Host, historic brewery, palace venue confirmed for awards
The event which celebrates Europe's greatest family businesses is just one month away, and will see leaders converge on a spectacular Prague castle for two days of learning and celebration.
Taking place on 20 and 21 June, the European Families in Business Conference and Awards are set at Prague's breath-taking Lobkowicz Palace, one of the most significant cultural sites in the Czech Republic. The events are hosted by CampdenFB, in association with Societe Generale Private Banking.
The sixth annual #EFIBA17 gala dinner will be the highlight of the conference and is held on the evening of 20 June in celebration of the family businesses at the heart of the European economy.
CampdenFBis delighted to announce Tim Jenkins, broadcaster, conference host and moderator, is confirmed as this year's master of ceremonies for the awards.
Jenkins is a former BBC journalist who has been talking to heads of state, industry leaders, paramilitary figures, celebrities - and the people they influence - for more than 25 years.
Nicholas Moody, editor of CampdenFB and a member of the panel, said the diversity of award nominees this year made the judging incredibly interesting.
“Hosting the awards in the Czech Republic has meant getting entries from across Central and Eastern Europe, plus some great fast-growing companies from Europe who were part of the Top 50 Global Challengersgroup,” Moody said.
Awards will be given across six categories: top family business; top family business leader; top family business rising star; top next-generation entrepreneur; top non-family director and top sustainable business.
The family business people who attend the two-day conference will have complimentary entry to the awards, on top of a conference schedule based around this year's theme “Future Leadership and Empowerment: Creating a Culture of Innovation and Responsible Growth”.
The conference, now in its 14th year, will open on the evening of 19 June with a peer-to-peer networking drinks at Brewery U Flek?, the only site in Europe to have been continuously brewing beer for more than 500 years.
Prague is a fitting location to celebrate family businesses, given their restoration in 1989's Velvet Revolution after four decades of communism. Family-run enterprises generate 30% of GDP in the Czech Republic.
Family businesses contribute more than 50% to the eurozone's private sector activity and are playing a crucial role in the recovery of many of the hard-pressed economies of the region.
The conference offers a private meeting place for the heads of business-owning and financial families, as well as their sons, daughters, spouses and hommes d'affaires.
It will be chaired by Prince William Lobkowicz, who has played a central role in refurbishing Lobkowicz Palace and opening its collections to the public, after it was restored to his family in 2002.
Aneel Khan, Campden Wealth's senior conference producer, said the palace – part of a UNESCO world heritage site – housed “one of the most significant family collections in Europe”.
“It comprises paintings, decorative arts and extensive library of rare books, and important arms and armour – spanning seven centuries of art and music patronage.”
To register, please contact Simi Sapal on +44 (0) 203 763 2800 or simisapal@campdenwealth.com. Alternatively, visit the event website.
