With 750 on-site participants from 56 countries, the event featured 160 speakers across 26 sessions. It offered an exciting mix of expert insights, hands-on workshops, and plenty of networking opportunities—all aimed at supporting SMEs in Europe.
Key themes and takeaways
This year’s conference covered four main themes:
- Quality & impact: experts shared best practices for building regional networks and developing key skills to create real, lasting impact across Europe
- Innovation & start-ups: sessions covered everything SMEs need to succeed, from managing intellectual property to scaling up, and gave participants practical tips
- Industrial transition: tackling big topics like sustainability, AI, and resilience, this track focused on how SMEs can adapt to change and stay competitive in a fast-moving landscape
- Single Market & beyond: these sessions offered guidance for navigating the EU Single Market and growing globally, helping SMEs reach new markets with confidence
Keynote speakers included Katalin Bihari, Hungary’s Deputy State Secretary, Jakub Boratynski, Director for Networks and Governance at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, and Jean-David Malo, Director of EISMEA.
Reconnecting with familiar faces and meeting new people
In addition to the sessions, attendees had plenty of chances to network and build new connections. Brigitte Tanti from Enterprise Europe Network Malta stressed how valuable face-to-face meetings are: "Being from a small island like Malta, it’s important to meet our Network partners in person. The event also helps us stay up to date on the European Commission’s policies for SMEs and operational issues, which are key to supporting small businesses back home."
Mantas Vilys from Enterprise Europe Network Lithuania agreed, adding, "The best part for me was reconnecting with colleagues I hadn’t seen in a while. I also enjoyed learning about new developments in our expert groups and making new contacts that I can use in my work. This helps me strengthen the Network’s impact in Vilnius."
Behind the scenes
Running a conference of this scale takes a lot of coordination. "Every detail counts," said Luca Pettini from EISMEA, one of the main organisers. "We put in a lot of effort to ensure everything runs smoothly—from setting up the online platform to handling logistics, registrations, and keeping sessions on track. Our goal is to let participants focus on the content and networking without any hiccups."
As the conference wrapped up, participants left Budapest with fresh ideas, valuable contacts, and new strategies to support SMEs. Thank you for all joining us – see you next year in Denmark!