I have never asked myself so many questions about the subject of relationships, as since I’ve been living with Izat. Never before have I had so many problems expressing myself and explaining things to someone else when talk turns to the Belgian view on love and friendship. And to be honest, it’s the cause of a fair amount of frustration because our views on these themes are so vastly different.
This spring the first ASAP network event took place at an amazing location on the Brussels Grand Place. This was hosted by BBF, leader in the rental of serviced apartments, and sponsored by KBC Brussels. BBF Serviced Apartments, or previously Brussels Business Flats, has been an important player in providing temporary accommodation to expats and employees of international companies and organisations since 1992. BBF currently operates more than 1700 apartments in Brussels and Budapest, and recently it has also set foot in Antwerp.
An essential part of business ownership is ensuring that you and your employees are covered for all those kind of situations where things can get messy. Dealing with unexpected issues can amount to quite a challenge, so ensuring you and your staff are taken care of at every moment is fundamental to the security of your company. But how do you know which company provides the services you need? Based on what risks do you choose your insurance coverage? In an effort to answer these questions we spoke with Laurent Martin from ALLIA Insurance Brokers, Alain Voets from Concordia Insurances and Filip Declerq from Expat & Co.
Time is precious. For most of us probably so much so that it takes up a large amount of our lives. Making and planning our time for all sorts of things such as work, appointments, social occasions, ourselves and our partners, can be quite frankly, exhausting. Like no other people, the Flemish are masters at explaining why we really can’t meet for at least another three weeks because, well, our diaries simply won’t allow it.
How time flies. It’s been three years since ReLocate last explored the key communications trends for businesses. High time to find out what’s changed – and what hasn’t – in a world defined by disruptors and advances in digital technology. We’ve ploughed through endless white papers and trend reports to uncover what we should be talking about in 2019 and how we should be doing it. We delve into the biggest driving forces of the decade and talk about some of the most important communications trends today. For your business, your clients and your team.
We’d hoped January’s Brexit vote would finally deliver some clarity, but alas, nothing has changed. We find ourselves no closer to an answer than when ‘the people spoke’ back in the 2016 referendum. What is clear however, is that we need to prepare as best we can. As the withdrawal date of the United Kingdom from the European Union (EU) is approaching, many companies are becoming increasingly worried about the impact this will have on their workforce and business in general.
In our fast-paced, ever-on society, people are struggling to cope more than ever before. We spend too much time glued to our screens and not enough with each other. Add to this the stress of moving to a new country and the ensuing culture shock, and it comes as little surprise that organisations like the Community Help Service, or CHS for short, are seeing a steady rise in requests for support. Offering a wide range of services, the non-profit organisation is a welcome resource for the English-speaking expatriate population of Belgium.
Our two largest cities, Brussels and Antwerp, are the only two Belgian cities to feature among Europe’s top 50 economic centres. Brussels is our major gateway for international finance, investment and institutions, while Antwerp is our major port city with specialisms in logistics, manufacturing, diamonds, retail and business services. Each has its own unique strengths, but how do they compete on a global scale? And what exactly is it that is it that makes a city competitive?
ANTWERPEN, BELGIUM – June 02, 2017: Night view on the illuminated Port House building designed by Zaha Hadid architect in 2009 in Antwerpen city, Belgium
Our two largest cities, Brussels and Antwerp, are the only two Belgian cities to feature among Europe’s top 50 economic centres. Brussels is our major gateway for international finance, investment and institutions, while Antwerp is our major port city with specialisms in logistics, manufacturing, diamonds, retail and business services. Each have their own unique strengths, but how do they compete on a global scale? And what exactly is it that makes a city competitive?
left: Antwerp
right: Brussels
Open your Facebook newsfeed and there is no escaping the heartfelt calls to ‘say no to single-use plastics’, tear jerking ‘save the orangutan’ petitions, awe-inspiring videos of cities of the future and mouthwatering meat-free Monday recipes. You’d be hard pressed to deny that, as a society, we yearn for a more sustainable lifestyle and a cleaner, kinder world. Partially born out of necessity, and partially out of idealism, concepts such as co-housing, zero-waste economy and vertical farming are becoming household terms rather than abstract notions exclusively reserved for new age hippies and idealistic millennials. But is a brand new world truly taking shape? Are we really going to make lasting changes, or will ‘corporate’ win out? And what about this Industry 4.0 stuff? PwC decided to investigate the competing forces that are shaping our world today for a snapshot view of our workforce of the future and arrived at four potential new worlds of work. We bring you an abridged version of the report.
