EVENTS

RUN-EU Innovation Meets Regions on Blue Economy at IPLeiria

25/05/2026
– 31/05/2026
Peniche, Portugal
RUN-EU Innovation Meets Regions on Blue Economy will take place in Peniche, Portugal, from 26–29 May 2026, hosted by IPLeiria’s School of Tourism and Maritime Technology (ESTM). The event supports RUN-EU’s goal of strengthening the role of European universities in regional development by connecting research, innovation, sustainability, tourism, and public policy. Focused on the Blue Economy, the event will bring together policymakers, universities, researchers, businesses, entrepreneurs, and regional stakeholders to explore how innovation can support more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive regional growth. Positioned as a living laboratory for blue innovation, Peniche showcases the connection between marine resources, tourism, scientific knowledge, local communities, and sustainable development. The region’s links to the Berlengas Biosphere Reserve, fishing traditions, and emerging blue economy ecosystems highlight its role as a growing hub for sustainable coastal innovation. The programme will run alongside the RUN-EU Student Research Colloquium, the Conference on Blue Economy, and the Peniche Biennial of the Sea, creating opportunities for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and regional impact.

WorkSmarter 2026

04/06/2026
Planet Group Arena
DAE Research toont een demo van het AVATALK project op de stand van Howest onderzoek op hét businessfestival van het jaar voor ondernemers, agencies en accountants die slimmer willen werken. Georganiseerd door Teamleader en Yuki.

Razor Reel Flanders Film Festival AI Day

28/10/2025
Sint-Lodewijkscollege in Bruges, Belgium
DAER will be presenting Demo’s of accessible AI tools, a photobooth that creates videos of attendees in genre film settings, and moderating a panel on AI. For more info on the event itself, please consult Razor Reel’s website.

Immersive Music Day – “The Immersive Space”

24/04/2025
Hasselt, Belgium
A day dedicated to immersive music, organized by PXL-Music Research. Talks by internationally renowned speakers, immersive concerts, and workshops by Amptec, Dolby, DPA, Sennheiser, Klang, d&b, Neumann & Dear VR. We want to inspire the music industry and all its stakeholders with the limitless possibilities, beauty, and emotional impact of immersive music, both live in the concert hall and online via streaming platforms. This includes in-depth, specialized talks as well as hands-on workshops and crash courses on immersive music. Our goal is not only to inspire but also to guide, share knowledge, and bridge the gap between creativity and technology. Immersive music offers a completely new dimension to the listening experience, but fully unlocking its potential requires collaboration between artists, engineers, and industry partners. With this initiative, we aim to lower the threshold and pave the way for innovative and immersive music productions.

TESTEREP en het verzonken Oostende

21/12/2024
– 20/04/2025
Venetiaanse gaanderijen, Oostende, Belgium
The trading city of Ostend once flourished at the eastern end of ‘Testerep’. But in 1394 disaster struck: the Saint Vincent storm destroyed the city, which disappeared into the water. The old city comes alive before your eyes through striking visualizations. This exhibition tells the story of survival and reconstruction, and how the dynamics of the sea have shaped lives on our coast over the centuries. Go back in time and be amazed by historical artifacts and innovative soil scans. Isabella and Willem, residents of old Ostend, take the youngest visitors in tow in an exciting escape game. You can also help build a LEGO model of old Ostend. A science exhibition for young and old, where experience is central.

WebAR 101 by Niantic 8th Wall

10/04/2024
In The Pocket, Ghent, Belgium
This is a 5-hour workshop hosted by Niantic and our partners Stijn Spanhove and In the Pocket. During the workshop – Participants will learn about the 8th Wall platform, build and customize an 8th Wall project, and meet other local developers. By the end of the workshop, you will learn how to create, customize, test and deploy your own World Effects (SLAM) sample project that looks believable and immersive in the real-world. You will also learn how to easily add modules to their project and other 8th Wall features such as Shared AR Multiplayer, Payments API, and more.

The maturity of 5G: Is it time to talk about 6G?

10/04/2024
Online
As the maturity of 5G looms large, the question arises: Is it time to talk about 6G? This event will dive deep into the transformative potential of digital connectivity in live broadcasting and streaming. In this session, industry pioneers will discuss the dynamic landscape of content production and distribution, propelled by 5G technology. What is the potential of connective technology to deliver new experiences to consumers and to transform existing workflows?

