In response to the impact of Brexit, in 2023 visit.brussels implemented targeted strategies to support the Brussels tourism sector and mitigate the repercussions of the UK's exit from the European Union. The Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) allowed the association to focus its efforts on two main areas. Firstly, the strengthening of prospecting in the UK market: This approach aimed to encourage international associations and their representative agencies to establish or develop their activities in Brussels, and to organise events in the Belgian capital. Secondly, support for European associations in the UK wanting to expand their activities in Brussels. Tools have been provided to help these associations continue their activities within the EU, with a particular focus on conference organisation.

Achievements in 2023 included the implementation of marketing actions in the UK and Belgium; the organisation of professional meetings specific to the international association sector; the opening of "The Association Place" in November; a new space dedicated to associations as well as the launch of a MICE promotion campaign in December, aimed at increasing the visibility of Brussels as a destination of choice for business tourism and association events.

Art Nouveau was given pride of place in 2023 with a dedicated thematic year celebrating this artistic movement that continues to fascinate through its history, style and impact on various fields. The aim was to reinforce Brussels' position as the world capital of Art Nouveau, attract visitors to discover its rich heritage in this field and forge links between historical heritage and contemporary creation. Major achievements in this thematic year included the successful launch of two digital and poster campaigns to promote Art Nouveau, the sale of 8,568 "Art Nouveau Passes" facilitating access to different sites and exhibitions, and the great success of our dedicated web page (93,000 visitors).

The BELIRIS 30-year celebration was an opportunity to showcase the significant contributions BELIRIS has made to the Brussels public space through cultural, artistic and culinary events in several municipalities (Etterbeek, Ixelles, Brussels, Molenbeek, Schaerbeek). This family event, with its emphasis on discoveries in the districts, attracted over 10,000 participants.

Strategic work was undertaken to prepare for the Belgian presidency of the EU in 2024. This preparatory work included the development of a comprehensive action plan, as well as the establishment of collaborations for future events to demonstrate the importance of Brussels on the European scene. In particular, visit.brussels launched a communication campaign and set up visuals in public spaces. In addition, via a Conference Fund, visit.brussels supported 17 conferences linked to the themes of the presidency and European priorities through a call for applications. Lastly, visit.brussels received no fewer than 85 applications from Brussels events seeking the "European presidency" label. A total of 22 events were accredited and will be integrated into the presidency's official cultural program.

On 10 and 11 June 2023, as part of an initiative to promote Brussels craftsmanship supported by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, visit.brussels helped promote Brussels internationally, highlighting comic strips, crafts and gastronomy. To this end, visit.brussels and the City of Mougins organised the "Brussels celebrates in Mougins" weekend event. The event showcased the attractions of the Belgian capital and included presentations of Brussels gastronomic specialties. A farmers' market, activities dedicated to comics and an information stand on Brussels were also on offer. The event attracted 12,000 visitors and helped forge links between this corner of southern France and our crafts.

In the context of its achievements in scientific research, the Region entrusted visit.brussels and Innoviris with devising and organising an event which would bring people together for science promotion.

The "I Love Science Festival" brings together a large number of actors raising awareness of science, and offers the public activities, shows, exhibitions, workshops, open laboratories and more. A total of 17,000 visitors were welcomed during the 2023 event. The festival also hosted a festival of national and international science trucks, with a nod to the food truck movement and offering scientific experiments.

Brussels Digital Spring showcased the Region's digital initiatives through start-up showcases, workshops, laboratories, exhibitions, roundtables and conferences. Brussels is a hotbed of talent. Many fields benefit from the expertise of a pool of young people, particularly in the digital sector. To connect with local digital players, the third Digital Spring, in cooperation with paradigm.brussels and inspired by the example of Montreal, offered a wide range of free activities, including augmented reality and virtual reality experiences, introductory sessions to coding and video game creation, a digital bus, workshops and conferences on different themes such as digital inclusion, digital and art, VR, gaming, sound/video, and an artistic/digital partnership with Reset Immersive, an immersive digital art exhibition. On Friday 24 March, a drone show was staged for the first time in Brussels on the esplanade of the Cité Administrative. The 2023 event was a great success, with no fewer than 5,000 visitors.

In line with its general objective of decentralising tourism, visit.brussels encourages the dispersal of visitors throughout the Region and is constantly strengthening its collaboration with the different players and the 19 municipalities. Since October 2023, visit.brussels has been specifically commissioned by the municipality of Ganshoren to support it until November 2024, to help it develop and manage cultural and tourism projects, make strategic recommendations and create an action plan for the development of tourism and culture and, lastly, to animate the sector and bring players together by providing strategic support and facilitation.