Each year, EngageU brings together the most passionate and forward-thinking people in the Claris and FileMaker ecosystem. For us at Lesterius, it’s an opportunity not only to stay up to date with the latest developments, but also to deepen our expertise so customers immediately benefit from what we exchange within the community.
This year, Berihu Gebremedhin - one of our consultants - returned from Antwerp with fresh insights, renewed inspiration and a clear message: “The future of integration of AI is MCP.”
A Timely Deep Dive Into MCP and AI
Before heading to EngageU, Berihu was already exploring an MCP server setup for a customer. The event therefore came at exactly the right moment.
As he explains, “I was excited to get the latest information on MCP. I already had a working approach but wanted to validate the final steps. EngageU helped me connect the missing pieces.”
The sessions on MCP and AI demonstrated how quickly the platform is evolving. With advanced AI agents running on an MCP server, the potential for smarter and more automated solutions becomes extremely tangible.
Because our AI Knowledge Center at Lesterius had already been exploring MCP concepts, the insights he gathered allowed us to refine our internal guidelines and strengthen the frameworks we offer to customers.
Meet > Present > Learn: A Format That Works
One of the event’s greatest strengths is the culture of exchange.
“The Meet > Present > Learn formula really works,” Berihu shared. “You learn as much in the hallways and discussions as you do in the sessions. Talking directly to Claris engineers and other consultants gives you a depth you can’t get from documentation alone.”
This openness makes EngageU more than a tech event. It becomes a catalyst for refining ideas, challenging assumptions and gaining clarity on how others approach the same problems we face daily with our customers.
Bringing Better Interfaces and Workflows to Our Projects
Beyond MCP, Berihu also explored several practical approaches that will have a direct impact on the solutions we build.
“I had great exchanges about using React with FileMaker to build powerful, modern UI experiences,” he said. This aligns perfectly with our ambition to bring more intuitive and web-based interfaces to our customers combining the strengths of FileMaker.
Furthermore, it was interesting to see how Claris Studio can streamline workflows - like straightforward timesheet entry - thanks to its natural connection to FileMaker. These are improvements we can apply directly in customer environments.
The Value of an International Team
EngageU is always a community event, but attending with Lesterius colleagues from different countries adds another layer.
“Talking to people at the event is valuable, but discussing what we saw with our own international team is just as important!”
From Belgium to the Netherlands, Sweden or Spain, each team brings customer experiences that enrich the others. Comparing approaches to project challenges broadens everyone’s perspective and strengthens our shared expertise.
Turning Insights Into Action
As in previous years, Lesterius extended the event with additional internal knowledge-sharing days. This helps ensure that the insights gathered don’t remain theory but evolve into practical methods and guidelines for customer projects.
“Those extra days are extremely useful,” he said. “You take everything you saw at EngageU, connect it with what your colleagues learned and think about how it translates into our work.”
Why It Matters
At Lesterius, attending events like EngageU is not about collecting badges or chasing buzzwords. It is about ensuring that our customers get solutions built with the freshest knowledge, best practices and proven approaches. Thanks to colleagues who dive deep, challenge themselves and share openly, our teams stay ready to build smarter, more secure and more efficient solutions for every project.
EngageU is not only about learning from the broader community. It is also an invaluable moment for our international teams from Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden to sit together and compare notes.
“If you take the time to talk to people at EngageU, you get so much back. And even within the Lesterius team, we exchanged insights on how others approached process X for project Y. It’s a deep dive into all our real experiences.”
Lesterius extends the experience by adding two extra internal knowledge-sharing days around the event. This helps our teams consolidate what they learned, align on best practices and immediately consider how customers can benefit from the newest technologies.
Knowledge Transfer as a Core Value
For us, this is not just a tradition. It is a commitment. Events like EngageU are part of a broader investment in continuous learning, real-world experiences and internal knowledge sharing. The goal is simple: to ensure our customers always benefit from the latest possibilities in the FileMaker and Claris ecosystem.
EngageU 2025 once again proved why this investment matters. And thanks to the passion and curiosity of colleagues like Berihu, our teams return home inspired and better equipped to build the next generation of FileMaker-driven solutions.
