AmCham Slovakia

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East Innovation Conference (EIC) is AmCham's high-profile event bringing together businesses, public officials, NGOs and academics. EIC aims to jump-start East Slovakia to become a vibrant place to live and do business, attract youth, talent and ambition through sustainable AmCham initiatives. Scheduled for 25th November in Košice and titled Magnet Cities, the conference aims to inspire local leaders with examples from other parts of the world so that they become drivers of a paradigmatic change by ‘flipping the magnetic switch’ of East Slovakia.

The conference aims to became a catalyst of transformation of East Slovakia and aspires to change the mindset of stakeholders from public sphere, business, academia and NGO sector.

The following questions will be discussed:  

• How to flip the magnetic switch?
• What can be done to help second-tier cities reinvent themselves and improve their offer? How can cities increase their magnetic pull? And how to transform our cities to become magnets?  
• Perfect storm for innovation?
  
• How can we understand the post-Covid reality as an opportunity? How to innovate ourselves out of this crisis? What are the key challenges ahead of us?

AGENDA 25/NOV/2020

12:00 OFFICIAL WELCOME

• Gabriel Galgóci, President, AmCham Slovakia

12:05 OPENING KEYNOTE

• H.E. Bridget A. Brink, Ambassador of the United States of America to Slovakia  

12:15 OPENING INTERVIEW: HOW TO JUMP-START OUR REGIONS? 

• Marek Antal, State Secretary of the Ministry of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization
• Gabriel Galgóci, President, AmCham Slovakia  

12:30 KEYNOTE 1 HOW TO FLIP THE “MAGNETIC SWITCH”?

• Michal Hladký (SK), Creative Industry Košice
  
  What can be done to help second-tier cities reinvent themselves and improve their offer? How can cities increase their magnetic pull? And how to transform our cities to become magnets?

12:50 KOŠICE AS A MAGNET 

• Marcel Gibóda, Deputy Mayor of the City of Košice

13:00 COFFEE BREAK 

13:05 PANEL 1 MAGNET CITY: REINVENTING THE KOŠICE INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM

• Michal Hladký (SK), Creative Industry Košice

• Peter Kolesár, Partner - Strategy, Innovation, Funding, Civitta Slovakia

• Raimond Tamm (EE), Deputy Mayor, Tartu

• Martin Mudrák, AmCham Slovakia (Moderator)

13:45 COFFEE BREAK

13:50 LIGHTNING PRESENTATION: THE FABRIC OF INNOVATION

• Juraj Sabol, General Manager for Strategy, U.S. Steel Košice

14:05 LIGHTNING PRESENTATION: UPSKILLING AS AN INVESTMENT INTO THE FUTURE OF THE REGION

• Marcela Havrilová, Education Industry Lead, Microsoft Czech Republic and Slovakia

14:20 KEYNOTE 2 PERFECT STORM FOR INNOVATION?

• Andreas Truls, Managing Director Deutsche Telekom IT Solutions Slovakia
  How can we understand the post-Covid reality as an opportunity? How to innovate ourselves out of this crisis and work toward economic prosperity? What are the key challenges ahead of us?
  
  

14:40 OPENING REMARKS: Tomáš Sedláček (CZ), Economist, philosopher and former economic advisor to Václav Havel

14:50 PANEL 2 INNOVATION DURING HARD TIMES

• Juraj Girman, Vice President Telekom IT, Deutsche Telekom IT Solutions Slovakia

• Petr Chládek (CZ), CEO of the South-Moravian Innovation Centre (JIC) Brno 

• Tomáš Sedláček (CZ), Economist, philosopher and former economic advisor to Václav Havel

• Jozef Bujnovský, HDTS (Moderator)

15:30 LIGHTNING PRESENTATION: CHILDREN INNOVATING THE FUTURE

• Michael Cresswell (AU), Headmaster of the Košice International School
  
  

15:40 CLOSING REMARKS

• Ronald Blaško, Executive Director, AmCham Slovakia

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Important information before the event:

• The event will be held in Slovak and English language. Translation will be provided.
• The event will be recorded and the recording will be uploaded here after the event.
• Participation is free of charge for AmCham members.

Please register here no later than Monday, November 23rd, EOB.

You will receive login details after closing the registration on Tuesday, November 24th, after 5pm.