Fortified heritage and the private sector

Efforts Annual Congress 2026 and 4th Annual Conference of the ‘Cooperation Platform of Flemish Fortified Cities’

Monday 8 June – Wednesday 10 June 2026

Citadel, Kolonel Blondeellaan, Diest (BE)

 

REGISTRATION and payment information

 

 

Today, cultural heritage is confronted with many challenges that often also represent opportunities. The need for renovation is frequently limited by budgetary constraints, while renovation and reuse are sometimes perceived as conflicting approaches to the preservation of heritage sites.

One promising path lies in partnerships between public owners of fortified heritage and private partners, who may act as funders, users or both. Such collaborations can help address financial limitations while supporting the renovation and sustainable reuse of heritage sites.

These developments raise important questions about cultural values, legal frameworks, spatial planning and governance. At the same time, they reflect a broader ambition: to ensure that fortified built heritage contributes meaningfully to society, regional and urban development, and the vitality of local neighbourhoods.

The European Federation of Fortified Sites (EFFORTS) aims to address these intrinsically interconnected issues during its Annual Congress 2026, bringing together public and private stakeholders to discuss innovative strategies for the preservation, renovation, and sustainable use of fortified heritage. Diest and the other EFFORTS cities in Flanders are grouped in the EFFORTS Flemish Fortified Cities platform.

Keynote speakers

Leen Gysen

Leen began her career at Telindus (now Proximus), rising to Corporate Marketing Communications Director. She then served as Director of Marketing, Communications and Sales at BOZAR, responsible for audience engagement, business development and marcom strategy.

She holds a Master’s in Archaeology and Art History from KU Leuven, a Master in Industrial Business Management from EHSAL Management School (Brussels), and is a Certified Guberna Director. Since 2009 she has worked as a consultant and as founder/managing partner of IPARC, which became a reference in multidisciplinary restoration and research of art collections. She was a finalist for the WOMED Award and led IPARC to be named National SME of the Year.

Leen sits on the Board of Directors of Guberna and Flanders Special Venues vzw. For twelve years, she championed the rights of women and girls at NGO Plan International Belgium. Equal opportunities, sustainability, and inclusiveness are central to her commitment. Leen lives with her family in Hageland, between Horst Castle and the Vlooyberg Tower.

Leen Gysen is the new Chief Executive Officer of Visit Flanders. She is a director, entrepreneur and expert with broad experience at the intersection of tourism, culture, heritage and policy.

Michiel Van Balen

Michiel Van Balen graduated in 2006 as a civil engineer and architect. After working as an urban designer in Belgium and South Africa, he started working in 2009 as the project coordinator for the renovation of the former brewery De Hoorn in Leuven.

In 2021 Michiel Van Balen co-founded ‘Stadsmakersfonds’ (City Makers Fund): a cooperative investment fund for the adaptive reuse of historic sites and buildings. Stadsmakersfonds co-founded the temporary development project for the Citadel of Diest.

This abandoned monument had been bought by 7 local creative entrepreneurs to transform it into a creative hub and received the EU price for Cultural Heritage 2016. This alternative real estate development strategy turned out to be a powerful bottom-up approach to urban design that led to the co-founding of Miss Miyagi.

Miss Miyagi initiates and coordinates adaptive reuse projects with a social impact. Miss Miyagi initiated and coordinated (amongst others) the project of Hal5 that won the Leuven Architectural award 2019. Hal5 is also one of the exemplary cases in the New European Bauhaus Compass.

Mireille van der Meij

Mireille van der Meij is a strategic advisor in sustainability and regulatory transformation within the defense and manufacturing ecosystem. She believes resilience and sustainability are no longer peripheral themes, but core strategic drivers in a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape.

With over twenty years of experience advising executive leadership at organizations including Damen Shipyards and Fokker Aerospace (now GKN Aerospace), she brings a strong track record in public affairs, stakeholder alignment, and complex change processes. She translates complex regulatory, geopolitical, and sustainability developments into clear strategic choices and practical implementation.

Mireille van der Meij is member of the Board of the Platform Sustainability, Environment and Security of the Netherlands Industries for Defense and Security (NIDV) and member of the Sustainability Commission of Aerospace. Security and Defense (ASD) industries in Europe.

Carl Viagas

Carl Viagas is a Gibraltar-born heritage specialist, architect, and researcher with extensive experience in the study, conservation, and interpretation of historic fortifications. He currently plays a leading role in the restoration of Parliament House and development of the Northern Defences project in Gibraltar, where he contributes to project strategy, heritage management, and public interpretation. His research focuses on the intersection of archaeology, architecture, and historical analysis, with particular emphasis on re-evaluating Gibraltar’s urban and defensive origins through cartographic evidence, topography, and material study. Carl has authored and contributed to academic papers and public-facing publications that challenge established narratives.

A defining aspect of his work is the development and delivery of heritage projects through public–private partnerships, bringing together government bodies, private investors, and specialist teams to unlock funding, manage risk, and ensure the long-term sustainability of historic sites.

Carl has built a strong reputation for delivering complex projects and driving initiatives forward from concept to completion. Known for his pragmatic approach and willingness to challenge conventional thinking, he is often regarded as a maverick within the heritage and architectural field—combining creative problem-solving with a results-driven mindset to overcome obstacles and achieve tangible outcomes.

Programme

Sunday 7 June: Arrival

Informal get-together of those already arriving

Dinner at restaurant in Diest, own costs

Monday 8 June: Board meeting & Annual General Meeting (Citadel)

11.00-13.00 Board meeting

13.00-14.00 Sandwich lunch Board Members

15.30 Arrival and coffee Annual General Meeting

16.00-17.45 Annual General Meeting

    • Activities 2025 report
    • Discharge 2025
    • Work planning and budget 2026-2027
    • Board member election

All EFFORTS Europe members are invited to participate in the AGM. Only full members have voting rights.  All items for the AGM need to arrive by mail at the EFFORTS secretariat by 23 May 2026. Documents of the AGM are sent by 25 May 2026 to all EFFORTS members.

