Seminars and company events
La Grande Abbaye de La Ramée hosts residential seminars with 110 bedrooms and 30 meeting rooms, and events of up to 500 guests in its tithe barn. The estate is a former 13th-century Cistercian abbey near Jodoigne in Walloon Brabant, about 45 minutes from Brussels, run by Châteauform' as a seminar house.
All 30 meeting rooms have daylight. Twenty modular rooms take up to 120 participants each, two informal rooms take up to 60, and seven rooms with fixed tables suit committees of up to 10. The Grange Dimière, described as the largest tithe barn in Belgium, holds 500 for a cocktail, 350 in theatre layout and 300 for a dinner or in islands. It is the room for plenaries, launches, gala dinners and company parties.
Châteauform' sells the house on an all-inclusive basis per participant and per day. Team activities on offer include survival-style challenges, a wind farm activity and a bartender contest. On site, groups also have pétanque, badminton, volleyball, five-a-side football, a fitness room, billiards, karaoke, darts, board games, table football and a wellness area. Mountain bike rides set off through the surrounding fields, and walks lead around the park and the lake.
Rooms and capacities
The Grange Dimière covers 760 square meters and takes 500 for a cocktail, 350 in theatre layout and 300 for a dinner.
Twenty modular meeting rooms take up to 120 people each.
Two informal rooms take up to 60.
Seven fixed-table rooms take up to 10 each.
A floor plan of the meeting rooms and a virtual tour are published on the Châteauform' site.
Accommodation
The house has 110 bedrooms on site, so most seminar groups can sleep, eat and work on the estate without transfers. The games rooms and the wellness area are part of the house, for use between and after sessions.
Catering
Meals are cooked in-house by chef Laetitia, who works with regional produce and international spices. Food is part of the all-inclusive package, and gala dinners for up to 300 are served in the Grange Dimière.
History and setting
La Ramée was founded as a Cistercian site in the 13th century. The buildings include the former convent, which overlooks an English-style park with a lake, and a farm built of brick, slate and Belgian bluestone. The Grange Dimière, at 760 square meters, rests on a timber frame 21 meters high carried by 16 columns. The house holds the international Green Key eco-label.
Getting there
The abbey is about 45 minutes by road from central Brussels and from Brussels Airport. Châteauform' gives road times only, so groups coming by train should plan a transfer from a Brussels station or from a station closer to Jodoigne.
