Brussels 2016
The 2016 PCLES Conference will take place in Brussels, Belgium from June 24-26, 2016!
Activities will include sightseeing around the capital city of Belgium, sampling traditional culinary offerings, an academic discussion, and a gala dinner as well as plenty of other opportunities for socializing and getting to know your fellow Law School alumni! Additionally, you’ll have the opportunity to meet Penn Carey Law Dean Ted Ruger who will be participating in and speaking at the conference.
Please note that this conference is open to ALL Law School alumni - LLMs and JDs alike (as well as partners and family). As PCLES was informally re-named the Penn Carey Law “Everywhere” Society by our President during the 2015 meeting, all alumni from outside Europe are welcome to attend too!
Louis-Hubert Pacco GL’10 (louishubertp@gmail.com), Jan Bosmans GL’09 (janfritsbosmans@hotmail.com), and Giorgio Castaldo GL’06 (giorgiocastaldo@libero.it) have kindly agreed to serve as the organizers for PLES 2016. Thank you Louis, Jan, and Giorgio!
You may also contact Rachel McQuaid L’11 at rmcquaid@law.upenn.edu with any additional questions or requests for more information.
Friday, June 24th
7:30pm: Welcome Dinner : Upon arrival, join your fellow PLES alumni for dinner and drinks at the historic Café Georgette located at Rue de la Fourche 37, 1000 Brussels. It’s about a 20 minute walk from the hotel area through such famous places as the Sablon, the “Mont des Arts”, and the Grand Place. Otherwise, it is only 10 minutes by taxi.
Saturday, June 25th
10am-12pm: Guided Tour of Brussels City Center and Highlights: Tour will start at The Hotel (please meet at 9:45am!). Discover Brussels’ city center and sideways walking through the old Brussels areas. We will see famous places such as the Grand Place, the Sablon, the typical Brussels area of “Les Marolles”, and find some chocolate to taste and beers to drink! We will also see some well-known wall paintings from Belgian comic strip authors. Part of the tour will also be by bus, allowing everyone to join and see the highlights of the Brussels city center.
12:30pm-2pm: Lunch: We’ll be having a traditional Belgian meal at Aux Armes de Bruxelles located in the heart of Old Brussels at 13 rue des Bouchers, 1000 Brussels (near the Grand Place and the Royal Galeries). If you’re joining us for the guided tour, the tour will end at the restaurant.
3pm-5pm: Academic Session at The Hotel: Brussels is the home to the EU Parliament and Commission and is also where the controversial Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations will be taking place. This major and one-of-a-kind trade agreement could deeply impact the commercial business relationships between the EU countries and the US in the coming years. We have the honor of hosting two very prominent stakeholders in these negotiations for our academic panel. They are basically in charge of the negotiations and will share their views on the subject.
Introductory Remarks:
Dean Ted Ruger, Penn Carey Law
Panelists:
The panel discussions will be moderated by Pascal Hollander (LL.M. ’86). A fellow alumnus, Pascal is an attorney in Brussels and regularly acts as an arbitrator in international and domestic disputes, in areas such as commercial distribution, trade practices, corporate disputes, intellectual property.
Sunday, June 26th
*Optional Extension Programme*
This year’s optional extension trip will be a two night trip to see the sights of Bruges, Belgium. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Jan Bosmans (janfritsbosmans@hotmail.com) and Louis-Hubert Pacco (louishubertp@gmail.com). **PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AS WE NEED TO CONFIRM THE NUMBER OF HOTEL ROOMS** (June is a very busy month for tourism and we are only able to keep the hotel blocks for a limited time).
Overview of Schedule:
Sunday, June 26th
4:00pm: Depart Brussels to Bruges by buys (departure location TBD)
5:00pm: Arrive in Bruges and get settled at Hotel du Sablon
7:30pm-10pm: Three course dinner (and drinks) at Restaurant Het Zwarte Huis
Monday, June 27th
8:00am-10:00am: Breakfast at Hotel du Sablon (included with hotel stay)
10:00am-1pm: Guided tour of Bruges. This will include a walking tour of the city highlights, visit to local artist David Graef and his gorgeous medieval home, a visit to local master choclatier Pol Depla for a chocolate demonstration, and a guided tour of the famous canals of Bruges (by private boat)
1:00pm-7:30pm: Free time. Grab lunch, shop, visit museums, etc. as you wish.
