We would like to acknowledge the generous financial contributions from our sponsors: Alpla Inc., Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, Austrian Airlines, Blum Inc., ERSTE Group, Miba Bearings US LLC, Palfinger North America, Plansee USA and GTP, Rödl & Partner, Unicredit Bank Austria, voestalpine
AUSTRIA CONNECT NORTH AMERICA 2016 Staying relevant in rapidly changing times Commissioner New York For the second time, AUSTRIA CONNECT NORTH AMERICA - the Annual Conference for Executives of Austrian Subsidiaries - is held in Atlanta. We have a good reason to do so - Georgia has proven over and over again to be the number 1 in attracting foreign investment (among the countries heavily represented here of course is Austria), and is a technology and innovation hub, also due to the presence of the renowned Georgia Institute of Technology, our intellectual partner this year. The conference is organized by the Commissions in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles and will provide a platform for representatives of Austrian subsidiaries in North America to meet, exchange ideas and learn from each other. We are grateful to our valued sponsors and for the input of faculty members of the Georgia Institute of Technology. The Austrian Honorary Consul in Atlanta provided us with contacts from his vast personal network and the CEO of Alpla in the USA contributed to our concept for this year s conference. Peter Sedlmayer Commissioner Chicago Rudolf Thaler Commissioner Los Angeles The title of our conference is Staying relevant in rapidly changing times. Things are changing left and right of us, new political developments in the US, migration crisis in Europe, technological change that seems faster than we are able to understand, a continuous drive for innovation and we are all in the middle of it, trying to grasp it. In order to become a world famous author, you do not need a publishing house anymore, but internet and enough followers. A start-up 2 months of age can have a market value much higher than an established corporation 200 years old. Self-driving cars, robot doctors, bitcoins and rapid developments in human genomics are reality and not stories from the future. In this continuous flow of change and challenges, Austrian companies and organization have to re-evaluate and re-establish their relevance to consumers, employees and partners to markets as a whole. Our speakers should help us understand and cope with the future developments in technology, manufacturing, branding, innovation and politics. Please enjoy this exciting event and let s all stay relevant in these rapidly changing times. Commissioner in New York Christian Lassnig Commissioner Toronto
PROGRAM AUSTRIA CONNECT NORTH AMERICA 2016 Atlanta, GA September 22 24, 2016 THURSDAY, SEPT 22 1.15 PM 1.20 PM 1.25 PM TRANSFER FROM GEORGIA TECH HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTER TRANSFER FROM W ATLANTA MIDTOWN HOTEL to WORKSHOP FOR AUSTRIA CONNECT NEWCOMERS Arnall Golden Gregory Law Office 171 17th St NW #2100, Atlanta, GA 30363 2.00 4.30 PM WORKSHOP FOR AUSTRIA CONNECT NEWCOMERS (OPTIONAL) (the Commissioners, CEOs of established Austrian companies ALPLA, BLUM, PALFINGER and VOESTALPINE, representatives of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Department of Economic Development and representatives of Arnall Golden Gregory will be in attendance) Arnall Golden Gregory Law Office 171 17th St NW #2100, Atlanta, GA 30363 4.45 PM TRANSFER BACK TO ALL CONFERENCE HOTELS 6.15 PM 6.20 PM 6.15 PM and 6.25 PM TRANSFER FROM GEORGIA TECH HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTER TRANSFER FROM W ATLANTA MIDTOWN HOTEL *) to the Welcome Reception *) in fair weather the High Museum of Art can be reached from the W Atlanta Midtown Hotel in 5-10 minutes 6.30 9.30 PM WELCOME RECEPTION In the presence of Jürgen Roth, Vice President Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, Jörg Leichtfried, Austrian Federal Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology High Museum of Art 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 9.45 PM TRANSFER BACK TO ALL CONFERENCE HOTELS FRIDAY, SEPT 23 8.00 AM 8.05 AM TRANSFER FROM W ATLANTA MIDTOWN HOTEL to AUSTRIA CONNECT 2016 Georgia Tech Global Learning Center 84 5th Street, NW, Atlanta, GA 30308 8.15 AM REGISTRATION AND BREAKFAST