VP Gathering ’24

03/04/2024
– 04/04/2024
Breda University, The Netherlands
Breda University of Applied Sciences is hosting a series of talks in the field of virtual productions to present the latest innovations in this up-and-coming field and to discuss the advantages and challenges it brings with it. The conference is open to industry, professionals, and students in the field of Film Production, Pre and Post Vis, Volumes, Motion Capture, Special Effects, the usage of Game Technology and everything in between. The conference is a great place to meet employers and experts in the field of production, whilst also helping those who are looking for a new challenge or a change in their career. During the day there will be many networking opportunities. We have tried to create an informal setting in which it is easier to talk with your future employee or future employer.

Private AI

28/03/2024
Howest, Campus Kortrijk Weide – The Penta Sint-Martens-Latemlaan 1B · Kortrijk, Belgium
Private AI will dive into the added value, implementation & ethics of private LLMs for your company. During this event we want to immerse you in the world of language models to inspire you about how you can ethically set up these AI models in-house and link your own data to them to maximize the possible economic impact of this technology.

Everything Procedural 2024

15/04/2024
– 19/04/2024
Breda University, The Netherlands
From Monday April 15 to Friday April 19 2024 Breda University of Applied Sciences will host the Everything Procedural Conference for a variety of lectures, talks, demonstrations and masterclasses in the field of procedural content generation for games on our beautiful campus. The event offers many opportunities to meet and share knowledge with fellow developers.

Online Webinar: Exploring the intersection of 5G and media innovation

30/05/2024
Online
Step into the forefront of innovation with this webinar hosted by the Media XR and 5G Living Lab Project, a collaborative effort between Howest and AP University of Applied Sciences, funded by Flanders innovation & entrepreneurship – VLAIO. Our aim? To showcase the possibilities of new XR content, advertising, and cross-media formats enabled by 5G technology to Flemish (sport) media companies, XR and advertising agencies, event organizers, and telecom operators. Join us and our 5G-expert guest speakers as we explore the convergence of XR and 5G, opening doors to avenues of creativity and connectivity.

AI in Digital Arts, Game Dev & Entertainment #1

10/04/2024
The Boldhouse, Gent, Belgium
A series of AI in Digital Arts, Game Dev & Entertainment meetups across Flanders supported by DAE Research, Flanders Game Hub & Datameister. Speakers: – Glenn van Waesberghe (Howest DAE Research): Text-to-Image: Deep Dive – Ruben Verhack (Datameister): AI-Driven Breakthroughs in Image-Based Rendering: Light Fields, SMoE, Gaussian Splatting, NeRFs and beyond – Vince Buyssens (Starhaven). Helping brands align their talent with the transformative power of AI.

AI in Production Closing Event

08/12/2022
The Square, Luipaardstraat 12a, Kortrijk, Belgium
This event is the result of TETRA AI in Production, a 2-year research project focusing on how AI can be used in game, VFX and animation production. Our researchers have closely followed the developments of AI over the past 3 years. We are excited to continue sharing this knowledge with our steering committee and with anyone interested in developments in this area!

PROCEDURAL 3D Closing Event

09/12/2021
Online
The research group of the Digital Arts & Entertainment (Howest) programme is organising an online closing event on Thursday 9 december as part of their research project on the potential of procedural techniques for the development of 3D content. Together with a number of (international) guest speakers, our researchers explain the possibilities of using procedural 3D in your pipeline. Our guest speakers are known for their use of procedural techniques in the entertainment sector or industry 4.0 and for their extensive knowledge in working with procedural 3D. The program includes: • An overview of the possibilities of procedural techniques for 3D content and how you can set up such a pipeline. • Procedurele workflows for the creation of Digital Twins in Unity3D. • The use of procedural materials in industry and entertainment. • Possibilities of combining procedural techniques and AI. • An overview of how to create soft body simulations.

Scan4Stories Closing Event

21/09/2021
De Lovie, Krombeekseweg 82, Poperinge, Belgium
What can storytelling and immersive technology such as Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality mean for the heritage sector? The TETRA project Scan4Stories tried to find an answer to this question. During the final event, the findings of the research project will be presented and you will have the opportunity to test out the various prototypes. Are you looking for new ways to tell heritage stories? Are you considering getting started with immersive technology soon? Are you fascinated by the subject but do you still have many questions? Is all this new to you? Then be inspired during the closing event! You will have the opportunity to test practical examples, try prototypes, follow one of the workshops, get in touch with technology partners and exchange ideas during a networking moment.