7:30pm-10:00pm: Three course dinner (and drinks) at the Restaurant De Pepermolen
Tuesday, June 28th
8:00am-10:00am: Breakfast at Hotel du Sablon (included with hotel stay)
10:00am-TBD: Free time.
TBD: Return to Brussels by bus.
Pricing
If you are interested in attending, please email Jan Bosmans for pricing specifics and payment details: janfritsbosmans@hotmail.com
Below is a rough overview of pricing based on at least 15 people attending. **Prices may change depending on the total number of people attending**:
One adult (includes single hotel room): EUR 400
Two adults (includes double hotel room): EUR 650 or EUR 325 per person
Three adults (includes triple hotel room): EUR 975 or EUR 325 per person
Four adults (includes quadruple hotel room): EUR 1270 or EUR 317,5 per person
Other:
PayPal transaction fee: EUR 15
More information
For more information on Bruges, please visit https://bezoekers.brugge.be/discover. The Bruges tourist office is very helpful and can assist you should you wish to visit specific sights in Bruges (or its surroundings).
Bruges’ museums are excellent and have several renowned works of old Flemish Masters on display. For more information on Bruges’ museums: https://bezoekers.brugge.be/musea-brugge-4.
Should you wish to continue your journey after the trip to Bruges and discover more of our country, please don’t hesitate to contact us for suggestions. Otherwise, the following websites may also be a good starting point:
- Brussels’ tourism website: www.visitbrussels.be
- Flanders’ tourism website: www.visitflanders.com
- Wallonia’s tourism website: www.wallonia.be
Some of you may be interested to visit the nearby sites of the First World War. For more information, please visit:
- The Great War Centenary: www.flandersfields.be
- Ypres’ tourism website: www.toerismeieper.be
- In Flanders’ Fields Museum: www.inflandersfields.be
Conference Fee
“Early Bird” Rate (on or before May 15th): 290 €
“Early Bird” Rate for Recent Graduates (Class of 2006 and younger and guests): 210 €
Standard Rate (after May 15th): 335 €
Standard Rate Recent Graduates (Class of 2006 and younger and guests): 255 €
Children under 16 years of age: 240 €
Registration is now closed.
Optional Extension Program
This year’s optional extension trip will be a two night trip to see the sights of Bruges, Belgium. See the “Schedule” page for a more detailed itinerary.
If you are interested in joining us, please contact Jan Bosmans (janfritsbosmans@hotmail.com) and Louis-Hubert Pacco (louishubertp@gmail.com). **PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AS WE NEED TO CONFIRM THE NUMBER OF HOTEL ROOMS** (June is a very busy month for tourism and we are only able to keep the hotel blocks for a limited time).
Conference Hotel:
The Hotel (4 star luxury hotel), Boulevard de Waterloo 38 - 1000 Brussels
Website: http://www.thehotel-brussels.be/en/home.html
Room rate: €150 per night for single occupancy; €175 per night for double occupancy (breakfast included)
To Reserve a Room: Please call hotel at +32 2 504 11 11 and mention that you are part of the PLES 2016 group
Other Options:
NH Hotel at Place Stephanie (4 star hotel, less than 10 min walk from The Hotel), Rue Jean Stas 32 - 1060 Brussels
Website: http://www.nh-hotels.com/hotel/nh-brussels-stephanie
Room rate: €120 per night (breakfast included)
To Reserve a Room: Please call +32 2 537 4250 and mention that you are part of the PLES 2016 group
Hotel Vintage (Boutique hotel, less than 10 min walk from The Hotel), Rue Dejoncker 45 - 1060 Brussels
Website: http://www.vintagehotel.be/#best-design-boutique-hotel-in-brussels
Room rate: ~€90 per night, group given a 10% discount (breakfast included)
To Reserve a Room: Please use the reservation page of the hotel website and enter the code: PLES2016