What We Learned at Slimstock MEA Customer Day 2025
There are days that stay with you. Not because of the glitz or the guest list, but because of the conversations that happened when no one was looking.
That’s what happened on May 15th.
When we were invited to join Slimstock MEA customer day among other businesses in Palace Downtown in Dubai for the MEA Customer Day 2025, we weren’t sure how it would feel. Would it be another corporate gathering where everyone nods politely? Would we fall into the familiar rhythm of presentations, case studies and applause? Or would we manage to create a space that felt more like a gathering of peers—people who’ve been through the same fires, who know the same frustrations, who can speak openly? We hoped for the latter. And that’s exactly what unfolded.
The morning started quietly. People arrived early, some of them greeting familiar faces, others wandering the room, checking their phones, sipping coffee. It wasn’t loud. There was no stage music, no big countdown. Just conversations. You could feel it—a kind of nervous energy, the sense that this might not be business as usual.
Rachid Labrik, Vice President, Slimstock MEA stood up to open the day. He didn’t need slides. He just stood there and talked from the heart, and told the room what we’d been feeling for months: “This isn’t about us. It’s about you. Let’s talk. Let’s be honest. Let’s challenge each other.”
It was an invitation, not a presentation. And when a words are coming from the heart, they land and they land hard. From that moment on, the walls came down. Eric van Dijk, CEO, Slimstock, carried that tone into his reflections. Eric’s style is always personal, always real. He shared what being privately owned means for Slimstock, not in financial terms, but in human terms. It lets us invest in conversations, in communities, in the things that build lasting change.
He reminded us all that while software is part of the solution, it’s never the whole solution. What matters most is what happens in rooms like this one, where leaders open up, share stories and listen deeply. That listening theme threaded through the entire day.
When MMI/ELR took the stage to share their journey, they didn’t bring a case study. They brought honesty. They talked about the exhaustion of firefighting, the endless loops of reactive decision-making, the frustration of knowing you need to change but not knowing where to start.
Their move to integrated business planning wasn’t a clean, textbook story. It was messy. It was human. It was filled with doubt and discomfort. But they stuck with it. And what they gained wasn’t just better forecasts, it was clarity, alignment and a renewed sense of purpose for their teams.
Winner’s Mauritius shared their own transformation story, equally honest, equally brave. For them, it wasn’t about software or KPIs. It was about their people. Their store teams deserved better processes. Their customers deserved better experiences. And the pride that came back when operations started running smoothly again.
They started with three stores that went live in less than 3 months and now accelerating the deployment. And listening to them, you could feel the room reflecting on their own teams, their own processes and their own silent frustrations.
And then came Sandeep Walia, Chief Transformation Officer, Slimstock, presenting a session on Formula 1 and S&OP. It was unexpected, and maybe that’s why it hit so hard. Sandeep didn’t show supply chain dashboards. He showed race cars, pit stops, strategy rooms. And he asked the room, “Why does your supply chain move at walking speed when your market is moving like Formula 1?”
It was a question that lingered. One that sparked debates. People weren’t just listening, they were challenging themselves, each other, us.
Later, Daan Majoor, Chief Technology Officer, Slimstock shared where the company is heading. And again, it wasn’t about features. It was about feelings. About making the planner’s day easier. About building technology that feels like an invisible assistant, not another layer of complexity.
He talked about Ask Rolf, your supply chain co-pilot, about how we’re making machine learning and AI approachable, not intimidating. And most of all, he talked about our responsibility to keep technology human—to let people stay in control, to make space for judgment, experience, and gut feeling.
An invitation to join a room where leaders can speak off the record. Where they can bring their toughest questions, their hardest lessons, their boldest ideas—and find peers who will listen, challenge and collaborate.
The Club was announced alongside leaders from Altavant Group, MMI, Bidfood, The Petshop, ENY Consulting and Signature Media LLC as founding members. Not as a marketing initiative. But as a community. Built by and for the leaders shaping supply chain in this region.
The conversations that followed? They weren’t about tools or systems. They were about leadership, about the eagerness and mindset to learn and be a part of this community. We had moments that made it all worth it. The small wins. The value-rich sessions. That’s what we’ll remember most.
Not the slides.
The people.
The stories.
The trust.
Slimstock managed to remind customers and partners that the most powerful thing we can create together isn’t a platform. It’s a space. A space for honest conversations, shared learnings, and the courage to do things differently.
