Belgium: Appointment Alert!

From ExecutivePlanet.com

Making appointments

It is recommended that you telephone or write for an appointment at least one week in advance. The Belgian company will set the time of your appointment and you should aim to arrive punctually. Public transport is first-class but the traffic in and around Brussels can be very heavy so you should allow plenty of time if travelling by car.

Quite often the first appointment will be socially orientated since most Belgians like to get know someone before proceeding with business of any kind.

If you are scheduled to meet at 11:30 a.m., you should reckon on this being effectively a luncheon appointment and timetable any other engagements accordingly.

Belgians do not do breakfast meetings for the most part and the preferred times are mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

Office hours are generally 8:30 a.m-5:30 p.m. with 30-60 minutes for lunch. Businesses do not officially close earlier on Fridays but many office-workers like to get away early for the weekend. Of course, senior executives tend to work longer hours.

Shops are usually open from 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. from Monday to Saturday; some may close for lunch. Larger stores and shopping centres stay open until 9:00 p.m. on Fridays. Banks open at 9:00 a.m. and close between 3:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., depending on location, from Monday to Friday.

When planning your trip [and any follow-up meetings], you should bear in mind that most Belgians take a one-month vacation each year, usually in July-August.

Belgium celebrates the traditional European [Catholic] holidays. In addition, 21 July is Independence Day and 11 November is Armistice Day; each linguistic community also has its own regional holiday.

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