About this event - UBA Media Date

The path to strong communication

On 25 August 2026, UBA Media Date brought together more than 400 brand builders at Dolce La Hulpe for an afternoon of international expertise, thought-provoking insights, great conversations and a relaxed summer gathering in the garden to round off the day.

At the heart of the discussion was marketing effectiveness. How do we demonstrate marketing’s value to the business? How do we build lasting relationships with consumers? And in our pursuit of ever greater efficiency, have we started thinking too small?

Aude Mayence: a vision for UBA

UBA CEO Aude Mayence opened the day by sharing her vision and ambitions for UBA, built around four pillars: community, capabilities, representation and future talent. With one clear ambition for the future: innovation with humanity.

Ruben Schreurs: the translator

How do you demonstrate that marketing isn’t a cost, but an investment? Ruben Schreurs was “the translator”: turning data and measurement into better marketing decisions and demonstrable business impact.
Because better measurement isn’t an end in itself. What matters is turning insights into better decisions.

Deborah Gurofsky: beyond the one-night-stand brand

Deborah Gurofsky put the power of video centre stage: sight, sound, motion and emotion working together to truly connect with people.
Her message? No more one-night-stand brands. It’s time for big stories and emotions that help build meaningful, long-term brand relationships.

Les Binet: go big or go home

“Marketing has a problem: we’ve lost the big picture.”

Les Binet challenged marketers to look beyond ROI, ever tighter targeting and efficiency. Effectiveness is about scale. Growth requires the right level of investment, broad reach and the right balance between brand and performance, short and long term.
And creativity brings it all together: campaigns that make people feel something, give them something to remember and become more powerful when they work consistently across media and over time.

Brands that think small, become small. Or, as Bart De Pauw summed it up: go big or go home.

Nobody went home

Fortunately, nobody took that last line literally. After the keynotes and Q&A with Les Binet, everyone stayed on for drinks, conversation and a summer buffet in the gardens of Dolce La Hulpe.

Thank you to the more than 400 participants who made UBA Media Date 2026 such a successful edition.

Explore the insights

Want to take the ideas further? Explore the presentations, whitepapers, downloadable resources and in-depth articles on our Content page.