Your conference as a driver of creativity and innovation
From Dartmouth to the cities of Flanders
Around 70 years ago – in 1956 to be precise – an unassuming conference took place in the American town of Dartmouth. A group of scientists from a wide range of disciplines – from mathematics to psychology, from philosophy to engineering – sat together around the table. There was only one question on the agenda: can machines learn to think?
Creativity was the fuel that made Dartmouth a groundbreaking conference. As you can see, even the group photos were innovative.
Your conference is such a crossroads par excellence
At the conference you organise with your association or PCO, ideas are shared so that they accelerate, collide and evolve. People who don't normally work in the same space put their heads together: researchers and entrepreneurs, engineers and designers, artists and policymakers, students and residents. A conference that gives space to creativity and innovation therefore attracts a broad mix of participants and increases the target group. And that opens new doors for funding, collaboration with governments and convincing sponsors and partners.
Your conference has another trump card up its sleeve. Physical meetings turbocharge the growth of ideas. You've probably noticed it yourself: face to face, you have better conversations and feel each other's energy. Workshops, co-creation sessions and living labs fuel creativity. Informative feedback follows immediately, rather than days or even weeks later. In other words, by weaving creativity and innovation into your programme, you create a conference that is more than just a collection of lectures. You create an experience. That added value significantly increases the impact of your conference.
When the flax industry in Kortrijk disappeared, creativity and innovation created new momentum.
Creativity for the next generations: Kortrijk hosts the best gaming school in the world.
Small cities, great experiences, impactful creativity
Kortrijk is therefore a great location for organising a conference with creativity and innovation as its central theme. This is also the case for the other conference cities in Flanders, as you can read in the boxes below this article. Each of these cities guarantees inventiveness in its own unique domain, which can seamlessly tie in with the conference you are organising.
Even though the cities in Flanders are smaller than, for example, Berlin, London or Paris, this does not make the experience of your delegates any less impressive. Here, they will find everything that makes a location memorable: centuries-old architecture, world-class art, excellent restaurants and hotels. What's more, all these assets are within walking distance of each other. This significantly reduces the ecological footprint of your conference, while enriching the experience. How about travelling from the hotel to the venue... by boat?
As you can see, creativity is the common thread even in transport, which is crucial for an impactful conference. Choosing a location that exudes innovation takes your organisation to the next level. Incorporating the ecosystem into your programme – with site visits to start-ups and incubators, workshops and research groups focusing on local challenges, and tours of creative hubs and companies – upgrades your conference. Your location is no longer an island, and your conference becomes a real voyage of discovery.
Without Mercator, there would be no GPS navigation or Google Maps.
Take the test: does the location meet your requirements?
✔ Is there a strong creative or innovative cluster?
✔ Are there universities, colleges or research centres with relevant expertise?
✔ Are there start-ups, scale-ups or creative companies that can contribute to your programme?
✔ Are there entrepreneurs, researchers or cultural players who can give a keynote speech or workshop?
✔ Is there a community that is open to collaboration?
✔ Are there incubators, labs, innovation campuses, creative studios or living labs that you can visit?
✔ Can your delegates experience solutions in practice?
✔ Are there locations that facilitate co-creation, such as modular spaces, maker spaces or labs?
✔ Does the destination have excellent transport and digital infrastructure?
✔ Does the city's convention bureau offer matchmaking with companies, researchers and creatives?
✔ Does the bureau support impact trajectories and impact planning?
✔ Does the destination fit within the narrative of creativity and innovation?
✔ Are there authentic cases or examples that you can integrate into your communication?
All boxes ticked? The conference cities of Flanders welcome you!
In Bruges, heritage and innovation reinforce each other
That remarkable balance is why the city earns an outstanding 9.5 satisfaction score from conference organisers. From UNESCO heritage to smart, sustainable solutions, Bruges shows how tradition can actively drive progress and creativity. Curious how that works in practice?
Ghent: a breeding ground for creativity and innovation
In Ghent, creativity shapes daily life, research and business. Car-free streets, a circular economy, strong universities and living labs turn your conference into a real-world experiment. Discover how ideas are tested here.
Leuven: creativity, designed for crosspollination
What if your conference could create ideas, not just share them? In Leuven, culture, science, and society are designed to collide, turning the city into a living lab for your delegates. Curious how that works in practice?
Mechelen: innovation in a historic setting
In Mechelen, heritage fuels progress. Revitalised industrial sites, a thriving circular economy and the Thomas More innovation ecosystem turn conferences into living labs for media, tech and sustainability. Want to see how past and future connect here?
Ostend: where land, city and sea meet, innovation emerges
In Ostend, the North Sea isn’t just scenery. Water, waves and tides drive real innovation in climate resilience, maritime tech and ecological research, with labs, offshore clusters and living city testbeds right on site. And if your creativity needs a soundtrack: just ask Marvin Gaye.
Conferences as catalysts for innovation in Antwerp
Antwerp is an innovation powerhouse where industry, research, startups and the public sector collaborate at scale. With strong clusters in health, sustainable chemistry and digital innovation, the city turns conferences into true catalysts. Ideas, partnerships and decisions accelerate, multiplying content into a programme that feels relevant, connected and credible.