Welcome back, Brussels! How was your summer? 

I was alternating between here and home, and also treated my mom to an all-inclusive week in Turkey. But if I’m being honest, I’m happy to be back in Brussels. Am I weird?

Now that EVERYONE has finally come back to the office, you know what this means: attending an endless number of welcome networking receptions, preparing your agendas for yet another busy autumn, and catching up with your colleagues and friends over apéro.

If you’re wondering how to connect with the right people, where to host your event, what caterers to work with, and where to have that Aperol Spritz, read further.

In this issue, we’re going to look at:

Do you enjoy networking? Or do you shiver just at the sound of that word?

Until very recently, I found networking events so forced and artificial. As I attended them through work in 99% of cases, I was convinced I had to sell my organisation to anyone I met. I had to collect a reasonable number of business cards, follow up with everyone in the next few days, and get as many meetings as possible. At least that’s what I thought.

But I got it all wrong. Networking is about building genuine connections. Ironically, it’s LinkedIn, an online platform, which has taught me that. Even if you do connect with people over your work during an event, it doesn’t always need to be transactional right away. You never know when the person will think of you in the future or when you may need to ask them something.

But how to go about it?

It is easier if you are extroverted, like me, I will admit. 

And the most important? FOLLOW UP. Click on that “Connect/Follow” button on LinkedIn; send an email saying “Hi”, and how nice it was to meet the person at the event. After a networking event is over, I always write down everyone I have met; this helps me have a more organised overview of my connections. 

Now that we’ve successfully created new connections at a networking event, do you want to organise yours? Or are you planning a policy panel, a closed-door event, a workshop, or teambuilding?

Over the summer, I created this map, which includes 125 event venues, 62 hotels, 24 museums, 9 restaurants, and 12 other spaces, mostly coworking. Each log includes the maximum capacity for a cocktail or a theatre set-up, the overall number of rooms, and contact information. And it’s super easy to calculate the distance between your office and the venue.

This map wouldn’t have been possible without all the info I found on the visit.brussels website, Brussels Special Venues website, my own research, and marketing emails. If you spot any mistakes, don’t hesitate to let me know!

Congrats! You have secured your event venue now, but the chance is - you want to feed your participants. I can bet you 10 EUR that we have all experienced bad catering at some point in this city. 

This is why I am happy to introduce you to my list of top 7 caterers we have worked with over the past three years. 

Things you should be aware of:

Do you want to be more sustainable? Always order fewer portions than the actual number of registrations or engage Alpaca to collect your unconsumed food. 

Ufff Brussels, that’s been a lot, huh? We have successfully met new people, organised an event and even fed some hungry throats (as we say in Czech). And now it’s time to relax and catch up with our friends at the top of Brussels. A nice drink in our hand, something to snack on, and possibly catching one of the beautiful sunsets over this city.

My friends know that I’m an absolute sucker for views. And where better to catch up with them than at a rooftop bar, while the weather still allows it?

Below, you can find a list of 14 rooftops to visit. If I have been to any of them personally, there will be an “AAH” symbol at the end. (Andrea after Hours - a term created by the comms mastermind, Kasia Kowalewska).

1-10€

10-20€

20-30€

30€+

I love watching YouTube. But trust me, you don’t want to see my “Watch later” playlist, as it currently includes more than 140 videos! 🙈 I enjoy all kinds of content - skincare, apartment hunting, weekly vlogs, travel vlogs, personal finance, or pop culture talks. I have recently come across these two guys from Belgium who shoot HoReCa reviews and behind-the-scenes with business owners and chefs. I loved this particular video so much, as it shows a lot of places I actually had no idea existed, and they have this really chill and fun vibe around them.