The World isn't Flat > Overview

Overview

ONE CONFERENCE – TWO WORLD CLASS EVENTS

14th – 15th May 2014, Kraków

The business and technology services industry has exploded across Central and Eastern Europe over the past 10 years. In Poland alone, 120,000 people work in the industry with headcount growing around 20% per annum.

“The World isn’t Flat: why place matters and what it means for us” will explore the global and the local dimensions which impact the industry’s growth. Exploring the interplay between the local and the global we will seek to understand what makes some places stand out from the crowd in an increasingly flat world.

Prompted by speakers from both the local and global spheres – leaders from the world of business, politics and government – we will explore the global political and economic realities that impact the industry at the local level – and from which locations in CEE have benefited these past few years. We will also explore the local and regional strategies and tools which can enable companies operating in particular locations to plug into global
opportunity.

The host city for the conference is Kraków, the top ranked location for business and technology services in Europe.

“ASPIRE for ALL” Open Event – 14th May

On 14th May, the eve of the conference, thought leaders from the world of business, sport, science and the arts will help us to explore our main theme:

  • a new and aspiring middle class – will shape the future of the industry in the region

Styled on the successful TED format, our speakers will give their views on:

  • The rise of cities as an economic force in the 21st century
  • The future of universities in the digital age
  • The value of diversity and collaboration in promoting entrepreneurship and
  • The role of vision and leadership.

The event will be staged at the Słowacki Theatre in the heart of Kraków’s Old Town. With space for 600 people, this invitation-only event is above all designed for the young people working in our centres. Our premise is that these young people – a new and aspiring middle
class – will shape the future of the industry in the region. The event is designed to inspire.

We will conclude the event with a networking reception.

WHAT’S NEXT & HOW TO PREPARE – 15th May

The conference on 15th May will bring together the leaders in our business with one aim: to focus on the future prospects for the industry in Kraków and other cities in the region.

In a morning plenary we will look at global trends in our industry: the move towards robotics and big data in BPO and towards global business services in shared services; the impact of events in the Ukraine and in Europe on the value proposition for our industry in
CEE and lessons learned and potential alliances with places outside the region, such as Dublin, Luxembourg and Lwów.

In the afternoon we will deep dive into specific areas of local engagement. Dividing into four work streams, we will explore areas such as employee engagement, talent pool development, the work environment, and diversity and collaboration.

The purpose of these work streams will be to set an agenda for the next 300 days to improve the sustainability and competitiveness of the industry. Each stream will be tasked with shooting a short film to present their action plans.

We will end the conference with a networking gala in the museum under the main market square.