Keyrus & Friends returns for a ninth edition, and we're bringing the data and digital community back together for an evening built on the idea that's carried every edition before it. Technology amplifies. The people around the table are what differentiate. Unlike a traditional conference, Keyrus & Friends focuses on practitioner-led sessions and meaningful networking. This edition pairs sharp, practical content with real networking, and this time the momentum builds even earlier in the evening.
Event details
Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Doors open: 3:30 PM
Location: Gare Maritime, Brussels
Format: Content sessions and network event, join one or both
Organiser: Keyrus
Registration: free but required
Agenda
3:30 PM: Doors open
4:00 PM: Content sessions begin
6:00 PM: Networking, drinks and canapés
9:00 PM: Closing remarks
What to expect
At 16:00
"Still personalizing on yesterday's data? Real-time CX with Confluent" - IBM
Herman Nielens (IBM) shows how Confluent streams omnichannel events into a customer view that updates as behavior happens, powering next-best action and consistent experiences across every channel. A grounded look at what changes operationally when AI and CX teams work from live data instead of last night's batch.
"Repair, replace, or rebuild? The path to an AI-ready analytics stack"- Piano
Farah Chaari (Piano) and Tanguy Stienlet (Keyrus) walk through real-world case studies on the decision every organization with a legacy analytics platform eventually faces: patch it, replace it, or rebuild it. The session focuses on what organizations gained once they made their move, from faster insight to measurable improvement in sales, loyalty, and retention.
At 17:00
"How Colruyt Group turned marketing complexity into a self-service engine" - Colruyt
Kathleen Bauwens (Colruyt Group) and Danaë Geurten (Keyrus) open the session lineup with a real story from the field: how Colruyt Group moved from fragmented, agency-driven marketing processes to a structured, self-service model across the group. They'll walk through what it actually takes to align hundreds of marketers, briefers, and validators around one way of working, and the trade-offs that came with getting there.
"Buy or build, the Edenred journey with MDM" - Edenred
Lionel Neirynck (Edenred) shares how the company approached a familiar but high-stakes question: buy a master data management tool, or build the features directly into their platform. He'll walk through the trade-offs behind that decision and what it took to get quality, enrichment, and stewardship right. We follow with the architecture side of the story, showing how a governed data foundation, built in part with Databricks, supports data management at this scale.
"Can you build a customer-centric ERP with AI? How Keyrus and Werkers matched work and workers" - Werkers
Dries Van Craen joins Keyrus and Werkers for the story of an AI-driven customer-centric ERP built with AI-assisted development, from first prompt to production. The session looks at where AI coding accelerated delivery, where human design still decided the product, and what it takes to bring a staffing operation onto a smart, live matching platform.
The spirit stays the same as previous editions: content sessions led by practitioners who operationalize intelligence in the field, followed by networking built around shared ideas rather than small talk.
Practical info
Parking is easy. Tour & Taxis has ample underground garage space, and we provide a complimentary exit pass so you can park for free.
How to join
Let us know you're coming by registering below. You can join a content session, the networking evening, or both, just indicate your preference during registration. Bring a colleague or your team and continue the conversation during the networking reception.
It's a recurring evening for the data and digital community, built around practical content sessions and genuine networking. Each edition follows the same principle: technology amplifies, the people in the room differentiate.
Data, AI, Digital professionals who want to connect with peers, exchange ideas, and hear from practitioners operationalizing intelligence in the field.
Yes. Attendance is free, but registration is required because places are limited.
Yes. During registration, you can indicate whether you would like to attend the content sessions, the networking reception, or both.