Frank Ouwens

Frank Ouwens is a Lecturer at the Academy for Leisure & Events Storytelling. His work focuses on the intersection of storytelling, heritage preservation, and experiential design within leisure and event industries. He actively participates in interdisciplinary projects funded by organizations like Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland, addressing challenges in cross-regional collaboration and community-driven initiatives. His research spans post-pandemic business event recovery, sustainable tourism through nature conservation narratives, and the creative application of storytelling in linking past, present, and future societal needs.

• Professional affiliations include contributions to journals like Uncover and Recreatieve en Toerisme.
• Key projects involve Grensloos Park De Groote Heide (2024-2027), BBK: Brabant Kust de Kempen (2024-2025), and ongoing work on WWII narratives.

His research interests emphasize creative tension engines for vision development, narrative methods in heritage storytelling, and service design frameworks for experiential engagement. Recent articles analyze the long-term impacts of global events on business sectors and explore nature-based storytelling solutions for sustainable tourism.

Frank collaborates with institutions such as Provincie Gelderland and Hanzesteden Marketing, contributing to workshops and presentations across the Netherlands and Flanders. He has organized events like the 2022 Food Storytelling session and the 2024 Brabant Kust de Kempen partnership meeting. His work bridges theoretical storytelling models with practical applications in regional development and community design.