La Ferme Bertinchamps d'Ophain is a historic farm estate on Chemin Bertinchamps in Ophain, in the municipality of Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium. Organisers can hire six separate rooms and an inner courtyard, alone or in combination. Depending on the configuration, the estate welcomes from 20 to 400 people, so it suits a small board dinner as well as a large reception.
Seminars and company events
The farm has a section for company and public events. It lists incentives, team building, company anniversaries, congresses, seminars, staff parties and patron saint celebrations. It is also used for campaign launches, product launches, political meetings and car rallies. The site presents capacity, modularity and character as the three strengths of the estate for professional events.
Because the rooms are separate, an organiser can give each part of the program its own space: welcome, reception, meal and entertainment. Depending on the room, lighting pre-equipment, video projection and sound systems are included, and wifi is available. A technical sheet exists for each room on the website, which helps to compare layouts before sending a request.
Weddings and receptions
For private events, the farm hosts weddings, engagements, baptisms, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, birthdays and family events in the broad sense. It also lists rally evenings and dance classes. Each event can be designed to measure, and the rooms can be combined to fit the guest list and the mood chosen by the hosts. Private clients and companies use separate request forms on the website.
Rooms and capacities
The six rooms carry the first names of members of the family that has run the farm: La Grange de Géraldine, L'Écurie de Jehan, L'Étable de Gilbert, La Bergerie d'Alphonse, La Meunerie d'André and La Laiterie de Nènène. The seventh space is La Cour d'Églantine, an inner courtyard. The website states the overall range of 20 to 400 guests but does not publish a capacity for each room in the text read; the room technical sheets give the details.
Catering
Several rooms have a professional kitchen and/or a bar, fully or partly equipped, which makes the logistics easier and gives each room a degree of autonomy. Suppliers can reach the estate through a loading dock or an interior vehicle entrance. Organisers are free to choose their own caterer and their own beverage supplier.
History and setting
The estate goes back to the 13th century, with Guillaume of the Walhain family, and the agricultural domain called the Cense de Bertinchamps is mentioned as early as 1460. It later belonged to several large families, including the Ibarra and the Robiano, who decided in 1790 to preserve its integrity. In 1932, Countess Marie de Robiano sold it to the industrialist Léon Drugmand. Even though the owners changed, the farm itself has been run by the same family since 1671, and after twelve generations Pierre Scolas became its owner. Today it is an events venue run by Géraldine and Églantine, the thirteenth generation.
Getting there
The address is Chemin Bertinchamps 51, 1421 Ophain. Three large private car parks are on the property. The website does not mention accommodation on site.
