On the 1st of April, the BENE Loyalty Day 2025 was no April Fools’ joke and brought together +120 Loyalty Marketers from Belgium and the Netherlands. Designed to inspire and connect, the event was hosted at the heart of Belgium’s innovation scene – Ghent. From panel talks and networking to workshops and awards, the event served as a launchpad for the future of customer loyalty.
This year’s edition was a resounding success. Not just in participation, but in how it responded to community feedback. Building on insights from last year’s event, the 2025 programme featured more dynamic formats, a wider range of perspectives, and interactive elements that attendees had specifically asked for.
Loyalty Day: From Wake-Up Calls to Bold Ideas
Held at the Planet Group Arena, the day kicked off strong with opening remarks by Simon Tavernier and an attention-grabbing keynote by Philip Shelper, titled “Your loyalty programme is boring.” This set the tone for a day filled with fresh ideas and discussions on the future of loyalty.
A central theme throughout the day was how to connect with Gen Z, the so-called “paradox generation.” During the first Panel Discussion of the day, the loyalty experts Tom Peace, Zsuzsa Kecsmar, and Joeri Van den Bergh emphasised that personalisation is no longer optional. As Matthijs Kooijman noted, people want to be seen as individuals, not data points.
Jill Boonstra and Leïla Poleszczuk presented the Case Study on Q8’s loyalty program. Their presentation reinforced this idea in the fuel sector, highlighting the need to communicate differently with EV drivers versus casual petrol users. It was also a great opportunity for the attendees to understand a bit more about Q8 loyalty program and Tango loyalty program.
Meanwhile, the keynote from Frank de Boer (Air France-KLM) addressed how AI and data can be harnessed to engage infrequent flyers, cautioning that insights must lead strategy if you want to win over your CFO. His presentation was followed up by a Q&A session moderated by Rick Ferguson, host of the Loyalty Wired Newscast.
Emotional loyalty also took centre stage during Merkle’s Case Study. Liselotte van der Caaij and Philip Boven disclosed how brands like Albert Heijn and Porsche blend rational rewards with brand-aligned emotional experiences.
In a keynote showing how marketers can learn from fandom, Thomas Rypens flipped the script by showing how fan-driven emotional loyalty can evolve into transactional behaviour, powered by smart use of data. He presented the case of Club Brugge, one of the most innovative football clubs in Europe.
Retail took the spotlight as Bart Klaver, Olga Khoubaeva, and Lena Sivets discussed digital extensions of physical stores. Segmentation, they argued, is key to understanding behaviour and measuring what works. This Panel Discussion was hosted by our CEO Simon Tavernier.
And in one of the most interactive parts of the day, a live workshop dissected Burger King’s loyalty programme. The workshop was led by Philip Shelper, together with Laurens Marynissen (Burger Brands – Burger King), Jurgen Swaans (NeoDay) and Jens Standaert (Springbok). Ideas ranged from geo-triggered rewards to collectible game cards for the “Royal Family”, the kind of fresh creativity the industry needs.
BENE Bonus Awards Winners
Before the networking hour, it was time for the highly anticipated Bonus Awards ceremony hosted by Ulf-Gunnar Switalski. Participation soared this year, with 12,392 voting participants. Nearly double the amount of last year. The big numbers reflect the high engagement of people and the trend of this generations, in which people want their voices to be heard.
You can check all the pictures from the event. And now… let’s discover the winners of the 2025 BENE Bonus Awards.
2025 BENE Bonus Awards Winners
MOVE – Program of the Year
🥇 Gold: Q8 Smiles – Tango Program
🥈 Silver: Miles & More
🥉 Bronze: Qatar Airways Privilege Club
HOTEL – Program of the Year
🥇 Gold: Van der Valk Loyal
🥈 Silver: Best Western Rewards
🥉 Bronze: World of Hyatt
HOTEL – Best Promotion
🥇 Gold: Best Western Rewards
🥈 Silver: Marriott Bonvoy
🥉 Bronze: World of Hyatt
SHOPPING & LIFESTYLE – Program of the Year
🥇 Gold: Carrefour Bonus Card
🥈 Silver: bol Select
🥉 Bronze: Club Brugge Club ID Gol
SHOPPING & LIFESTYLE – Best Promotion
🥇 Gold: Carrefour ScanMania
🥈 Silver: Lidl Plus
🥉 Bronze: The Cookware Company
FINANCE & CASHBACK – Provider of the Year
🥇 Gold: ING+ Deals
🥈 Silver: Viking Deals
🥉 Bronze: CERA Ledenvoordelen
FINANCE & CASHBACK – Promotion of the Year
🥇 Gold: ING+ Deals
🥈 Silver: Miles & More Gold Credit Card
🥉 Bronze: bunq