18.00 Standing Dinner at City Hall, Grote Markt, Diest

    • Keynote at the General Assembly: Leen GYSEN, CEO Toerisme Vlaanderen, Opportunities and challenges in sustainable heritage development

Tuesday 9 June: Congress Day 1

7.30 Run around the Citadel : voluntary free sporting moment (running the citadel and its hill steps, meet at Citadel Place d’Armes – central square)

9.00 Congress start

9.30 Welcome: Geert CLUCKERS, Mayor of Diest and John ADAM, president of EFFORTS

Moderation : Elisa BAILEY-AIANO

PART 1 Congress – Flemish Fortified Cities (John Adams presiding)

10.00 Partipatiemaatschapij Vlaanderen, BE, Financing public authority actions in Flanders, and discussion

11.00 Bart SEVERI, Spatial Planning Department Diest, BE, Issues on public-private partnership in fortified heritage development

11.45 Panel discussion :The aspects of public-private partnership in fortification heritage sites reuse

    • Bart AERTS, partner Leidsman, BE
    • Kristoff DE WINNE, Matexi, BE
    • Fort Vurig Utrecht, NL 

13.00-14.00 Walking lunch

PART 2 Congress – Public-Private Partnership (Anne-Wil Maris presiding)

14.00 First Keynote challenge: Michiel VAN BALEN (Miss Myagi, Stadsmakers) and discussion

15.00 Flemish cities presentations on public-private partnership and municipal policy, and discussion

    • Karen MINSAER, City of Antwerp, BE
    • Annelies BRYSSINK, The Dendermonde bomfree barracks,  Strategic spatial project coordination, City of Dendermonde, BE and Jan DE KESEL, Erfgoedconsulent Agency Built Heritage Flanders (AOE), BE

17.00 Activity of choice:

    • Tour of the citadel
    • Walking tour of the Leopold fort park of Diest (by bus)
    • Historic guided tour through the William of Orange City of Diest

19.00 Standing dinner at the Citadel

Wednesday 10 June: Congress Day 2

7.30 ‘Run around the Citadel’, idem (see Tuesday morning programme)

PART 3 Congress – Partnerships and Resilience (Bart Severi presiding)

9.30 Second Keynote challenge: Mireille VAN DER MEIJ, sustainability strategist, NL, Resilience in today’s societal challenges, and discussion

10.30 Presentations and discussions (for each 15 min presentation and 15 min discussion time, a break is foreseen after the second speaker)

    • Fortified Futures – the case of climate resilience and partnerships, Laurène MANSUY, director Vauban UNESCO Network, FR
    • The resilience case of Stichting Vestingwerken Westelijk Noord-Brabant and Zuiderwaterlinie, Dennis van NIEUWENHUIJZEN, president ICOFORT Europe, NL
    • The case of spatial planning and resilience in Hamina and Kotka, Marika Auvinen and Patricia BROAS / Janni LIIKKANEN, Cities of Hamina and Kotka, FI
    • Wartime Resilience in Ukraine fortified cities and the case of Ivano-Frankivsk public-private Initiatives in a fortified city, Olha TIKHONOVA, U. Sevilla, ES and ‘Efforts:UA’, UA
    • Future resilient project cooperation in the Baltic Sea region, Egidijus BAGDONAS, Director of Kaunas Fortress Park, Baltic Route, LT
    • Spacial Planning in Jaromĕř / Josefov, Jan ŽÍLA, Head of the Department of city properties, City of Jaromĕř, CZ

13.00-14.00 Walking lunch

PART 4 Congress – Break-out and resumé (Daniele Sferra presiding)

14.00 Break-out sessions on the main congress subjects

    • Private funding and partnerships for heritage reuse: best practices (with the EU Recovery and Resilience funded Diest Citadel operator), presided with Bart SEVERI
    • The role of the private sector in climate change resilience (with Laurène MANSUY and Alba ZAMARBIDE, the Vauban Grand Sites UNESCO Network, FR and Fortified Futures secretariat – with EFFORTS), presided with Daniela SFERRA

15.00 Panel discussion -on Public Private Partnerships and city planning (mediation by Maarten DE WINTER)

    • Jiri HOFFMAN, City of Terezín, CZ
    • David NEISH, Chief Attractions Officer, Fortress Attractions company, GI
    • Paula KOUKI, The case of spatial planning and resilience in Hamina/Kotka, FI

15.40 Concluding keynote challenge: Carl VIAGAS, Projects director, Government of Gibraltar, GI, Breaking the mould : unlocking resilient mechanisms of private and public funding 

16.30 Final discussion on the closing speaker presentation and resumé of the part-sessions.

16.40 Presentation of the 2026 Annual Efforts Award on the innovation of fortified heritage reuse and communication

16.50 Presentation of the 2027 EFFORTS congress by the host city.

17.00 End – See you next year !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By air via Brussel Zaventem and direct train to Diest (via Leuven, terminates in Hasselt).

Hotels in Diest

  • Oranje City
  • Prins van Oranje
  • De Franse Kroon
  • De Modern
  • Casa della Nonna

The set-up of a database of registered participants and speakers is done solely for congress management purposes. Registration and participation in this 2026 EFFORTS Europe congress implies that your image in the congress may be taken on photo and used only for dedicated communication purposes by EFFORTS Europe on its website and social media. For any op-out position regarding the above, contact info@efforts-europe.eu. Please address all other questions also to the same mail address.