EAUG 2025: European Users Convene in Antwerp, Belgium

AdvantageCS's annual European Advantage Users Group (EAUG) meeting was held October 9–10, 2025 at Mediahuis headquarters in Antwerp, Belgium. Advantage users from across Europe came together for two productive days of presentations, discussions, and networking.

Wednesday: Executive Roundtable Discussion

On the Wednesday preceding the official start of EAUG 2025, AdvantageCS hosted an executive roundtable discussion featuring Jaako Pelli (A-lehdet), Rik van der Kroon (Mediahuis), Mark Judd (CDS Global UK), and Joachim van Waes (Mediahuis). The session provided a rare opportunity for senior executives from major publishing organizations to exchange ideas and compare real-world strategies for getting the most out of Advantage. Discussion centered on shared challenges, workflow optimizations, and collaborative best practices.

Thursday: Day 1

After wrapping up the previous day’s executive discussion in the morning, EAUG 2025 officially kicked off with Director of European Operations Philippe van Mastrigt’s presentation on publishing industry trends and AdvantageCS’s company direction.

For the publishing trends portion, Philippe highlighted how political shifts, ownership conflicts, and AI disruption are reshaping the media landscape. He discussed the growing divide between thriving digital publishers like The New York Times and those struggling with layoffs and declining ad revenue, as well as evolving paywall, bundling, and audience strategies amid the rise of video and “invisibility” driven by AI summaries and shifting consumption habits.

The second half of Philippe’s presentation shifted to AdvantageCS company news and strategic direction, outlining the company’s key initiatives: accelerating the transition toward a SaaS-style model, deepening vertical integration through tools like Cider Plus, Advantage SSO, and Advantage Paywall, and expanding AI-assisted features to improve efficiency and automation. 

Finally, Philippe closed with a major leadership announcement: after 37 years with the company, VP of Sales and Marketing Dan Heffernan will be retiring at year’s end. John Sheehy will transition into the role of Executive Director of Product and Market Strategy, and Philippe van Mastrigt will become Managing Director for Europe. (read this blog for more details!)

After Philippe’s session, attendees participated in the Client Exchange, an Advantage user-led discussion on challenges, advice, and best practices. Then, A-lehdet’s Jaako Pelli gave this year’s Client Spotlight presentation, showcasing A-lehdet’s ambitious Customer Data Program. Pelli stressed that its success relies as much on culture and collaboration as on technology, and that ultimately, their customer data program is a “no-brainer” investment enabling personalized experiences and data-driven decisions across the company’s expanding digital ecosystem.

Finally, Day 1 of the conference concluded with dinner and drinks at Octave, giving attendees and AdvantageCS staff a chance to connect in a more relaxed setting.

Friday: Day 2

The second day began with EVP of Engineering Matt Varblow’s Technology Update, highlighting AdvantageCS’s recent uses of AI, SaaS, and infrastructure modernization to improve both client workflows and internal operations. He introduced several in-house AI agents before outlining progress on Advantage SSO, Paywall, and Advantage's expanding analytics capabilities. Then, Director of Client Services Doug Moore joined the presentation to discuss advances in cloud management, upgrade automation, and database optimization.

Next up was Executive Director of Product and Market Strategy John Sheehy’s Product Update, highlighting new AI-driven tools, client integrations, and roadmap priorities. Notably, John debuted Advantage Paywall with an exclusive live demo, showcasing how it integrates seamlessly with other parts of the Advantage ecosystem to deliver a complete digital subscription experience.

EAUG concluded with “Advantage in Action,” a live demonstration showing how Advantage solves real world business challenges. This year, John and Philippe demonstrated how Advantage, Cider Plus, Advantage SSO, and Advantage Paywall work together in a unified marketing-to-subscription journey.

EAUG 2025 once again proved to be a valuable gathering of the European Advantage community. Attendees left with fresh perspectives on the industry, practical knowledge to bring back to their organizations, and stronger connections with their peers. AdvantageCS thanks everyone who attended EAUG 2025, and we can’t wait to see you again next year!