Whitehouse Communications delivered UK media relations for the Belgian Embassy in the UK during the 2022 Belgian Economic Mission, the first Mission since the COVID-19 pandemic. Presided over by HRH Princess Astrid and attended by Belgian Ministers and more than 400 business leaders, the Mission ran across London, Oxford and Cambridge in May 2022. The firm attended and liaised with journalists at 9 events over 3 days, securing coverage in Politico, Freight Business Journal and New Food Magazine.
The challenge
The Belgian Embassy in the UK represents the Kingdom of Belgium diplomatically to the United Kingdom, supporting bilateral trade, investment, cultural exchange and citizen services. Belgium and the UK share a historic trading relationship, geographic proximity, closely aligned values and an innovative spirit, and their economic ties are intense and deeply intertwined.
The Belgian Economic Mission is a periodic diplomatic and business delegation visit that highlights import and export opportunities between Belgium and its trading partners. In May 2022, following pandemic-induced delays, the Mission came to the UK for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, presided over by HRH Princess Astrid and bringing Belgian Ministers together with more than 400 business leaders from sectors including sports technology, life sciences, food and beverage, logistics, environmental and human rights. The Embassy appointed Whitehouse Communications to generate media excitement around the Mission and secure press attendance at trade events in London, Oxford and Cambridge.
Our approach
Whitehouse Communications worked closely with the Belgian Embassy and the individual organisers of each trade event to shape a press engagement strategy tailored to the Mission’s diverse sectoral programme. The consistent principle was that invitations to journalists should reflect the specific learnings and insights that could only be gained by attending the events in person.
The work focused on:
- Pitching op-eds and thought leadership articles from Belgian Ministers and key business leaders to UK national and trade press in the weeks before the Mission, building media momentum ahead of the delegation’s arrival.
- Working with event organisers across the food and beverage, logistics, life sciences, sports technology, environmental and human rights sectors to identify press hooks and encourage UK journalist engagement at each trade event.
- Creating and issuing individual press releases for each event, so that journalists unable to attend in person still had access to the substance and could file coverage.
- Managing press accreditation for events attended by HRH Princess Astrid, including the issue, tracking and return of specialist local press passes required by the Royal security team.
The outcome
Whitehouse Communications attended and liaised with journalists at 9 events over 3 days, securing coverage in key political and trade titles including Politico, Freight Business Journal and New Food Magazine, and generating interest from national press to interview Belgian Ministers directly.
The programme brought UK media into direct contact with Belgian Ministers, business leaders and event organisers across London, Oxford and Cambridge, reinforcing the bilateral trading relationship at a moment when both countries were resetting engagement after the COVID-19 pandemic.
