Between October 25-27, 2023, the 13th European Congress of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises was held at the International Congress Center in Katowice. The main theme of the event was "Ready for Change?". Our University was represented by prof. dr hab. inż. Jacek Szołtysek, dr hab. Rafał Żelazny and dr Borys Budka.
About the Congress
The European Congress of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises is the largest event for SME companies in Europe. Since 2011, it has been a place to gain new knowledge, exchange ideas, get inspired and establish business relationships. The twelve editions of the Congress to date have been attended by tens of thousands of entrepreneurs and experts from all over the world, as well as numerous representatives from government and local government agencies, business environment institutions, as well as the world of science and culture.
Community Gala of the Regional Chamber of Commerce in Katowice
The Community Gala of the Regional Chamber of Commerce in Katowice was held on October 25, 2023, during which the economic awards of the 13th European Congress of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises were presented. Guests were able to see Wojciech Fiedorczuk, the very first Polish business-themed stand- up, as well as listen to a concert "I FEEL GOOD!" by American singer Big John Whitfield, accompanied by the musicians of The Vienna Soul Society.
Our speakers at the Congress
On October 27, dr hab. Rafał Żelazny, Prof. UE and prof. dr hab. inż. Jacek Szołtysek participated in a panel "Smart, Smarter, Smartest City" as speakers.
The discussion focused mainly on the topic of smart cities and the speakers debated the contribution of business to building smart cities and pondered on the question of what kind of cities can be called smart.
"[...] I would add to the adjectives such as "smart", "smartest" (which are rather tricky notions to translate into Polish) one keyword – "human" – and ask "what do we all – residents of cities, towns and villages – really want?". It seems to me that what we are all concerned with is what is referred to in almost every science as well-being, which is simply our happiness. Happiness in the sense that when we get up in the morning, no matter whether we live in city A, B or C, we can say of our well-being that it satisfies us" - said dr hab. Rafał Żelazny, prof. UE.
Referring to smart cities, prof. dr hab. inż. Jacek Szołtysek pointed out examples of road collisions or renovations in city centers, which, due to their duration and the process of their organization, are a hindrance to traffic participants. He also stressed that "We can train our<<city intelligence>>, we can possess it as a community, but we can also act mindlessly. And mindlessness is not necessarily opposed to intelligence, it's just a certain attitude, and that's what we lack.
Another panel titled "Challenge No. 1 for SMEs: Maintain liquidity!", held on the same day, featured dr hab. Rafał Żelazny, Prof. UE. Participants in the debate discussed liquidity, why it is important and what threatens it, but also how to optimize working capital in a company. Practical tips and tools to help maintain liquidity and new technologies in financial management systems were also part of the discussion.
For more information, visit the event website.
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