Attending a kid friendly international conference in Budapest
Budapest, 12 November 2018 – A number of studies have shown that it benefits both parents and their workplaces, when both parties are amenable, if they stay in touch while the parent is on maternity or paternity leave. The OPEN Conference, held in Budapest, was one of the first conferences to offer participants a children’s corner. Organisers hope that the event will offer, at the very least, a few hours’ worth of professional inspiration and networking opportunity to mothers and fathers who wish to remain up-to-date in the world of employment while raising their young child. This year, at the third OPEN Conference, business leaders and professionals from a number of countries will explore how a more open corporate culture can serve competitiveness.
According to the latest figures of the Central Statistical Office, there are 60,000 vacant positions in the private sector in Hungary today. This figure saw a steady increase in recent years, and the trend is typical in the case of other Central and Eastern European countries. The practical experiences of major corporations, as well as research data, both show that the establishment of an open workplace culture may be one key of competitiveness: this helps seek out and retain future colleagues, and also helps win customers. Additionally, a 2017 survey by McKinsey & Company also highlighted that ethnically diverse companies may achieve up to 33% better financial results than the industry median, while this figure is up to 21% higher in the case of companies where gender balance is more even. The Boston Consulting Group found that diverse companies are able to realise higher revenues when introducing a product or service. The over 1000 international and Hungarian companies which have joined the WeAreOpen organisation strive to establish an open corporate culture, because they believe that being open, and judging everyone based on their actions, makes sense for companies, and makes for a better workplace for employees.
Conference speakers include such internationally recognised experts as David Pearson, KPMG’s Director for Global Inclusion & Diversity; Zdravka Demeter Bubalo, the MOL Group’s Vice President for HR; Paralympic athlete Claire Harvey, managing director of the organisation Diversity Role Models; and Vera Budway, Chief Diversity Officer of the Erste Bank Group. Taking place for the third time, this year’s conference will welcome participants from the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic and Austria, among other countries, as well as Hungarian decision-makers. The event will also include the unveiling of a service which companies can use to assess how women and men feel at a given firm; businesses may use this information to base their relevant corporate decisions on specific data.
WeAreOpen also seeks to support parents on maternity or paternity leave: the 14 November event will offer a children’s corner, where childcare specialists and entertainers from AS Játékvilág will be available to watch children during the day. Additionally, discount day passes will be offered to any mother or father who is on maternity or paternity leave, and would like to participate in the event.
The OPEN Conference looks forward to welcoming business leaders, decision-makers dealing with HR, communications, marketing and diversity matters, as well as stakeholders and anyone interested. The conference will take place 14-15 November at the Budapest Music Center and at the offices of Citi and Eaton.
Citi is the principal sponsor of the event. Prezi, espell and Google are platinum sponsors; Microsoft is a special sponsor; CMS, Diageo, Eaton, HOLD Asset Management, Morgan Stanley and Shaw + Scott are gold sponsors; Loffice Budapest, RTL Hungary and Vodafone are silver sponsors; and Dramatrix is a bronze sponsor. The conference is not-for-profit: its proceeds support the operation and campaigns of the WeAreOpen nonprofit organisation.
About WeAreOpen
The WeAreOpen community initiative was launched by Prezi, espell and Google in the summer of 2013. WeAreOpen’s principal sponsor is Citi. In the past five years, more than 1,000 companies, organisations and communities have joined WeAreOpen, including Hungarian businesses, brands with a prominent Hungarian and international profile, and civil organisations and communities. WeAreOpen will be participating in Budapest Pride for the fifth time. It has also launched more than 10 other campaigns, including in support of gender equality at the workplace and equal treatment of people with disabilities.
Those joining the WeAreOpen initiative hold the fundamental belief that everyone is to be judged solely on the basis of their actions and achievements, without regard to their age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national or ethnic identity and origin, political, religious or other views and physical or other factors.
Contact
Dalma Kormos
[email protected]
+36703699269