The power of DOOH: highlights from the billups event at Mix Brussels

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Brussels, Belgium – June 17, 2025

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billups was proud to host the fourth annual edition of “Unleash the Full Potential of DOOH” at Mix Brussels, bringing together over 150 professionals from the media, advertising, and tech sectors. Brands, agencies, and media partners gathered for a day of forward-thinking discussion, exploring how data, creativity, and innovation are reshaping the Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising landscape. This event has established itself to be an industry reference and is growing in terms of size, quality, and interest year to year. 

This article is an overview of the key discussions held on the day. At the bottom, you can watch a video recap of the event.

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A hub for industry progress

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Mix Brussels buzzed with energy as participants from across Belgium, the EMEA region, and the global billups network connected over shared ambitions for DOOH. Networking sessions, lively panels, and informal conversations underscored the collective drive to push the medium forward. As James McEwan, CEO EMEA at billups, put it:

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“It’s on the OOH community to continue to champion our medium. It’s about coming together with shared curiosity.”

Key insights & takeaways

The power of the shared experience

Benjamin Fishlock, Head of Client Strategy at Global Street Art, 

opened the day by spotlighting one of OOH’s greatest strengths: its ability to create collective, public experiences.

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“It works not only because you see the message, but everyone sees the message – and everyone knows that everyone else saw the message.”

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Fishlock emphasized that, in an era where audiences pay to avoid ads, DOOH must entertain, surprise, and spark emotion. He called for deeper collaboration between creative and media teams, along with a renewed focus on showmanship, capturing and holding attention with flair and imagination.

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“Innovation isn’t about all new things, innovation makes all things new.”

DOOH as a medium of the future

Joris De Doncker, Revenue & Product Director - Bauer Media Outdoor 

This comprehensive presentation shared findings from the “Pulse” study, revealing how DOOH resonates with Belgian audiences:

• 88% of Belgians travel intermodally, moving through diverse city environments
• 78% notice DOOH ads, with the effect strongest among train passengers and Gen Z
• 65% appreciate DOOH’s presence
• 71% take action after seeing a DOOH campaign

De Doncker also highlighted how DOOH sales houses are investing in technology and collaborating with local communities, making the medium future-proof and integral to city life.

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Five essential steps to programmatic DOOH success

Alex Grieves, Head of Programmatic at billups, demystified the “programmatic journey” with a structured five-step plan for campaign success:

1. Planning: Every campaign starts with strategic planning, leveraging data and audience insights for precise targeting.
2. Activation: Smart systems automate campaign deployment, optimizing budgets in real time.
3. Creativity: Creativity remains central, with scalable, context-aware messaging adapted to factors like location, weather, and time.
4. Reporting: Transparency is key—clients receive clear, reliable reporting on ad placement and frequency.
5. Measurement: Programmatic DOOH is moving from pure awareness to measurable behavioral influence, with impact tracked more accurately than ever.

More event highlights: additional sessions & perspectives

Technology and the future of screens

Pieter Jadoul, Media Director & Managing Partner at AdSomeNoise, made “waves” with his in-depth analysis of a successful omnichannel DOOH activation and what lessons were learned.

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Using a particularly successful activation from Samsung supporting Team Belgium for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Pieter discussed the growing importance of high-performance screens, both in terms of image quality and interactivity, and how these innovations are enabling more immersive and effective campaigns. The Samsung example was a well-executed combination of product promotion, creative deployment, user-generated content, and timing a campaign up perfectly with a cultural moment with deep significance to the market it was activated in.

Jadoul also explored the role of data-driven decision-making in optimizing screen placement and content delivery, emphasizing that the future of DOOH will be defined by a seamless blend of technology and creativity.

On the key differentiator for DOOH in the Samsung campaign: “DOOH was the medium to make the campaign core to life on the street.”

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OOH of the day: fresh thinking for everyday impact

Philippe Blondé - award-winning OOH creator and founder of the OOH festival 'Antwerp On Air’

Philippe Blondé brought a creative lens to the event, sharing insights on how out-of-home advertising can make a daily impact. He highlighted the importance of context and timing in campaign success, urging brands to think about OOH as a living, breathing part of the city environment. Blondé’s session showcased thought-provoking campaign examples and underscored the need for OOH to remain fresh, relevant, and emotionally resonant.

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His key takeaway: “OOH has one simple KPI: Keep. People. Interested.”

Data, AI, and the evolution of creative potential

Elie Ben Aroch, Head of Product Data & Veerle Colin, Marketing Director  – JCDecaux

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Elie Ben Aroch focused on the intersection of data, artificial intelligence, and creativity in DOOH. He shared how AI tools are now being used to analyze and optimize creative content, from eye-tracking to message simplification, leading to higher engagement and campaign effectiveness. Ben Aroch’s presentation made it clear that data innovation is not simply about targeting; it is elevating the creative process itself, ensuring that every campaign is both impactful and measurable.

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His message: “Creativity is by far the most important element of an ad.”

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Programmatic fireside chat: The future of programmatic OOH

Bobby Atanasov, Senior OOH Media Specialist – Expedia Group
Alex Grieves, Head of Programmatic – billups.

In one of the day’s most thought-provoking sessions, Bobby Atanasov and Alex Grieves explored how programmatic DOOH is evolving beyond traditional audience targeting. They emphasized that the real value now lies in combining location intelligence and API-driven planning with integration into broader omnichannel strategies, making campaigns both smarter and more impactful.

Both speakers cautioned against the pitfalls of hyper-specific targeting, advocating instead for a balanced approach that prioritizes quality and reach. They agreed that while AI is transforming areas like creative resizing and campaign optimization, it remains a tool, not a substitute for human insight and strategic oversight. Ultimately, Bobby and Alex made it clear that the future of programmatic DOOH will be defined by the right blend of technological innovation and expert judgment.

Bobby had this to say on how he sees programmatic evolving:

“Programmatic will start to be seen as a performance channel... I can see AI being a huge help in creative resizes in a fragmented market.”

Looking ahead: join us in 2026

The conversations and connections sparked at Mix Brussels are just the beginning. Belgium’s DOOH market is setting the pace for innovation across Europe, and billups is committed to driving the conversation forward. Below is a video recap of the 2025 event.

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Want to stay at the forefront of DOOH?

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Contact us to explore how digital out-of-home can elevate your brand, and subscribe for updates to get early access to future billups events and industry news.

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About billups

billups is a global leader in out-of-home advertising solutions, delivering advanced targeting, data-driven insights, and creative innovation for brands, agencies, and media partners worldwide. With a commitment to meaningful impact and industry-leading expertise, billups is shaping the future of DOOH.

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