What business can learn from the hospitality sector?
How the principles of true hospitality, emotion, connection and memorable experiences can transform any brand, in any sector.
More detailed information
For Dries and Yuri, hospitality has never been about food or drinks. It is about the feeling created the moment someone walks in. Long before Fight the Average became a book, they experienced this first-hand by building their own hospitality concepts and later by shaping international brands. The common thread? Experience always beats efficiency.
Too often, companies mistake hospitality for service. Service is functional and transactional. Hospitality is emotional and unforgettable. It is what makes people come back to a hotel, a restaurant, or even a brand they encounter online. That same mindset is what Dries and Yuri apply when helping businesses worldwide – from boutique hotels in Aruba to fintech in Europe – to turn customers into fans.
In this keynote, they share how lessons from hospitality can be applied far beyond the sector: in retail, technology, finance, mobility, and more. Because wherever people interact with a brand, they should feel something worth remembering.
Key takeaways:
Why hospitality is about emotion, not efficiency
How to design experiences instead of transactions
Why “service with a smile” is not enough to win loyalty
Real examples of brands (inside and outside hospitality) that thrive on hospitality thinking
This keynote is not theory – it is lived experience. And it will change the way you look at your customers forever.
by
Dries Henau and Yuri Vandenbogaerde are more than creative entrepreneurs — they are a dynamic duo who’ve spent over 15 years building brands, businesses, and a life together. Known for their sharp eye for branding and unshakable sense of style, Dries and Yuri first made waves in 2012 with the launch of WASBAR, a quirky fusion of laundromat and café that redefined how people do laundry. The concept became an instant success and was acquired in 2015 by Top Brands, the company behind Pizza Hut, Ellis, and Boulangerie Paul.
Their entrepreneurial journey didn’t stop there. In 2018, they turned the Belgian retail scene on its head again with Chez Claire, a luxury éclair brand complete with champagne pairings and signature pink boxes. The brand was later sold to La Lorraine, a leading player in the pastry industry, and is now available in Delhaize stores across Belgium.
What sets Dries and Yuri apart is their instinct for what makes a brand truly unforgettable. Today, under the name The Brand Guys, they work globally with clients such as Match Group (yes, the one behind Tinder), eToro, and boutique hotels from Budapest to Kenya to Aruba. Their mission? To help brands escape the trap of mediocrity and create identities that people don’t just recognize — but fall in love with.
In their latest book, "Fight The Average", Dries and Yuri deliver a no-nonsense manifesto for businesses stuck in the grey zone of sameness. Through their proprietary UnAverage Framework™, they show how daring creativity and authentic storytelling can help brands stand out in a world where everyone looks the same.
No beige branding. No chasing algorithms. Just bold ideas, clear identities, and experiences that make an impact.
Founders of WASBAR, Brand Strategists, and Authors of "Fight The Average"
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