📚 State of Data 2026
Talks, slides, and recordings from our annual event for Belgian data leaders and practitioners
One evening, real stories, practical lessons.
April 2nd, 2026 — Leuven, Belgium
Watch back the sessions
State of Data 2026 brought together people building, running, and evolving data platforms and organisations to share what actually works in practice.
This year, the conversation focused on three topics that keep coming back in every serious data discussion:
Agentic AI
Data products at scale
EU digital sovereignty
Below you’ll find the slides and recordings from the event.
Theme 1: Agentic AI. What does it take to move from demos to production?
We looked at:
How to move from “Hello World” to production-ready AI
What value AI systems actually bring in practice
Why data foundations are often the real bottleneck
How to make “talk to your data” work in reality
Theme 2: Data Products at Scale. How do you turn data into something the business can actually use?
We explored:
How Brussels Airlines uses data products to accelerate time-to-value
How Luminus builds reliable, measurable data products
Why data products are the bridge between data and business
The role of data contracts, context, and product thinking
Theme 3: EU Digital Sovereignty. What happens after the hyperscale era?
We discussed:
When cloud strategy becomes a real constraint
Which workloads should move — and which shouldn’t
What realistic options exist today in Europe
How to think about sovereignty beyond just data residency
Panel Discussion. The Reality Check.
A panel discussion focused on real-world experiences: what worked, what didn’t, and what teams would do differently today.
Panel speakers
Koen Van Aken — Data Manager, Swift
Nassim Haddad — Head of DT Artificial Intelligence, UCB
Erik Valgaeren — TMT Partner, Stibbe
Tom Delesie — Manager Data and Analytics, Atlas Copco
Moderated by Maja D’Hondt
🎉 Thank You for Being Part of Our Community!
We’re building more than just events — we’re building a data community that grows, challenges, and supports each other year after year.
👉 Stay tuned for updates, early-bird offers, and exclusive content!
