The jubilee 30^th PODIM Conference will gather experts from different countries to address numerous development issues, and to search in fruitful discussions among participants the appropriate answers. Main conference topics are always at the cross-section of sharing reach knowledge and experiences of entrepreneurs, managers, innovators and academics. For 30 years, PODIM Conferences on Entrepreneurship and Innovation PODIM have been addressing important issues and contributing to a better understanding of entrepreneurship, innovation, innovative society, and how to unleash the creative potential in individuals, companies, and regions. Last year, more than 300 participants were engaged in a two-day event during which the contributions of 65 authors from 10 countries were discussed regarding the topic of creating winning products. This year, we will discuss a broad array of issues focused on the challenges associated with turning innovative ideas into successful products, services, processes, or new ways of doing business.

Issues to be addressed

Many people have tremendously innovative ideas but only a few of them manage to turn these into successful products, services, processes, or new ways of doing business. In order to implement new ideas and inventions, we must know how to communicate them effectively. The discovery of commercial potential in “product genome” and selling innovative ideas within company – and in the market – are the cornerstones of creating a successful business. The jubilee 30^th International Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship is a great place to discuss these important issues.

The key issues to be discussed include:

• Attracting public attention – communicating science, technology, and innovation
• Organizational approaches to activating knowledge and innovation
• Technology transfer and commercialization
• Access to sources of innovation transfer
• Establishing the environment for creating and transferring innovation
• Nurturing champions of innovation and entrepreneurship
• Cooperation between the economic, academic, and governmental spheres – mechanisms and levers
• Innovation bench learning
• Communicating and disseminating innovative ideas
• Corporate venturing
• Challenges of visualizing products and services
• Supporting mechanisms for turning inventions into innovations
• Attracting investors and successful pitching
• Knowledge spillover
• Stimulating ecological innovation
• “Selling” social innovations
• Entrepreneurship and innovation education and training

At the oldest and most prestigious Slovenian conference on innovation and entrepreneurship we expect some 300 participants. The jubilee 30^th PODIM conference will assemble innovation and entrepreneurship researchers, opinion-makers, entrepreneurship and technology transfer advisors, consultants from incubators, technology parks, and development agencies, investors, successful entrepreneurs, development managers from big companies, start-ups, and future entrepreneurs, students, and young researchers.

The conference will take place in Hotel Habakuk, which lies on the slopes of Pohorje, a ten-minute drive from the centre of Maribor - the economic, business, cultural and university centre of the region. This five-star hotel has been chosen because of its excellent conference facilities and top-class service.