Living Blue Zone Day
at ELMO 2026
A full day dedicated to healthy longevity, hosted by Living Blue Zone International within the 7th European Lifestyle Medicine Congress.
Please note: this day is held in French. Only Pim van der Ven’s session is delivered in English.
Friday 11 September 2026
The Hotel Brussels · Floor 26, Hall 26-1
Twenty-five years ago, Professor Michel Poulain identified the first Blue Zone in Sardinia — a region where men reached the age of one hundred in proportions that demography could not explain.
Since then, research has shown that these exceptional life expectancies do not rest on individual discipline. They rest on environments: places that make people walk, food that is available rather than chosen, communities that still expect something of you late in life. Longevity there is a consequence, never a goal.
On 11 September 2026, Living Blue Zone International devotes a full day to translating those findings into practice.
Nine speakers, seven themes: what we eat, how we move, the water we drink, the bonds we keep, the places we live in, the meaning we find at work, and our relationship with the planet. Each session ends with time for questions and exchange with the audience.
You will not leave with a method to follow. You will leave with a different way of looking at the places where you live and work — and a few things you can change on Monday morning.
The day is open to everyone.
Practical information
Date: Friday 11 September 2026, 9:15 – 17:00
Venue: The Hotel Brussels, Boulevard de Waterloo 38, 1000 Brussels — Floor 26, Hall 26-1
Language: French (Pim van der Ven’s session is in English)
Fee: €180 until 16 August, €200 thereafter
Included: the Welcome Cocktail Evening on Thursday 10 September, the full Longevity day, and the Self-Care Ateliers.
Program
09:15 — Welcome
Ioan Hanes, European Lifestyle Medicine Organisation
09:20 — Introduction
Françoise Wallemacq, RTBF journalist
The day’s themes, the challenges of longevity and the Living Blue Zone philosophy.
09:30 – 10:15 — From Blue Zone to Living Blue Zone
Prof. Michel Poulain, demographer
How the Blue Zones concept was born, how it evolved, and what the Living Blue Zone vision means today.
10:15 – 10:30 — Questions and exchange
with Michel Poulain
10:30 — Coffee break
Presented by Béa Ercolini, CEO of MyWater.community
The quality of the water we drink — a direct extension of eating well.
10:45 — Eat Wisely
Valentine Verdin, dietitian and nutritionist
Food as a major lever of longevity: concrete recommendations that can be applied day to day.
11:15 — Move Naturally
Alexandre Mouton, University of Liège
How our environment shapes our habits, and how to bring movement back into daily life naturally.
11:45 – 12:30 — Round table and questions
12:30 – 13:30 — Lunch
13:30 — Health, Prevention & Social Connection
Mustapha Boulémia, Operations Director, EXUVI3
Rebuilding social connection, tackling isolation and lastingly improving health and wellbeing.
14:00 — Environments Shape Behaviours
Pim van der Ven, architect (session in English)
Designing environments that spontaneously encourage healthier behaviours.
14:30 — Designing Work the Way Blue Zones Design Life
Julie Saffery, founder of ReShape TRUST
Bringing the Living Blue Zone principles into organisations to lastingly improve wellbeing and performance.
15:00 — Community Support in Practice
Claire de Kerautem, 1Toit2Âges
Building bonds across generations as a driver of health, solidarity and quality of life.
15:20 – 15:45 — Round table and questions
15:45 — Coffee break
16:00 — Respect the Planet
Aïna Queiroz, biologist and author
Drawing on nature to design environments that are more sustainable, more resilient and better for our health.
16:30 — Closing · Adding more life to our years
Michel Poulain and Françoise Wallemacq