Ceative energy and innovation with Brain Fuel at the World Leisure Congress Industry Day

Creativity as a driver for change

Brain Fuel believes that real change is only possible if you make room for creativity. ‘A little tension, a little creativity to change things up, that's always welcome,’ says Friso. As facilitators – process guides for creative projects – they design meetings that are not only useful, but also fun. Because, as he says, "If it's too useful, it becomes too dry. And if it's too fun, it becomes too shallow. It has to be right in between."

From listening to experiencing: the Human Likert Scale

One of the most striking concepts that Brain Fuel introduces during Industry Day is the Human Likert Scale. Instead of passively listening to a speaker, participants are actively involved. After a presentation, they are invited to literally take a position in the room – from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree” – on a statement. This leads to conversations between people who are close to each other, but also with those who think differently.

‘The great thing is that you not only hear the speaker, but also the perspectives of other participants,’ says Friso. ‘And even the quiet ones can't stay seated. Everyone participates and the participants are much more engaged with each other. It's also interesting for the speaker, who can immediately see what people in the room think of the statement. We see that this releases a lot of energy.’ This approach creates more engagement, more energy and, more importantly, more connection between participants. Very interesting discussions are expected at the World Leisure Congress, with participants from all over the world.

Brainstorming with impact

In the afternoon, the focus shifts from listening to doing. Participants work in groups on current issues from the field. These are not non-committal discussions, but real challenges from so-called “challenge owners” organisations that have reached an impasse in their process and are open to fresh ideas.

What makes these brainstorming sessions special is the creative approach. Brain Fuel uses techniques that take participants out of their fixed patterns of thinking and frameworks. One example is the Board of Directors method, in which participants imagine that their management consists of figures such as Santa Claus, Cinderella and Kim Jong-un. What would they do? ‘It may sound crazy,’ laughs Friso, "but it helps people to look at a problem in a different way. And often, surprisingly good ideas come out of it.‘ According to Friso, people don't need to worry that they'll just have to spout crazy ideas. ’Because, of course, we're also going to come up with very realistic, good ideas."

Another method is context switching: imagine that your organisation is located in Japan, Russia, Efteling, or on the moon. How would you tackle the problem then? "By putting yourself in a completely different environment, you come up with ideas that you would never have thought of otherwise. If you move your problem to the moon, you'll get much more technology in your solutions, and at Efteling, much more fun and hospitality."

Connecting science and practice

Industry Day is not just a playground for creative minds. It is also a place where science and practice meet. Friso: ‘When people who are not the same meet, beautiful new things emerge. That is what we hope to achieve: connecting industry and science and coming up with new insights together.’

Brain Fuel has experience in both worlds. They have previously collaborated with universities such as WUR, RUG, TU Delft, TU Eindhoven and UT Twente, but also with organisations such as Disney, Greenpeace and even Easytoys. ‘We understand the researchers, but we also bring creativity from completely different sectors. It's that cross-pollination that makes it so interesting.’

Why you don't want to miss this

Industry Day promises to be a day full of energy, interaction and inspiration. No standard lectures, but dynamic sessions in which you get to work yourself, meet new people and work together on real solutions. Whether you come from science, the leisure industry or somewhere in between, you will be challenged to think differently, act differently and, above all, to participate.

As Friso puts it: ‘I believe that when very different people meet, beautiful new things can happen. Things you didn't think would work out beforehand. And then you do it and think: wow.’

Register at a discount

The CELTH Industry Day will take place on Wednesday, 27 August 2025. You can easily register via the conference website worldleisurenl.com/register/. If you use the code CELTHID when registering, you pay 120 euros instead of 195 euros.