How Aurora Live Accelerated Our Market Entry in Belgium

About adesso

• adesso worldwide: 14,000 employees

• adesso Benelux: 150 employees

• adesso Belgium has been active for 6 months (15 employees)

We are primarily a software-focused organisation, but we also bring strong IT and business consulting  experience across sectors such as manufacturing, finance, and the process industry.

In manufacturing  specifically, we differentiate ourselves by combining deep IT expertise with hands‑on production and shop‑floor knowledge, enabling us to bridge the gap between operational reality and digital transformation.

We mainly work with enterprise clients across the Benelux region, leveraging the unique scale, capabilities, and industry experience of our German parent organisation and translating that expertise to the Benelux market.

The Challenge

Brand awareness:

While adesso is the biggest IT & consultancy player in Germany and well-known locally, the Italiansounding
name didn't immediately connect with Belgian prospects. They needed to quickly and efficiently position their brand.

Market entry speed:

adesso couldn't achieve the required growth speed alone and needed extra support.

Lead generation and network expansion:

adesso needed to expand its network and generate leads on an efficient, short-term basis while building long-term relationships for its strategic business model with larger deals.

“We have a growth plan focused on expanding the team and building our presence in Belgium. We work with Aurora Live to support that growth: generating leads and building brand awareness in Belgium.”
— Michiel De Gieter, Business Development Manager

Target Audience

The organisation’s target customers are decision-makers involved in business-related projects with an IT link, such as production automation, AI implementation for customer service and risk management, and digital transformation initiatives.

These C-level IT executives and business leaders include:

• CIO (Chief Information Officer), CDO (Chief Data Officer)CTO (Chief Technology Officer)

• SAP managers and data managers Plant managers responsible for production automation and robotisation

• Business leaders in manufacturing, a automotive, insurance, and financial services 

Utilising Aurora Live for Belgian market expansion

Michiel recalls positive experiences with Aurora Live (formerly Management Events) at his previous employer  and was familiar with Aurora Live’s offerings.

In 2025, adesso opened its Belgian office — around six months a ago — with ambitious growth objectives for the Benelux region. Michiel was one of the early team members involved in the launch of the Belgian office. 

From day one, he used Aurora Live to increase adesso’s brand awareness, generate targeted leads, strengthen market positioning, and qualify the ideal customer more efficiently.

Six months later, adesso grew to 15 employees in Belgium and 150 across the wider Benelux organization.  Thanks to the market traction generated through Aurora Live, adesso was able to accelerate its growth and further reinforce its ambitions. 

When he joined adesso and was responsible for business development and the startup of the Belgium  customer base, lead generation, and brand awareness in Belgium, Aurora Live was already a top-of-mind  partner. 

Additionally, Aurora Live’s existing partnership with adesso Netherlands further solidified Michiel’s decision to collaborate with Aurora Live to propel adesso’s Belgian market expansion.

The Solution

The quality of Aurora Live’s 15-minute meetings

Michiel rates the meeting quality highly and attributes the success of the meetings to Aurora
Live’s decision-maker pool and adesso’s screening and filtering strategies to ensure their
interest areas align with adesso’s offerings.

So far, the meetings have resulted in concrete follow-ups with relevant senior decisionmakers
from prominent Belgian credit insurance, financial services, and social secretariat companies.

Michiel also emphasises the importance of thorough preparation and follow-up for each
meeting, treating it as an opportunity to represent the brand and lay the foundation for
medium- to long-term relationships, given that the IT and business world is small.

How Aurora Live’s events boost branding and networking opportunities

In addition to the 1-to-1 meetings, adesso hosted a CxO Connection VIP dinner, where
selected decision-makers from the Aurora Live Network dine in an intimate setting while
listening to inspiring content by a motivational speaker. Partners like adesso can network with
these decision-makers in a more casual environment, elevating the adesso brand to new
customers.

Michiel adds that decision-makers attend voluntarily with the right intentions, and the casual
setting provides another valuable customer touchpoint on top of the virtual 1-to-1 meetings.

“It has greater added value than 1-to-1 meetings. You can connect longer and more deeply with the people at the table. It feels more exclusive, as the event is organised just with adesso. Overall, it is a better and more  confidential way to build a connection.”
— Michiel De Gieter, Business Development Manager

Looking ahead

The ROI of Aurora Live – A Long-Term Partnership

Michiel is satisfied with the overall results of the Aurora Live collaboration so far, especially from a brand awareness perspective.

“We see Aurora Live as a bigger-picture investment, not only generating pipeline, but also increasing brand awareness and positioning adesso in Belgium.”

Several deals are already in the pipeline, with Michiel noting that adesso only needs one major deal to pay back the investment, a cherry on top of the brand awareness, networking, market knowledge, and expertise A Aurora Live offers. Michiel likens adesso to a speedboat and its bigger competitors to large ships.

"With Aurora Live, we are like a speedboat that can navigate quickly between larger marine ships, confirming our positioning in the market and how we want to be perceived in a fast and efficient way."