Inspired by IBM Lotus enthusiasts across Europe that organised local user groups — such as UKLUG, ILUG, and NLLUG — to connect and collaborate in person, the first BeLux (Belgium and Luxembourg) initiative took shape in 2009, launching the BeLux Lotus User Group (BLUG). The inaugural event in March 2009 was a resounding success and confirmed that there was a strong, enthusiastic community ready to engage and grow together.

Picture of people listening to a speaker presenting at a BLUG event.

A woman presenting on a stage with big white letters ENGAGE on the stage. An auditorium full of people is listening

Building on that momentum, BLUG became a formally structured non-profit organization in early 2010, driven by a team of dedicated volunteers. When IBM retired the “Lotus” brand, the user group evolved as well. In 2013, the BLUG event officially became the Engage event, reflecting its broader focus on collaboration and innovation within the IBM — and later, HCLSoftware — ecosystem. By March 2016, the organization itself was renamed to Engage User Group, aligning the event and its community under one unified identity.

When the Dutch user group NLUG faded away, Engage stepped in to fill the void. We held our first event in the Netherlands in 2013. From then on, we alternated between Belgium and the Netherlands.
After fifteen years of dedicated stewardship by Theo Heselmans — together with his wife Hilde — 2024 marked his final year organizing Engage. In 2025, Kris De Bisschop and Tom Van Aken stepped forward to lead the next chapter, continuing the Engage tradition of excellence, community, and connection.

Theo Heselmans, a bearded older man wearing glasses and a yellow sweater, stands holding a microphone and wearing a headset. He is looking ahead, with a blurred, colorful background behind him.