the most part they were
Flemings. The remainder consisted chiefly of
German, British and French visitors.
The House Perez de Malvenda will continue to be
used by the non-profit organisation Brugge Plus
after the cultural year to support activities in the
framework of Bruges’ cultural events policy.
Old films on the water
© STEFAAN YSENBRANDT
© JOHAN JACOBS
International promotion: a different story
Peter Verhelst
For the international press action and promotion,
three partners joined hands: Toerisme Brugge, Toerisme Vlaanderen and BRUGGE
2002 vzw. The basic principles of the co-operation were the generation of “free publicity”,
the concluding of joint promotions with foreign tour operators and various
media, and targeted actions aimed at tourists interested in culture and tourists on a
holiday stay. Paid advertising was only considered when a sufficiently attractive
agreement could be reached with a media partner.
The international promotion was characterised by three main phases.
In an initial phase – 2000 and 2001 – the professional travel sector was plied. The
idea here was principally to devote attention to the BRUGGE 2002 project by means of
“product placement” in travel brochures. Preference was given to packages in which
foreign tour operators included a part of the BRUGGE 2002 programme.
This was supplemented, from the end of November 2001, by the international press
conferences and foreign press trips referred to above.
In a third phase BRUGGE 2002 was promoted through targeted actions aimed at the
public. For this, efforts were made to strive for joint promotions with a trade or media
partner, for example mailshots to a tour operator’s customers, special newspaper supplements,
posters in metro stations, etc.
The main themes of the promotion in the trade and to the public were outlined by
the Marketing and Promotion Working Group, on the basis of the recommendations
of the Accommodation Working Group (see “Bruges as an opportunity for hotelbased
tourism”). But implementation was in the hands of the international offices of
Toerisme Vlaanderen and the trade unit of Toerisme Brugge. To this end Toerisme
Vlaanderen, Toerisme Brugge and BRUGGE 2002 brought together an extra “pool