Rik is convinced that the next 10 to 15 years will be a unique period in time (The Twilight Twenties) in which the old will slowly fade away, a new society and economy will take shape and companies will experience the new. In this keynote, Rik shares a story about the history of the future. How did we get here, and what were the dynamics that shaped the present? Where do we go from here? And what does that mean for companies and the people who shape them?

In the past ten years, Rik has consistently proven (through his books, columns, blogs and during many keynotes) that he can predict how people, society and the business environment will evolve. This evolution is not necessarily linear or created thanks to a hype, it is always a dynamic storm of many factors that interact. The examples often followed months or even years later.

Rik therefore never zooms in on just one single aspect, such as technology, HR, customer centricity or a specific part of the value chain. None of these aspects make sense without taking their connection to the others into account, as industry boundaries blur or disappear and value chains change dramatically. Companies have to adapt and want to reposition themselves. Rik wants to include them in the story ‘how to still be relevant to people and society in 2035’ to show them how to do so.

The keynote is always tailored to the event, industry, audience or context. In addition, it is a lively, energetic and practical session to give you the tools you need to add value to your customers or organisation in the future.