At the ConXioN Hub in Mechelen, you can discover the latest technologies yourself. A personal touch and human relationships make the difference for ConXioN in a digital world.
On October 16 at exactly 7:30 PM, the symbolic red ribbon of the ConXioN Hub in Mechelen was cut by Alexander Vandersmissen (Open VLD), local alderman for Economy and Entrepreneurship. The originally Waregem-based company immediately felt at home in the Maneblussers city. “The energy of this city fits our company. We are now closer to customers, partners and talent in the region,” says Jochen Maertens, General Manager of ConXioN.
The establishment in Mechelen is more than a second headquarters for ConXioN. The Hub’s doors are open to let companies discover the latest technological innovations through interactive workshops. Kevin Couvreur, Experience Center Director at ConXioN, explains: “Letting people feel makes technology tangible. That works ten times better than talking about it. Customers want to be able to choose independently, without feeling like a commercial agenda is being imposed on them.”
Common Sense
That has been ConXioN’s philosophy for 28 years. ConXioN has had close ties with Microsoft since its inception, but can also count HP and other industry giants among its partners. Chris Debyser, founder and still CEO today, cannot be absent on this joyful evening. “We are not a boring supplier that just sells licenses or laptops, but a partner that thinks strategically about how to deploy technology in a useful way.”
That vision came to fruition in 2019 with the opening of a first Experience Center in Waregem. The expansion to Mechelen fills Debyser with nostalgia. “I still remember traveling to Redmond all alone six years ago to convince Microsoft. Our mission is to help companies deal with change that’s not just about IT. Technology is only interesting when there’s a plan behind it. If you can solve a problem with AI, that’s good, but sometimes it’s still okay to use common sense.”
Shot of Limoncello
Dealing with change will be the core theme of the evening. The keynote by Dado Van Peteghem, who can call himself a friend of the house at ConXioN, follows that common thread. “Generative AI is still a toddler, but one that’s growing faster than any technology ever.” Van Peteghem offers seven tips to keep your head in this rapidly changing world:
- Dare to experiment
- Understand the different dimensions of AI
- Define at least one use case per department
- Build an ecosystem around data and partners
- Stimulate a culture of curiosity
- Communicate transparently to your employees
- Think carefully about what you do and don’t want to automate
That last point is perhaps the most important one Van Peteghem wants to convey. “You can also go too far in automation. Today we hear a dystopian vision from the sector where automation has become a kind of ‘status symbol’. But you have to be careful not to lose your soul as an organization.”
Van Peteghem clarifies with an everyday example. “When you go to an Italian restaurant, you often get offered a shot of limoncello or amaretto along with the bill. Although every table gets this, you still feel special as a customer for a moment. With a small gesture, you can show customers that it’s not just a transactional relationship. That’s how I see it with technology too: it evolves quickly and as a company you have to keep up, but find the middle ground and make sure you don’t lose the human touch.”
Although you won’t literally get a shot of limoncello when you visit ConXion, the above sentence aptly summarizes what the company wants to stand for. Debyser: “Human relationships can never be completely replaced by a chatbot. We are not a business to business, but a human to human company. The network always wins.”