Time to ‘Make Belgium Digital’ #makeBEdigital

Throughout 2014, Digital Transformation (or Disruption) has become a hot topic in Belgium too thanks to leading firms such as Accenture acting as catalysts for growth but also local thought-leaders such as Steven van Belleghem and Jo Caudron for example. This can only be good news in the context of the ever-growing need for innovation, growth and transforming our economy and industries to get ready faster for the current "digital revolution". Accelerating business and technology transformation will be more critical than ever in 2015 for Belgium to get out of recession risks and for all enterprises to grow and benefit all stakeholders, from customers to employees.

As part of its drive to boost competitiveness, economic growth and innovation in Belgium, Accenture BeLux launched last week a multi-channel #makeBEdigital (Make Belgium Digital) campaign. This campaign kicked off with a blog featuring insights and reports from nearly 20 BeLux experts and hosting a week-long visit to Belgium by James McQuivey, bestselling author of ‘Digital Disruption’ and vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, Inc., who came to share his insights into the biggest disruptor to business since the arrival of the Internet.

In a series of exclusive Accenture-hosted events for Belgian companies, government officials and entrepreneurs, James McQuivey and Accenture explained how digital transformation is not just about process or costs optimization. It is about creating a new, different kind of customer relationship, starting a virtuous cycle of economic value at country, industry and enterprise levels. This vision is echoed in Accenture’s Belgium Digital Density survey, also presented for the first time during the week (for more info, contact me).

Highlights of the ‘Make Belgium Digital’ launch week included an executive roundtable with officials from the federal and regional governments, startups and business leaders from Belgium’s largest companies to discuss the anticipated impact of digital on their businesses and industries in 2015. They were joined by a panel of executives from Google, ArgusLabs, Uber and iMinds, who presented some recent examples of digital disruption.

The week ended with a keynote session by James McQuivey at Start it @KBC in Leuven attended by 280 people from the Belgian startup, corporate and academic communities. You can re-watch the livestream here.

Watch this exclusive video conversation between James McQuivey and Wim Decraene (Accenture Digital) recorded during ‘Make Belgium Digital’ week.

Follow more news and insights plus real-life digital transformation stories on www.makeitdigital.be early 2015 and on #makeBEdigital as well as in our L'Echo and De Tijd dossiers !