2023 conference programme
1 June 2023
8:30 - 9:10 Welcome coffee & networking
Participants are welcome in the central area of the conference venue for coffee or tea. This is also a first opportunity to network, explore the exhibition and meet the sponsoring partners.
9:10 - 9:20 Introduction to the conference by the organisers
Setting the scene for today's event, including all the practical information about the conference and the venue.
Guy Van Leemput (ValueIntranet) and Patrick Van Renterghem (I.T. Works)
9:20 - 9:50 Opening keynote : The transition to hybrid work at Rabobank
Increasing digitisation, and the shift to place- and time-independent work, have a big impact on people and organisations and are a cause of digital friction. The challenges for organisations that grow from the classic models to the new reality are huge.
Jan Nieuweboer, senior consultant on hybrid working at the Dutch financial institution
Rabobank, will share his experience and lessons learned, and will explain what it takes to be ready for the future.
(Rabobank)
9:55 - 10:30 How Microsoft technology shapes the future of work
In this session,
Ine Princen
from Microsoft and
Benny Van de Velde
from The Flow will explore the power of Microsoft technology and its impact on your digital work. You will learn more about the latest innovations in Microsoft Teams, Viva and Loop, and you will discover how Microsoft embraces Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies in Copilot to reshape the way we work. There are many opportunities for HR and Communications teams to leverage Microsoft’s solutions – this is the session where you will find out what is possible and where your organisation should focus.
Ine Princen Benny Van de Velde
(Microsoft) (The Flow)
10:30 - 11:00 Break
Time to grab a cup of coffee or tea, network with other participants and visit the booths of the exhibitors.
11:00 - 11:40 Breakout session 1
During each of the break-out sessions, you have a choice between different parallel presentations.
Case study: The roll-out of a new internal communication platform at Jan De Nul Group
Jan De Nul Group is an international construction and maritime company that operates in over 45 countries with more than 7,000 employees working on board of the vessels, in the offices, on site or in the warehouses. Connecting and informing these colleagues has recently become possible with the internal communication platform Connect. The company opted for a combination of several Microsoft applications and the implementation means a close cooperation between the communication department and the ICT department. In this session, Liesbeth and Sarah share information about the implementation, communication and ICT challenges involved.
Corporate Communication at Jan De Nul Group
Projectmanager ICT at Jan De Nul Group
A Hybrid Work Framework for Productive and Happy Employees
Our work is broken, and it has been for some time now. Managers do not always choose the right solutions to overcome the challenges. What is needed, is a way of thinking and working in which employees come first. This requires clear agreements between professionals and their teams, and digital resources that actually facilitate employees to do their jobs. In this session, Christiaan W. Lustig will dive into this topic based on his years of experience in the realms of the digital workplace, hybrid work, and digital employee experience.
Consultant digital employee experience (DEX) and hybrid work
Digital comfort or digital stress?
Digital transformation is often a top-down process. Users have to work with applications and processes 'forced' upon them. The intent is to make their lives more productive and comfortable. But is this the case?
Burnout, Bore-out, Absenteeism, Well-being, ... No one has studied in a pragmatic way how these hot topics are partially related to the Digital Workplace. In close collaboration with the KULeuven, Hans did exactly this and in this session he presents the findings.
Supplier of Optimism and Inspiration
11:45 - 12:25 Breakout session 2
During each of the break-out sessions, you have a choice between different parallel presentations.
Let's make "remote" work: embracing the principles of asynchronous communication
Many of us have a bias towards real-time communication, believing that human interactions need to happen in real time. However, by ignoring the power of asynchronous communication, our teams may be missing out on valuable opportunities for co-ordination, collaboration and connection.
Through a lightning talk and structured discussion with the audience, Pilar will explore how the principles of asynchronous communication can create opportunities to engage employees and will perform relevant tasks better than ever before.
Director of "Virtual not Distant" and Chief Podcaster of "21st Century Work Life"
International case study: An Integrated Framework for Collaboration at the European Commission
Overview of how the European Commission introduced new ways of working and adopted an integrated framework of collaboration with dedicated tools and a renewed concept for the intranet. In his presentation, Enzo Maria Le Fevre will discuss the challenges to enforce a digital transformation embracing the cloud in a large public organisation, but also the opportunities that arise thanks to a well-prepared change management plan. The presentation will highlight the benefits of using an intranet, such as improved information sharing, better organization of data, and enhanced teamwork. Enzo will also touch on the security measures in place to protect sensitive information and data, such as encryption and multi-factor authentication.
Head of Collaborative Solutions, Directorate for Informatics (DIGIT) at the European Commission
The intranet journey of VNZ (Flemish Neutral Health Insurance Fund)
Pascal, Involv's Customer Success Manager with a background in digital communications, will join forces with Tom David, the Operational Director of the Flemish Neutral Health Insurance Fund (VNZ) and a daily user of Involv's intranet.
Together, they will share their insights on the fund's remarkable intranet journey, highlighting the common challenges and issues faced by many companies before, during and after the implementation process.
Through their engaging conversation on stage, they will discuss the problems encountered, the challenges overcome, and the valuable lessons learned while implementing the intranet solution.
You are encouraged to actively participate, ask questions, and share your own perspectives to gain practical and applicable insights.
