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GIFT GIVING IN BELGIUM* -
Gift Giving Etiquette
BUSINESS GIFT GIVING
-
It is not
usually part of Belgian business culture to give or receive gifts.
-
If you do wish to give
a present to a particularly close business associate, for example on closure
of a deal, you should not include your business card with it or give
anything featuring your company logo.
-
By this time you
should have become familiar with your counterpart's tastes and be in a
position to select something that he or she would genuinely appreciate
regardless of cost; if not, then it is probably not appropriate to give
anything at all.
-
As a standby, it is
always handy to bring something from your homeland--a coffee-table book or
some representative artifact--or to have some interesting ideas for an
impromptu gift [e.g. a bottle of something rare or unusual] should the need
arise.
-
Gifts will be opened
in front of the giver and you should do the same if you are the recipient.
-
If you are entertained
in public, then the easiest way of giving thanks is to return the compliment
and host your own party, dinner, trip to the opera, or whatever.
-
There is no harm in
sending a New Year's greetings card to business associates as an expression
of thanks and as a way of maintaining contact.
PERSONAL GIFT GIVING
-
It is quite rare to
be invited into a Belgian's home so, if you enjoy this privilege [most
likely in
Flanders],
you must be certain to behave accordingly.
-
Belgians already
know that they make the finest chocolates in the world, so it is probably
best to take flowers for your hostess [not chrysanthemums, lilies
or red roses and, in accordance with the old European tradition, an uneven
number that is not thirteen] and perhaps a bottle of spirits for your
host.
-
Any gift should be
presented on arrival.
-
Just as importantly,
you must send a hand-written thank-you letter to your hosts to reach them
the next day. You might also send flowers [if you have not already given
some] or a basket of fruit as a token of gratitude and appreciation.
*Dray, Paul. Belgium Business
Etiquette - Gift Giving. Executive Planet. 29 July 2004
<http://www.executiveplanet.com/business-culture-in/132251593672.html>. |
Above: The flag of
Belgium
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