Conference Venue

The EGOV 2024 conference is hosted in Belgium, in the heart of Europe, by Ghent University and KU Leuven in Belgium. They are both top 100 universities, and two of the major universities in Belgium with over 50.000 students and 15.000 employees. Ghent University was founded in 1817 and KU Leuven in 1425. In addition to all that history, the universities also bring a lot of innovation to their vibrant student’s towns.

PhD colloquium and Junior Faculty School at Ghent University

The PhD colloquium and Junior Faculty School will be organized by the Department of Public Governance and Management, at the Faculty of Business and Economics (Campus Tweekerken) in the historical city center of Ghent. Ghent is a medieval city with 1000-year-old heritage, medieval towers, ancient buildings and romantic canals. Behind all the history is a place that is strongly focused on the future. Ghent is also an offbeat city with a quirky vibe. Ghent University, with its ‘Dare to Think’ credo, is equally openminded, challenging everyone to question conventional views and to dare to take a nuanced stand.

Address

Faculty of Economics and Business Administration
Campus Tweekerken
Tweekerkenstraat 2
9000 Gent

The campus is about a 20 minute walk from the station Gent-Sint-Pieters. Taking the bus takes equally long.

Paper sessions, panels and workshops at KU Leuven

The parallel paper sessions, panels and workshops will be organized by the Public Governance Institute, at the Thermo-technical Institute in the beautiful park of the Arenberg Castle. The Thermo-technical Institute features a unique collection of steam, diesel, jet and several 1935-1945 airplane piston engines. Surrounded by these technologies from previous industrial revolutions, and located in what Thomson Reuters ranked as Europe’s most innovative university for several years, we will be in the perfect setting to discuss the impact of current digital technologies on government and society. The city of Leuven, with its pedestrian streets and human scale, will guarantee a cosy stay. Of course, the conference will also be determined by Belgium’s conviviality and gastronomy, where the beer flows and ideas sparkle.

If you want to extend your visit in Belgium beyond the conference participation, the cities of Bruges and Brussels are just a stone’s throw away. For more inspiration, see Flanders (https://www.visitflanders.com/en?country=nl_NL), Brussels (https://www.visit.brussels/en/like-a-local) and Wallonian tourism information (https://visitwallonia.com/en-gb/?cookie_lang=en-gb).

Address

Thermotechnisch Instituut
Kasteelpark Arenberg 10
3001 Leuven

The campus is about 20 minutes by bus from the Leuven station.

Accommodation

Please observe that you need to book your own hotel – we will not provide a booking service. If you are contacted by companies offering rooms during the conference or urging you to book your hotel room through their services – this is spam.

Leuven

  • Penta Hotel Leuven – Alfons Smetsplein 7, located 2,6 km from the conference location in Leuven. Penta Hotel is perfectly located in the middle of the historical city center and offers something a little different.
  • Martin’s Klooster Hotel Leuven – O.L.Vrouwstraat 18, located 2,6 km from the conference location in Leuven. Martin’s Klooster is a historical hotel offering an exceptional service and elegant rooms.
  • Begijnhofhotel Leuven – Tervuursevest 70, located 1,7 km from the conference location in Leuven. Begijnhof Hotel is located on the banks of the Dijle river and overlooks the picturesque Beguinage.
  • IBIS Leuven Centrum – a cheaper option, situated in the center of Leuven.

Ghent

For those people attending both the PhD colloquium and Junior Faculty School, we encourage booking a hotel in Ghent and taking a 1-hour train ride to Leuven on the evening of the 2nd of September. People attending the Junior Faculty School but not the PhD colloquium can book a hotel in Leuven for the entire stay and travel back and forth to Ghent on the 2nd of September. All others, attending the paper sessions, panels and workshops but not the PhD colloquium or Junior Faculty School, can also book a hotel in Leuven.

  • Yalo Hotel Ghent – Brabantdam 33, located 1,1 km from the conference location in Ghent. Yalo Hotel is a unique urban boutique hotel in a trendy neighborhood.
  • For cheaper options in Ghent, we recommend (1) Ibis Ghent Centrum Opera, or (2) Ibis Ghent Centrum St Baafs Kathedraal.

Transportation

How to reach Belgium

The airport in Belgium is called Brussels airport and has a good train connection to Ghent and Leuven.

Brussel south (= midi) train station also has good connections to many European cities.

If you want to extend your visit in Belgium beyond the conference participation, the cities of Bruges and Brussels are just a stone’s throw away. For more inspiration, see Flanders (https://www.visitflanders.com/en?country=nl_NL), Brussels (https://www.visit.brussels/en/like-a-local) and Wallonian tourism information (https://visitwallonia.com/en-gb/?cookie_lang=en-gb).

Getting to Ghent/Leuven

Brussels Airport is located a 12-minute train ride from Leuven and a 1-hour train ride from Ghent. A taxi will probably take a lot longer and will be much more expensive.

Public transportation

We recommend using public transportation to get around in Belgium and to the cities of Ghent and Leuven.

For getting from the airport to the city of Ghent, we recommend taking the train.

  • Company: NMBS
  • Tickets must be purchased in advance and are valid for the train ride you select. The train conductor will make its way through the train and validate your ticket. You can buy tickets at a booth in a train station (also at Brussels-Airport), via the website or the app.
    • Brussels Airport-Zaventem > Gent-Sint-Pieters: €18,80
    • Brussels Airport-Zaventem > Leuven: €11,20
    • Leuven > Gent-Sint-Pieters: €14,60
  • You can also check the itinerary via the website or the app.

Ticket booth for train tickets with NMBS.

Taxi

We would recommend using public transportation, but if you are about to use a taxi, we would suggest  ordering taxis from official taxi companies.

 

Getting around in Ghent/Leuven

For getting around in Ghent and Leuven, we recommend taking the tram or bus.

Ghent

  • Bus lines 55, 71, 76 and 77 take you from the central train station Gent-Sint-Pieters to ‘Gent Heuvelpoort’ which is the closest stop to Campus Tweekerken.
  • Trams 3 and 4 take you from the central train station Gent-Sint-Pieters to ‘Gent Zonnestraat’ which is the closest stop to the city center.

Leuven

  • Bus lines 2, 79 and 616 take you to ‘Heverlee Kantineplein’, which is the closest stop to the conference location at the Thermotechnisch Instituut. 

Travel between Ghent and Leuven

For travelling between Leuven and Ghent, we recommend taking the train. The train ride takes about 1 hour and there are several direct trains per hour. For practical information about itineraries and tickets, we refer to the section ‘Getting to Ghent/Leuven’

Practical Information

  • Currency: euro
  • Credit and debit cards: Visa, Mastercard and Maestro are widely accepted in Belgium.
  • Business hours: Most stores in Belgium are open from 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday. Large malls often extend their opening hours to 8 or 9pm. There will be no public holidays in Belgium during the period of the conference.
  • Emergency phone numbers: The venue has provisions for first aid and medical care. If you need emergency services, call 112.
  • Electrical Voltage and Adapters: Standard voltage is 230 Volts, AC 50Hz. Primary sockets require European plugs with two round pins. If you are coming from a country with a different standard, we recommend that you pack a universal travel adapter.
  • Time zone: During the period of the conference, Central European Summer Time is in effect in Belgium. This is 1 hour ahead of Central European Time (CET) and 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).