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A densely populated region

Antwerp is Belgium's second largest city and the largest city in Flanders. Its character, its cosmopolitan feel and economic leadership make it a city that enjoys a reputation abroad to rival that of the capital. However, Antwerp is also a region.

The city of Antwerp makes up the largest urban centre in the country in terms of number of inhabitants. The district of Antwerp alone has almost as many inhabitants as the Brussels Region: almost a million people live less than 30 kilometres from Antwerp expo. The province of Antwerp is the most densely populated in the country, with 1.65 million inhabitants.

Antwerp expo has the volume and quality of a market with 2.3 million inhabitants in the near vicinity.

A discerning public

The purchasing power of Antwerp's public is the highest in the country. The annual income of its households amounts to 23 billion € in the province, whereas households in the Brussels Region have a total income of only 14.7 billion €.

The visitors directly concerned by Antwerp expo have an annual income of 38 billion €.

Enthusiastic exhibition-goers

In Flanders, exhibitions are part of the landscape. That, without a doubt, explains the success of Antwerp expo, which, proportionally, boasts the busiest programme of all of the country's exhibition centres.

One survey revealed that in Flanders, taking all inhabitants, social classes and ages into consideration, more than one in three inhabitants goes to at least one exhibition every year.

An economic capital

A major European communications crossroads, a strategic industrial location, Antwerp is the country's largest centre of economic activities.

The port of Antwerp and its growing role as a logistical crossroads go some way to explain its role as an economic and industrial decision-making centre.

Antwerp expo is the venue for meetings, seminars, corporate events, trade fairs and conferences for this economic and commercial nerve centre.

A city of art and lifestyle

The wealth of Antwerp’s cultural past is being carried forward into the future. Already the international capital of the diamond trade, Antwerp has gained a first class international reputation in the world of fashion and design.

There is no doubt that the quality of life in Antwerp, the warm atmosphere, the wealth of cultural experiences and the lively nightlife play a crucial role.

The events that take place at Antwerp expo reflect this warmth – events on a human scale that put the emphasis on information, welcoming and service.

A strategic crossroads

The link between the Atlantic and the continent, the direct route between the North and South, East and West, the gateway to the Netherlands, the meeting point between Germanic, Latin and Anglo-Saxon cultures, Antwerp offers major traffic arteries and means of communication that live up to its role as a European crossroads.

The 2nd largest European port and fifth largest port in the world, Antwerp has set up connections between all possible modes of transport: a high-speed train station, business airport, and motorway hub. Antwerp expo is at the heart of this communications crossroads.