Sharing some sandwiches and starting the CX conversation

Talk Summary

Customer Experience is going through the most radical transformation in its history. AI is reshaping the rules of the game and in doing so, it is putting traditional customer loyalty under serious pressure.

Large AI platforms are inserting themselves between brands and customers, increasing the distance between the two. At the same time, customers now have new superpowers: with almost zero effort, they can compare options, switch providers, and instantly find cheaper or more convenient alternatives. Loyalty is no longer a given; it is under attack.

This shift calls for a counter-movement. Companies must go beyond the purely transactional efficiency of AI and focus on creating deeper, more meaningful value for their customers. The future of Customer Experience is not about replacing humanity with technology, but about using AI to elevate value creation.

In this talk, Steven takes you on a journey toward a new CX strategy — one that embraces the power of AI while building stronger, more resilient customer relationships. A strategy designed not just to compete in an AI-driven world, but to create real, lasting loyalty within it.

Bio
Steven Van Belleghem is a globally recognised thought leader on customer experience, digital transformation and the impact of AI on business. With more than 25 years of research and over 1,500 keynote presentations in 50+ countries, he inspires organisations to combine technology with deep human empathy. He is the author of multiple international bestsellers, including The Offer You Can’t Refuse, Customers the Day After Tomorrow and A Diamond in the Rough, with more than 200,000 copies sold worldwide. As co-founder of Nexxworks, he guides business leaders on innovation journeys around the globe. Steven’s work focuses on helping companies build strong customer cultures and create deep loyalty in an AI-driven world.

Talk Summary
In a world where AI scales faster and thinks quicker, the real question is not what technology can do, but what we as humans and organisations still uniquely bring to the table. In this keynote, Dado Van Peteghem explores how to harness AI’s exponential power without losing the human touch that truly differentiates great companies. He challenges leaders to build organisations that scale with intelligence while preserving soul, because technology moves business, but soul moves people. The future belongs to those who understand how to master both.

Bio
Dado Van Peteghem grew up with a passion for technology and turned it into a career in digital innovation. With a background in Computer Sciences from Ghent University, he has spent over 15 years helping organisations shape their innovation and digital strategy. He has worked with international companies, startups and advisory boards, is the author of five business books on technology, a guest professor at business schools and a sought-after speaker on technology and leadership.

Talk Summary
Technology only works when people forget about it. In this session, Gaëtan Schooneknaep explores what real AI implementation looks like inside hospitality, far beyond the buzzwords. At EXKi, where the first commercial AI-powered image recognition tills were introduced and co-developed with a hardware-software partner, the journey revealed a clear pattern: first customers try to control the system and look for mistakes, then they consciously test it, and finally it becomes effortless and almost invisible. The real insight is that implementation rarely fails because of technology, but because of acceptance, mental effort and lack of trust. This session is not about automation, but about how systems can give time back to hospitality and keep humans at the centre.

Bio
Gaëtan Schooneknaep is Project Management Officer and Chief of Staff, with extensive experience in hospitality and food retail. He has played key roles in organisations such as EXKi and has worked closely with technology partners, software providers and operational teams to translate digital ambition into practical execution. With a strong focus on pragmatic implementation and human adoption, he ensures that technology, processes and people evolve together, always with the goal of strengthening both performance and genuine hospitality.

Talk Summary
While the world wakes up every day to the next big AI announcement from OpenAI, Anthropic or Google, the real revolution is happening far away from the headlines. In this session, Patrick Vanbrabandt takes you beyond the hype and into the reality of implementing AI today. How do you build AI-driven products that create real customer value instead of just shining in a demo? How do you stay strategically focused when technology evolves at breakneck speed? Patrick dives into the hard lessons of product development and organisational design, and shows how to combine rapid innovation with strict privacy and security standards. No abstract visions, but a pragmatic view on what works, what fails and what you can apply immediately to strengthen your own organisation.

Bio
Patrick Vanbrabandt is the founder and Chairman of the Board of CARYA, an international software group specialised in the digitalisation of automotive retail. Since its founding, he has grown the company into a 180-employee organisation active across several European countries, with strong expertise in dealer management systems, CRM and innovative software solutions. In addition, Patrick is active as an investor, advisor, mentor and board member, with a strong interest in technology, innovation and scalable growth models.

Talk Summary
Karen Van De Woestyne starts from the only place that truly matters: the reality of today’s customers. From there, she explores the paradigm shifts shaping modern organisations, with a strong focus on the move from customer centric to customer obsessed. What does it really mean to design every decision, every process and every moment around the customer? She then dives into how AI can act as a designer of better customer experiences, illustrating this with concrete use cases. At the same time, she addresses the growing trust challenges, not only among customers but also within organisations themselves. The session concludes with a clear and ambitious perspective on where true customer-driven transformation should lead.

Bio
Karen Van De Woestyne is a Civil Engineer in Electrotechnics and an experienced executive in both corporate and SME environments. She is currently General Manager Ecosystems, Transform & Data at KBC, where she leads the agile teams shaping the bank’s digital transformation, from data foundations and digital customer experiences to ecosystem partnerships and joint ventures. Previously, she held leadership roles at Fiberklaar, Gerantis and Immo Van De Woestyne, and earlier in her career at Belgacom (Proximus) and Alcatel in international marketing and strategic roles.

Let’s conclude with some networking and idea sharing, after the inspiration.