Poznań's annual Entrepreneurship Days returns on 15 and 16 October, bringing together local government representatives, business owners and people considering starting their own companies.
The two-day programme approaches entrepreneurship from different directions. The first day looks at the role municipalities can play in creating conditions for economic activity, while the second turns attention towards the people running businesses and the challenges they encounter in their everyday work.
Together, the programme offers a broader view of entrepreneurship in Poznań, connecting the institutional side of local economic development with the personal realities of running a business.
Looking at the environment businesses operate in
The programme begins on 15 October with Local Entrepreneurship. Challenges and the Role of Local Government, a conference taking place at Plus Jeden, Poznań's shared workspace.
The event is aimed at representatives of cities and municipalities involved in supporting entrepreneurship and local economic development. Rather than considering business activity in isolation, the conference will examine the environment in which companies operate and the ways local authorities can influence that environment.
Discussions will address current challenges and changing needs among residents and entrepreneurs, alongside practical approaches that municipalities can use when developing their local economies.
Panel discussions will bring together representatives of cities and municipalities, while presentations will showcase selected initiatives and examples of local government practice. The format also gives participating officials an opportunity to compare experiences with colleagues from other municipalities and consider which approaches might work in their own communities.
This makes the first day less about entrepreneurship as an individual pursuit and more about the wider framework in which local businesses have to operate.
The people behind the businesses
On 16 October, the focus shifts from local government to entrepreneurs themselves.
Entrepreneur Wellbeing, Because Business Starts With You will take place at Concordia Design and is aimed at business owners, people considering starting a company and others interested in entrepreneurship.
The programme takes a different format, combining talks on the main stage with practical workshops, networking and a dedicated space for taking a break and recharging.
Wellbeing is presented here not simply as a personal matter, but as something connected to the practical running of a business. The programme will consider its relationship with decision-making, everyday work and the way companies and teams function.
That creates an interesting contrast with the first day. Where the opening conference looks at the structures surrounding entrepreneurship, the second considers the people operating within those structures.
The organisations supporting Poznań's business community
Entrepreneurship Days also brings together a range of organisations involved in supporting and communicating around the local business environment.
The event is organised by the City of Poznań and the Department of Economic Activity and Agriculture of Poznań City Hall, in cooperation with the Wielkopolska Agency for Enterprise Development and the Poznań City Development Foundation. The conference is held under the honorary patronage of the Association of Polish Cities.
Among the media partners is SOWA Marketing, a Poznań-based marketing team that has operated since 2018. The company brings together strategy, creative work, technology and measurement, offering services ranging from SEO and paid advertising to social media, copywriting, graphic design, PR, website development and analytics. Its current approach includes SOWA 360, a model designed to coordinate several marketing disciplines under one shared plan, alongside more focused Select and Flex options.
Its involvement provides another link to the practical side of entrepreneurship represented at the event. Marketing is one of the many areas in which businesses need specialist support, particularly as companies balance visibility, communication, technology and changing priorities.
The wider programme reflects a similar principle. Entrepreneurship does not happen in isolation. It develops within a network of local authorities, business support organisations, specialist providers and, ultimately, the people who decide to build and run businesses.
Putting these different perspectives across two days gives Entrepreneurship Days Poznań a broader purpose than a conventional business event. It creates a space to consider both the conditions that shape local enterprise and the people who experience those conditions every day.
Visitor Information
Entrepreneurship Days Poznań
15 October
Local Entrepreneurship. Challenges and the Role of Local Government
Venue: Plus Jeden, Poznań
16 October
Entrepreneur Wellbeing, Because Business Starts With You
Venue: Concordia Design, Poznań
Admission: Free
Registration: Required
Organisers: City of Poznań, Department of Economic Activity and Agriculture of Poznań City Hall
Partners: Wielkopolska Agency for Enterprise Development, Poznań City Development Foundation
Honorary patronage: Association of Polish Cities
Media partners: Radio Poznań, SOWA Marketing
