Public Space Trade Fair

Attendees, exhibitors & solutions

Who this event is for

Industry trends

Key trends shaping this market and its wider industry.

Hotel tiers

A range of accommodation options near the venue and across key areas.

Local transport

Get around the city with these convenient transport options.

Frequently asked

Glossary

1

Public space (openbare ruimte)

The Flemish/Dutch term for the streets, squares, parks, green corridors, play areas and waterside paths that a municipality owns and manages. At a public-space trade fair this is the whole product universe: paving, street furniture, lighting, planting, play equipment and the machinery that installs and maintains them.

2

Design plan (inrichtingsplan)

The drawing and specification package a Belgian municipality or region approves before a square, street or park is tendered. It is the point where a supplier's product either gets named in the specification or is designed out, which is why designers and technical services are the core visitor group at this fair.

3

Management and maintenance plan (beheerplan)

A multi-year document setting out how a public space will be maintained: pruning cycles, paving replacement, litter and graffiti rounds, play equipment inspections. Suppliers of durable materials and low-maintenance furniture use these plans to argue lifecycle cost rather than purchase price.

4

Paving and street furniture (verharding en straatmeubilair)

The heavy end of the hall: tiles, kerbs, tactile guidance strips, tree grilles, benches, bollards, bins, cycle racks and shelters. Buyers compare frost resistance, load class, slip rating and repairability, because a single broken tile can trigger a municipal claim.

5

Climate adaptation (klimaatadaptatie)

The shift from draining rainwater away to holding and infiltrating it on site: water-permeable paving, wadis, rain gardens, tree pits that take runoff, and shade planting against summer heat. Flemish and Brussels public buyers now write these requirements into street renovation tenders, which is why water and green exhibitors sit close to paving suppliers.

6

Play space and play equipment standards (speelruimte, EN 1176 / EN 1177)

Playground equipment and surfacing in Europe are specified against the EN 1176 series and impact-attenuating surfacing against EN 1177. Municipal play-space officers come to the fair to check certification paperwork, inspection intervals and spare-part availability, not just the look of the equipment.

7

Accessibility (toegankelijkheid)

Step-free routes, kerb heights, tactile paving, bench spacing and clear widths for wheelchairs, prams and rollators. Accessibility criteria are increasingly scored in Belgian public procurement, so exhibitors are expected to show measurable dimensions rather than general claims.

8

Green management (groenbeheer)

Tree inventories, species choice, pruning policy and the move towards heat- and drought-tolerant street trees. Municipal green services use the fair to compare nursery stock, growing systems, tree anchors and irrigation kit that keep new plantings alive through the first summers.

9

Standard specifications (Standaardbestek 250, SB250)

The Flemish standard contract specification for road and public-space works, widely referenced by municipalities and the Flemish roads agency. Products that already carry an SB250 reference are easier for a Belgian technical service to specify without writing a bespoke clause.

10

Tender package (bestek and meetstaat)

The specification text plus the bill of quantities that a Belgian public buyer publishes for a works or supply contract. Suppliers who understand how their product appears in a meetstaat can brief designers and procurement officers on site at the fair instead of discovering the clause after award.

11

Framework contract (raamcontract)

A multi-year agreement through which municipalities, school groups or regional agencies buy recurring items such as street furniture, play equipment or maintenance machinery. Getting onto a framework is often more valuable to an exhibitor than a single project win.

12

Mobility and circulation plan (mobiliteitsplan)

The plan that reallocates street space between walking, cycling, public transport and cars, including cycle streets and traffic calming. It drives demand for cycle infrastructure, signage, speed-reduction elements and kerb realignment, all of which are exhibited at public-space fairs.

13

Sustainable neighbourhood contract (duurzaam wijkcontract)

A Brussels-Capital Region programme that funds public-space and facility upgrades in selected neighbourhoods over several years. It creates a visible pipeline of Brussels projects beyond the Flemish municipal market that most exhibitors already know.

14

Green service and technical service (groendienst and technische dienst)

The two municipal departments that usually attend a public-space fair together: the green service for planting, trees and play areas, the technical service for paving, drainage, furniture and depots. Both influence the specification, so exhibitors should ask which one holds the budget for a given project.