Amen. En nu in Antwerp: three days of inspiration for the Church of tomorrow

For Runmate, Amen. En nu was much more than a festival. As a congress architect and Professional Congress Organiser, we helped create a content-driven, logistically smart and people-centred event experience that did more than inform participants. It connected, activated and inspired them. That is exactly where our strength lies: designing congresses, conferences and multi-day events as experiences with lasting impact.

Amen. En nu was organised on the initiative of Space for Grace, the Flemish-Dutch network dedicated to vitality and renewal within parishes and faith communities. The ambition was clear: to bring together active believers, parish teams, volunteers, religious communities, policymakers, thinkers and changemakers around one central question: how can faith communities remain vibrant, relevant and hopeful today and tomorrow?

That question was not answered through one keynote or panel discussion, but through a layered and carefully curated programme. Over three days, inspiring lectures, interactive workshops, creative ateliers, liturgical moments, shared meals, city walks, music and silence followed one another. The cathedral and the Handelsbeurs became more than venues. They became temporary meeting places where ideas, stories and people crossed paths.

A festival such as Amen. En nu requires more than planning and production. It requires structure, rhythm, flow and a deep understanding of the participant experience. From Runmate, we supported the organisation as a strategic and operational partner for congresses, conferences and impact-driven events.

Our approach started from the content ambition of Space for Grace: not simply to offer a programme, but to guide participants through a journey of inspiration, reflection, encounter and concrete action. This meant clearly structuring parallel sessions, making smart use of different venues, managing participant flows, creating meaningful networking moments, keeping logistical complexity under control and, at the same time, leaving space for wonder, silence and spontaneous encounters.

That combination turned the festival into a true experience. Because impact does not only happen on stage. Impact also happens during lunch conversations, in the choice of a workshop that touches the right question, in a liturgical moment that brings people together, or during a walk through the city that makes a theme tangible.

During Amen. En nu, a wide range of themes came together: from synodality, young leadership, digital innovation and AI to pastoral presence, liturgy, inclusion, sustainability, parish renewal, monastic spirituality and new forms of community.

Through workshops, participants received concrete inspiration to take back to their local communities. The permanent Ideas Market at the Handelsbeurs, featuring more than thirty exhibitors, also became a lively space for exchange, recognition and new connections.

The choice of Antwerp gave the festival a distinctive character. The Cathedral of Our Lady provided a powerful spiritual and symbolic setting, while the Handelsbeurs offered space for encounters, workshops and informal conversations. Lunches and dinners took place in the iconic Belle Époque hall of the Hilton Antwerp Old Town. This combination of heritage, urban energy and hospitality gave Amen. En nu its own unique atmosphere.

One of the most memorable moments was the Night of the Cathedral, where art, poetry, music and stillness came together. The shared meals also contributed strongly to the sense of connection. Around the table, exactly what the festival aimed to encourage often emerged: people finding one another, sharing stories and daring to reflect together on the future.

For Runmate, Amen. En nu confirms what we strongly believe in: a well-organised congress or festival is more than a sequence of sessions. It is a carefully designed experience in which content, logistics, location, interaction and emotion reinforce one another.

As a Professional Congress Organiser and congress architect, Runmate creates formats that inform and inspire. We provide structure, clarity and seamless execution, but also the human layer that makes the real difference. Whether it is an international congress, an academic conference, an association event or a social inspiration festival, the true value emerges when people feel involved, take away new insights and are moved to act.

Amen. En nu was a powerful example of that belief. For three days, Antwerp became a place of inspiration, encounter and hope. A festival that showed how live communication can connect people around a shared question. And how a well-designed congress experience can contribute to change.