The first day was dedicated to introducing the participants to the focus of the workshop: Advisory services for the whole transfer process. The aim of the workshop is to increase inter regional learning on advisory services which are target-orientated towards the successful transfer of specific business, and for the partners to exchange their own experiences with funding various advisory services in order to develop recommendations.
All content and presentations from the workshop can be found via our successionwiki.
The inaugural speech and introduction to the day's proceedings was delivered by Mr. Jacke Krupa, marshal of the Małopolska Region. The first of four thematic lectures followed with Ms. Marta Wojtyra, PHD student at Kozminski University's Department of Entrepreneurship and Ethics in Business present-ing the topic "advisory support in the succession process -challenges and good practices". The second lecture entitled "Krakow School of Succession -consulting experience", by Mr. Andrzej Bocheński from the advisory company PM Business Consulting presented an expert consultant's perspective on the entire transfer process. The following thematic lecture delved into the theme of psychological aspects in succession. The fourth and final thematic lecture from Mr. Łukasz Martyniec, lawyer, succession advisor and lecturer, investigated the legal and financial aspects in succession consulting.
Following on from the thematic lectures, each of the STOB regions partners presented their contributions towards the workshop focusing on the topic from the perspective of their own region. After a brief lunch break, the interactive workshop conducted at iLAB was opened by Mr. Rafał Kunaszyk, owner and member of Family Enterprise. During the workshop which was moderated by the advisory partner, the participants began working collectively on the focused topic and presented their findings and recommendations to round of the day.
Day two began with an introduction of the regional situation by the Director of the Economic Develop-ment Department, Mr. Robert Maciaszek. Next on the workshop's agenda were two examples of regional good practices, the first being Mr. Tomasz Sokół, Deputy Director, Małopolskie Centre of Entrepreneur-ship with "Vouchers for consulting services in Regional Operational Programmefor the Malopolska Region 2014-2020". The second good practice explained "Succession Guide for Family Businesses", by Mr. Jakub Hyla, expert consultant at PM Business Consulting. The good practices were further exemplified through practical applications with presentations of two family business cases, Out of Africa and Kombornia Manor.
An intense panel discussion followed with participation from all project partners and experts from the earlier proceedings. Key takeaways from the discussion included age disparities between parents and children and their activities in business has lengthened, also the positive impact innovation vouchers have on cooperation with business and science, with a 500% increase in co-financed projects compared to previous policy.
A regional-SWOT analysis was conducted with discussions regarding the specific subjects generated throughout the two-day workshop. The key strengths identified for the Małopolska region and its business transfer situation include the ease of accessibility and implementation of the innovation vouchers and the online succession guide service. However, a key weakness revolves around the lack of continued business education and training, which also provides a source of opportunity if policy is developed effectively.
The inter regional learning event concluded with a study visit to Out of Africa, a local family business. The third workshop deepened the knowledge transfer between the project partners and explored in great detail the topic of Advisory services for the whole transfer process and developed recommendations for policy learning. The fourth installment of the STOB regions inter regional workshop is to be held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria on 21st and 22nd March 2018.
