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Congress for Family Businesses
The Congress for Family Businesses offers networks and expertise for this particular type of business. It is the most important and renowned congress of its kind in Europe and a regular annual event.
The event addresses the entire family, spouses, prospective successors but also executives who are not family. In collaboration with renowned representatives of the business community the hosts of the two-day congress offer workshops geared to the specific needs and requests of family businesses; current topics are explored as well.
The motto for this year’s 13th congress is “interaction – family, business, networks”, the focus being on networks which are essential for family businesses in order to cope with a complex and dynamic business world. Friederike Machemer, co-organizer, underlines the importance of efficient networking for family businesses: “Trust, cooperation, innovation, creativity, sustainability and identity are only a few key words describing the potentials and values resulting from networking.”
“We invite participants to experience interaction in many and varied forms and get inspired. There are ca. 30 workshops with topics from theory and practice, addressing the classical concerns of family businesses with a focus on their role in networks. Different types of networks will be explored for perspectives and objectives: inter-organizational and family networks, associate networks, or those creating a sense of regional identity. We are convinced that family businesses in particular are predestined to make value-generating use of network potentials. They are in a unique position – due to the mutual identification of family and business, and their stability in times of economic booms and crises alike.” The Witten Congress for Family Businesses traditionally offers not only information on relevant topics but also ample opportunities for private conversation and exchange on issues related to family or business matters. The continuously growing network creates new and inspiring forms of interaction with each year. The organizers believe that many objectives, due to inherent complexities, defy a go-it-alone approach. Joint efforts by several protagonists are required to handle major challenges successfully.
This is where networking becomes important. The congress hosted by UW/H students and sponsored by WIFU (Witten Institute for Family Business) gives access to the largest European network of family businesses. Established in 1998, WIFU is the first competence and research centre for family businesses at a German university and in a vanguard position regarding academic training and research on specific aspects of family businesses.