12:25 - 13:30 Lunch
A walking lunch is served in the central area of the conference venue. This is also an opportunity to network and to visit the booths of the exhibitors.
13:30 - 14:10 Breakout session 3
During each of the break-out sessions, you have a choice between different parallel presentations.
Redefining the future of collaboration: balancing synchronous and asynchronous work
It seems like asynchronous collaboration is the cool new kid on the block, but not everyone is ready to embrace it. Its adoption is commonly viewed as a domain reserved for tech-savvy companies and the term itself has been a source of confusion for many people.
Join Isabel De Clercq for a session that will demystify this approach and show you honestly how it could transform teamwork. Through multiple interviews with non-tech employees, Isabel has gained valuable insights in how to make these slower ways of communication a success. Is it really the new holy grail in the world of collaboration? What are the true benefits? What skills and mindset are necessary? Plus, we'll explore how ChatGPT could support its implementation.
Don't miss this unique opportunity to engage with nuanced and candid perspectives from an expert in the field. See you at the conference!
Keynote speaker, consultant, author and guest lecturer; founder of Connect | Share | Lead
Improve the effectiveness of your digital comms and intranet content.
The intranet is overflowing with content, and employees say “nobody told me” despite all the digital comms channels. Internal communicators, news writers, and page publishers have a duty to create and publish, but maybe they should stop! Don’t just do something, stand there – and think!
Wedge, from ClearBox Consulting in the UK, will encourage you to reassess your approach to comms, content, and publishing. Participate in this thought-provoking seminar for tactical tips that will support your comms and content strategies.
Intranet Consultant at ClearBox Consulting
Case study: Digital transformation at RMB (Regie Media Belge)
The profound digital transformation that RMB initiated in 2019 remains the most ambitious project for the company to date with the greatest impact on all its employees. The "cloudification" of its activities, as well as the total overhaul of its digital workspaces and tools have become major challenges, reinforced by the Covid crisis and the generalization of teleworking at the beginning of 2020.
Through close collaboration with delaware and the professionalism of the team, RMB managed to meet a crazy challenge: keeping a hundred colleagues connected and able to collaborate effectively despite the distance imposed by lockdowns.
Marketing and Communication Director at RMB
Elyne Gilles
Senior IT Consultant at delaware
Bart Van Roey
Senior Change Management Consultant at delaware
14:15 - 14:55 Breakout session 4
During each of the break-out sessions, you have a choice between different parallel presentations.
How to use ChatGPT to transform your team’s efficiency and the employee experience
Join this session to learn how large companies, like Proximus, are leveraging conversational AI to streamline their operations and automate repetitive questions. With Gen Z’s preference for message-first communication, HR teams worldwide are adopting a hybrid conversational AI approach that combines traditional conversational AI with generative AI, such as ChatGPT, to boost their return on investment and enhance their employees’ experience.
COO and Managing Partner at Campfire AI
Results of the 2023 Intranet & Digital Communication Observatory
For more than 20 years, the Intranet Observatory - Arctus' historic research - has been analysing the trends in internal digital tools deployed in organisations. The objective of the survey is to identify the systems available internally, their level of use and the degree of commitment of the users to the digital transformation.
The survey is managed by the French consulting company Arctus. This year's edition ran until the end of March 2023, with results to be published in May. Sébastien will present a synthesis of the results and discuss them with the audience. Thanks to a collaboration with the ABCI (Association Belge de la Communication Interne) this year's survey covers both the French and the Belgian market.
Senior Consultant Digital Workplace at Arctus
Case study: The Google Workspace Journey of Carrefour
Joint presentation about the implementation and adoption of the Google Workspace suite at Carrefour.
Domain Manager Cloud Technologies at Carrefour
EMEA Change Management Lead at Devoteam G Cloud
14:55 - 15:30 Break
Time to grab a cup of coffee, network with other participants and visit the booths of the exhibitors.
15:30 - 16:10 Panel Discussion: Evolution and Revolution in the Digital Workplace - Latest Trends that will impact Internal Communication and HR
An expert panel will debate the subject and share their insights. Questions and active participation from the audience are strongly encouraged!.
16:15 - 16:50 Closing keynote: The Hybrid Work Lie - The Shift towards a Digital Workplace that supports Talent Management and Transnational Business Models
The war on talent is over: talent has won! Information work is in an unseen transformation. But while we struggle to find competent talent for our organizations, we seem to be missing an essential point about how we’ve organized work. We’re often still managing teams like we’re in the Industrial Age. The evolution from closed offices via flex desks to a situation where information workers work anywhere, anytime, on various devices requires organizations to transform. The digital workplace is at the core of the changed relationship between the worker and the organization. Is hybrid work the destination, or a step we’ll forget rapidly?
In this keynote, author and strategic consultant Koen Blanquart gives insight into the advantages of our new ways of working in the post-Covid era. He will share deep insights combined with tips and tricks to take advantage of these exciting changes.
16:50 - 17:00 Closing remarks
Highlights and key take-aways of the conference presented by the organisers.
Guy Van Leemput (ValueIntranet) and Patrick Van Renterghem (I.T. Works)
17:00 - 18:00 Networking drink
We end the day with some refreshments served in the central area of the conference venue.
organisers of the Brussels Digital Workplace Conference
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