Flanders has no capital.
There is no single city that concentrates the money, the agencies and the decisions the way Lisbon or Paris does. What exists instead is a network of mid sized cities, none dominant, most of them within about an hour of each other.
That absence decides almost everything about working here.
A network instead of a centre
| The city | What sits there | The first client to approach |
|---|---|---|
| Antwerp | Fashion, the port, a real creative industry | Fashion labels and their suppliers |
| Ghent | Universities, technology, food | Fast growing companies that recruit constantly |
| Leuven | Research and biotechnology | Technical companies needing to explain themselves |
| Kortrijk and West Flanders | Manufacturing, furniture, textiles | Exporters with no video in their buyer's language |
| Bruges | Tourism and heritage crafts | Hospitality, out of season |
| Hasselt | Retail and regional services | Local commerce with a real budget |
None of these is large enough to live on alone. All of them together are more than enough.
What that changes for a creator
You cover a region, not a city
The instinct from other markets is to move to where the clients are. Here there is no such place, so the useful move is the opposite: stay where you are, say clearly which cities you cover, and treat an hour of driving as part of the offer rather than as a problem.
Word of mouth travels fast and far
Because the business fabric is dense and interconnected, a job done well in Kortrijk is known in Ghent sooner than you expect. The reverse is equally true, which is why punctuality matters more here than a portfolio.
The family business account
The strongest client type in Flanders is the family owned company, and there are many more of them than their public profile suggests. They export, they have real budgets, and the person answering your email is often the owner or one step away.
They decide in a conversation rather than a quarter, they pay on time, and they stay for years. They also almost never receive an approach from a creator, because everyone is writing to the brands they already recognise.
Where to start
Pick two cities within an hour, learn what is made there, and write to three family businesses in each. Not agencies, not the recognisable brands. The companies whose name you have never seen and whose products you have used without knowing it.
Keep reading
- UGC Creators in Brussels
- What to Charge for UGC in Belgium
- Setting Up as a Self Employed Creator in Belgium
- The UGC Market in Belgium
- The complete UGC guide for Belgium
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Frequently asked questions
Do I need to live in Antwerp?
No. Flanders has no centre, so covering two or three cities beats being in one.
Which client type is best here?
Family owned exporters. They decide fast, pay on time, and nobody writes to them.
How far should I be willing to travel?
About an hour covers most of the region, and saying so plainly is part of the offer.