BCO Annual Conference to be held in Brussels

09 November 2007

The British Council for Offices has announced that its 2008 conference, entitled “The Art of the State & the State of the Art”, will be held from 4th- 6th June 2008 at the Conrad Hotel, Avenue Louise, Brussels.

Prior to departing for Brussels on 4th June, delegates will have the opportunity to tour the newly developed St Pancras, which is part of the biggest regeneration scheme undertaken in London for 100 years. The tour will focus on the mixed use aspects of the offices located within the new development. Delegates will then board the new high speed Eurostar, which connects London to Brussels in less than 2 hours.

The opening drinks reception will be held on the evening of Wednesday 4th June. Broadcaster Andrew Marr will open the conference on 5th June, giving a keynote address on the politics of Europe. Other sessions will examine the economics of the modern world and its impact on the property sector and the effect of demographics on the office market.

The day and a half long conference also includes a programme of debates and seminars. Subjects to be covered include sustainability, the contribution of offices to masterplanning, flexible working, energy and transport. The debates will allow all delegates the opportunity to take an active part in discussions. 600 delegates are expected to attend the conference.

Richard Kauntze, Chief Executive, British Council for Offices, commented : “The European Union has a major impact on our lives, yet few of us fully understand how Brussels works. One of the primary objectives of the conference is to demystify the European Union and to examine aspects of European legislation which have a particular impact on the office sector.”

Nicholas Ridley, Senior Vice President, British Council for Offices, and Conference Chairman, commented: “The quality of Britain’s offices is among the highest in the world. The conference will provide a platform for the British Council for Offices to disseminate our knowledge and expertise throughout Europe.”

The tour programme in Brussels includes visits to a range of buildings and sites around Brussels, including Berlaymont, headquarters of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Covent Garden scheme, which is partially let to the EU. The major development round the Eurostar terminal, the site of the new NATO headquarters and the 17th century Grand-Place, a UNESCO World Heritage site, are also included in the tour programme.

Bookings are open to the BCO’s 1,350 members for an exclusive booking period before going on sale generally in January 2008.