The Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) is hosting a special conference on Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Central and Eastern European Competitiveness in Vienna, Austria on November 15-17, 2009 at the InterContinental Wien.
During this forum BCIU will highlight the success of the entrepreneurial and start-up sectors in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. The event will provide a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs and thought leaders to network, to share perspectives about new strategies for growth and gain access to resources and training.
The forum looks back over the past 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and takes stock of the importance of entrepreneurship in the post-Communist transition. Conference participants will lend their voices and experiences to a global dialogue about the essential role of entrepreneurship and innovation in powering regional and international economic recovery.
November 16-22 is “Global Entrepreneurship Week,” an initiative of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation based in Kansas City involving 25,000 events and an estimated 4,000,000 people. BCIU’s conference has been chosen as one of a only a few spotlight events (www.unleashingideas.org).
Some of the topics that will be covered in concurrent, podcast sessions are:
*Generating Economic Growth thru Creative Entrepreneurship and Innovation
* Research & Development Commercialization
* Franchising as an Entrepreneurship Vehicle
* Next Generation ‘Infrastructures’ – Alternative Energy, IT, and Education - for Competitive Economies
* Role of Public Institutions in Fostering Competitiveness
* Women in Leadership
* Attracting Private Equity, Venture Capital and Angel Investors to Europe’s Start-up and Early-stage Companies
As part of the program, BCIU will pay tribute to BCIU Honorary Trustee John C. Whitehead (participation TBC) for the seminal role he played in post-War Europe by reaching out to democratic forces behind the Berlin Wall well before its fall. As a younger man, he also landed on the beaches of Normandy and helped support Hungarian escapees during the Revolution of 1956.
This forum of approximately 75 practicing entrepreneurs headquartered in Central Eastern and Southeastern Europe will commence with a reception on Sunday, November 15 at 6:00 p.m. at the official residence of President Obama’s new U.S. Ambassador to Austria, the American entrepreneur William C. Eacho.
Please contact Ms. Shelby Thompson of BCIU at s-thompson@bciu.org or at tel. 202-595-2668 if you have any questions and for more information.
Participation fee is €275 or $425. Participation fees includes full participation in the conference program, all registration and materials fees as well as inclusion two special networking receptions and two sessions with (lunch provided). (Space is limited.)
**Payment can either be completed by Credit Card or Bank Transfer**
ABOUT BCIU
Since 1955, BCIU has facilitated dialogue and action between the worlds of business and government to improve the quality of life of people around the world through employment and economic betterment. www.bciu.org.
ABOUT GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK
The Kauffman Foundation’s vision is to foster “a society of economically independent individuals who are engaged citizens, contributing to the improvement of their communities.” Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is an initiative of the Kauffman Foundation involving thousands of events in 85 countries engaging approximately 3.5 million in the celebration of entrepreneurship. The BCIU conference is a featured GEW event. www.unleashingideas.org.
***SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE***
Date:
Sunday, November 15, 2009 through Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Place:
Conference Location:
InterContinental Wien
Johannesgasse 28
1037 Wien, Austria
Evening Reception on Sunday, November 15th will be held at the official residence of The Honorable William C. Eacho, U.S. Ambassador to Austria.
