Insights and inspiration for project professionals

After the sandwiches - well appreciated after a hard day of work – we received a brief news update from the board and the PM Fair team that highlighted some elements of the PM Fair speaker program and the other activities during the congress.

First action moment of the evening was a speed-networking session. This action immediately worked as an icebreaker and brought unknown people together for an interesting talk.

Next was an small introduction from the lead guide , followed by an introduction movie about the history of the Moortgat brewery (founded in 1871) and the launch of the first Duvel beer just after WW1 (Called “Victory Ale” at that moment, but rebranded to Duvel in 1923). The well known Duvel design glass was launched at the end of the sixties, followed by an international expansion in the seventies. → More info : http://www.duvelmoortgat.be/en/about-us/history/1871-1923

The group was dived in 2 smaller groups for the guided tour which lead us through the different production areas. Accompanied by the many stories and jokes from the guide, we visited the brewing hall and saw the ingredients being mixed and fermented in big tanks. The main attraction of the evening was the visit of the immense bottling facilities. In this gigantic hall, they handle, sort, clean and inspect all the return barrels, bottles and crates. Next they have a couple of high speed filling lines with thousands of bottles moving around on kilometers of conveyor belts, before ending in their crate.

Last but not least, after all the hard work, the Duvel needs some rest. Twelve (12) million bottles of Duvel are sleeping for 8 weeks in conditioned warehouses next to the A12 in Breendonk.

Then they are sent on a voyage to the customer.

Our fantastic evening was concluded with a beer tasting of all the available brands and varieties. Everyone could choose from a full glass or a smaller tasting glass, so you had more opportunities to discover the other brands. It was a very nice atmosphere and a lot of networking was done among the participants, thanks to the speed networking (and the Duvel ☺)

Today Moortgat Brewery has 10 beer brands in different varieties , which are sold internationally to beer enthusiasts worldwide , who are consuming all together 4 Duvels every second! (not to mention the other 9 brands) → More info : http://www.duvelmoortgat.be/en/the-beers

Moortgat Brewery was noted on the Euronext stockmarket from 1999 till 2013, when the management and the family shareholders decided to buy back all the shares from the stockmarket. Since then Moortgat acquired 2 new breweries in the USA : Firestone Walker (California) and Boulevard (Kansas). 2016 and 2017 will be again a milestone in the expansion of the brewing capacity with the introduction of new cilindroconic tanks, now almost doubling the capacity of the lagering process. 

Or as a participant likes to say it: " Being a member of PMI belgium charpter has been a great exprience for me. At every event and meeting I alway have the opportunity to learn something new. The event organisation, programming, and structures are always set out well. I just  want to say BIG THANK to (...) the team of volunteers for their time, effort, professionalism, expertise and passion in organising the cross - border event in Lille France and the Duvel Moortgat brewery event. As alway I have the opportunity to meet different people from different works of life, who have great ideas, experience and are from different cultures. I always learn so many important things in such a short period of time at every Event and Meeting. I am looking forward to the next event."

The number of PDUs and how to claim:  learn more.

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