Belgalux participated on September 24-25, 2025 in the BLCCA Academy, a yearly event of networking and Benchmark organised by BLCCA (Belgian Luxembourg Chambres of Commerce abroad) for the 13 Belgian chambres and the 38 bilateral chambers abroad.
On Wednesday, September 24, the 2025 edition took off with a visit to Port of Antwerp-Bruges, where all participants were welcomed in the beautiful building designed by Zaha Hadid, by Wouter Van Gulck, general manager BLCCA and could learn more about the Port of Antwerp Bruges, enriched by the presentations of Patrick Van Cauwenberghe, Nele Voorspoels and Wim Dillen on the size, internationalisation, partnerships and major activities of the port.
This was just the beginning of a day full of insights and connections!
In the afternoon, all participants were taken for a boat tour of the Port of Antwerp with a lunch served on the boat and in the evening, all participants had a walking dinner in the Hoxton in Brussels.
On Thursday, September 25th, the day began with a benchmarking and sharing of best practices between bilateral chambers at The Hoxton in Brussels. In the morning, the organizers challenged the Chambers with questions about membership, strengthening visibility, structuring and governance, and organizing services and events. It was an incredible morning of exchange and learning from each other.
In the afternoon, BLCCA strengthened its relationships with FIT – Flanders Investment & Trade, through a presentation by Piet Demunter, CEO of FIT, and then discussed partnership and collaboration possibilities with representatives from different regions. This led to a truly exciting exchange of ideas and projects.
In the evening, all chambers were invited to the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Federation of the belgian chambers of commerce, in uniting the 13 belgian chambers and BLCCA with its 38 chambres. The ceremony was attended by Their Royal Highnesses Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz, along with hundreds of entrepreneurs, policymakers, and international guests.
Relive the atmosphere of an exceptional day with the aftermovie and photo gallery. Immerse yourself once again in the celebrations, discover the highlights.
https://belgianchambers.be/en/150-years-belgian-chambers/
For a century and a half, Belgian Chambers has supported and represented the Chambers of Commerce in Belgium. This milestone is marked with a unique anniversary book in which 21 entrepreneurs share their stories. They speak candidly about how their companies were started, how they grew or reinvented themselves — and the role that collaboration and the support of the Chambers played along the way. Check their stories on below link or read it through digizine.
https://belgianchambers.be/en/21-remarkable-stories-of-entrepreneurs/
https://belgianchambers.be/digizine/150-years-belgian-chambers/
It was an amazing experience to be able to participate to this great benchmark and networking event, and the 150th anniversary organised by the excellent team of BLCCA in Brussels and VOKA Antwerp.
The 2026 BLCCA Academy will happen in September 2026 in Luxembourg!
Would you like to know more about BLCCA where Belgalux is associated member since 2022 and accredited member since 2025, check out below links :
BLCCA website : https://belgianchambers.be/en/
Or follow BLCCA on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/belgianchambers/