Conference Venue

Table of Contents

Conference venue: The UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles

The 2026 IMA World Congress is organized at the campus of the UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles. Formerly the Université Saint-Louis Bruxelles, the Saint-Louis campus has been a space for teaching and research in the historical center of Brussels for more than 160 years, with a focus on humanities and social sciences. In 2023, the Université Saint-Louis Bruxelles merged with the UCLouvain (Université Catholique de Louvain), to become the Saint-Louis campus of UCLouvain. Even after the merger, the Saint-Louis campus keeps many of its specificities, such as a strong connection to Brussels in all its diversity, and a commitment to multilingualism: students can follow most programs in a unilingual (FR), bilingual (FR, EN) and trilingual version (FR, EN, DU).

Info

Conference address: UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles, Boulevard du Jardin botanique 43, 1000 Brussels, Belgium.
Conference dinner: AGORA, UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles, Rue de l’Ommegang 6, 1000 Brussels, Belgium.

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How to get there?

Getting to Brussels by Public Transport:

Brussels is very easy to get to. As in most large cities, it is easier to get around by public transport, bicycle or on foot. This is a great way to explore and discover the city.

Access to the Saint-Louis - Brussels campus sites

Ideally located in the city centre, the Botanique site is surrounded by several stations and is halfway between Botanique and Rogier, two stops with excellent public transport links (metro, tram, bus). In addition, there are plenty of Villo bike hire stations in this lively neighbourhood.
The Central Station is less than a 20-minute walk from the campus, the North Station is 10 minutes away on foot, and the Congress Station is a stone’s throw away and on the same metro line as the Midi Station.

Train

  • Access from any station in Brussels. Assistance can be requested from SNCB at Brussels stations for:
    • Passengers with reduced mobility using a wheelchair or other mobility aid
    • Visually impaired passengers and disabled passengers without a wheelchair or other mobility aid. Assistance agents meet the customer at the agreed location in the station and accompany them to the train, help them change trains or accompany them from the train to the station exit.   
      To request assistance:
    • Online booking
    • By telephone: 02 528 28 28 (open every day from 7:00 to 21:30)

By metro/tram/bus:

  • Travel by public transport (metro, tram, bus) in Brussels is not recommended as platforms and trains are often poorly adapted for wheelchair users (gaps and steps between platforms and trains)
  • Some station entrances/exits are adapted for people with reduced mobility with assistance (notably the Midi, Central, Roger and Botanique stations). STIB map of accessible stations.
  • If you still wish to use public transport, please note that the STIB (Brussels tram and metro network) offers assistance to help wheelchair users get on and off the metro. Assistance is only provided from the platform to get on the metro and stops on the platform after the vehicle has departed. Assistance is available every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Reservations can be made by telephone on 02 515 23 65 or via the online form on this website www.stib.be

Campus plan

Where to eat near the conference?

The official IMA World Congress starts on July 1st in the afternoon, and ends on July 3rd in the late afternoon. On July 1st, a lunch is only foreseen for the participants of the pre-conference workshop (open to all, but specific registration and small additional registration fee), and we organize a drink and social mixer. The conference diner takes place on July 2nd.

For conference participants looking for a restaurant near the conference for July 1st, July 3rd or some other day, we list here some hints from your local organizers:

Budget friendly

  • Wolf: Food court boasting 17 restaurants and a micro-brewery in a historical building, at a few minutes walking from the conference site.
  • JeanBon: a counter selling high quality cheeses and charcuterie, traditional baguettes, salads and specialty coffee, situated in the lobby of the Indigo Hotel.
  • Damn Good Café Brussels: a coffee place serving great specialty coffees and home-made original sandwiches at lunch hours
  • Café National: a coffee place inside the Théâtre national also serving lunch options.
  • Café Caberdouche: a Brussels-style bistro serving beers and lunch options.

Intermediate

  • Frank: Great specialty coffees and very nice sustainable and plant-based food.
  • Serra Garden Kitchen: a restaurant situated in the Indigo Hotel serving fresh, creative seasonal dishes
  • Cantina Valentina: a Peruvian-inspired restaurant situated in the Hoxton hotel
  • Basils Pizzeria: a very good pizzeria serving napolitan-style pizzas

High end

  • Eliane: Haute cuisine, just behind the corner.

Some drinks?

We organize a social mixer on July 1st, and a dance night after the conference dinner on July 2nd. But for those in need of some more drinks and fun, your local organizers are happy to help :-)

Beer

  • Delirium Cafe, the bar that holds the Guinness World Record for the most beers offered.
  • A La Mort Subite, one of the oldest Brussels cafés in the city centre.
  • Poechenellekelder, authentic tavern located close by the Manneken Pis.
  • Toone, Traditional Brussels’ puppet theater with its typical café.
  • Moeder Lambic, a go-to Brussels beer-temple with two locations.
  • Au bassin, a Brussels bar with an eclectic beer list, board games, and a lively atmosphere.
  • Brasserie surrealiste, bar-brewery in a converted Art Deco banana warehouse.
  • Brasserie de la Senne, bar-brewery at 10 min in bus from the conference.

Cocktail