9.00 AM OPENING REMARKS Commissioner in New York Jürgen Roth Vice President Austrian Federal Economic Chamber Yves Berthelot Vice Provost for International Initiatives, Georgia Institute of Technology 9.20 AM THE FUTURE OF INNOVATION FROM AN AUSTRIAN PERSPECTIVE Jörg Leichtfried Austrian Federal Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology 9.35 AM OVERVIEW OF US ACTIVITIES Patrick Sagmeister Head of Operations, Advantage Austria, Peter Sedlmayer, Rudolf Thaler, Christian Lassnig Commissioners in the US and Canada 10.00 AM PRESENTATION OF THE SPONSORS 10.45 AM COFFEE BREAK MORNING SESSION Top academics on tomorrow s reality in Innovation, Technology, and Manufacturing 11.00 AM THE FUTURE OF EVERYTHING Henrik I. Christensen (confirmed) Professor of Computer Science at Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering UC San Diego and Director of the Institute for Contextual Robotics 12.00 PM MANUFACTURING THE FUTURE Thomas Kurfess (confirmed) Professor and HUSCO/Ramirez Distinguished Chair in Fluid Power and Motion Control at Georgia Institute of Technology 12.45 2.00 PM BUFFET LUNCH & NETWORKING AFTERNOON SESSION Tomorrow s Reality in Business, Branding, Media and Politics 2:00 PM THE FUTURE OF FINTECH AND PAYMENTS Hikmet Ersek (confirmed) Chief Executive Officer and Director of The Western Union Company, a Fortune 500- ranked global leader in cross-border money-movement services 2.30 PM THE FUTURE OF POLITICS Jay Newton-Small (confirmed) Washington correspondent for TIME Magazine
3.15 PM COFFEE BREAK 3.30 PM THE FUTURE OF BRANDING Mike Dillon (confirmed) Vice President, Global Marketing Strategy, Coca-Cola 4.15 PM WRAP-UP Commissioner in New York 4.45 PM TRANSFER BACK TO THE HILTON GARDEN INN AND W ATLANTA MIDTOWN HOTEL EVENING PROGRAM 6.30 PM 6.35 PM 6.40 PM TRANSFER FROM GEORGIA TECH HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTER TRANSFER FROM W ATLANTA MIDTOWN HOTEL to the Gala Reception 7.00 10.00 PM GALA RECEPTION Ferdinand Seefried s Private Residence Executive Chairman of Seefried Industrial Properties and Honorary Consul General of Austria in Atlanta 3325 Woodhaven Rd., NW, Atlanta, GA 30305 10.15 PM TRANSFER BACK TO ALL CONFERENCE HOTELS SATURDAY, SEPT 24 Optional group activity PORSCHE DRIVING EXPERIENCE *) 11AM TIME SLOT IS ALMOST FULLY BOOKED, ALTERNATIVE SLOTS ARE 9AM OR 2PM 9.15 AM BREAKFAST AT CONFERENCE W-HOTEL ATLANTA MIDTOWN 188 14 th Street, NE, Atlanta, GA 30361 10.00 AM TRANSFER BY BUS TO PORSCHE EXPERIENCE CENTER FROM W-HOTEL ATLANTA MIDTOWN Porsche Experience Center One Porsche Drive, Atlanta, GA 30354 11.00 AM PORSCHE DRIVING EXPERIENCE (1.5 hours) Participants interested in this activity are being asked to book and pay for a time slot at 11.00 AM on their own. The driving experience costs between 300 and 850 USD, depending on the selected car: https://www.porschedriving.com/experiences/drivingexperiences 12.45 PM LUNCH AND WRAP-UP OF AUSTRIA CONNECT 2016 356 Porsche Restaurant at Porsche Experience Center: http://www.restaurant356.com/
2.30 PM TRANSFER BACK TO THE W HOTEL AND END OF THE ACTIVITY *) Breakfast and lunch are served on an individual pay basis; the driving experience on September 24 at 11am must be booked and paid by the participants (contact person: Megan Bartolomucci, Porsche Experience Center, E: External.Megan.Bartolomucci@porsche.us, T: +1-770-290-2251). A 1.5 hour driving experience costs between 300 and 850 USD, depending on the selected car. Booking and payment of a driving slot for September 24 at 11am will be possible from June 1 onwards. It is advisable to book on June 1, or soon after, as driving slots on Saturdays are very popular. PARKING DURING CONFERENCE : Parking Garage: 770 Spring St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30308 Visitors Area 8: Tech Square & GT Hotel and Conference Center The current hourly parking rates are listed below: 5-24 Hours - USD 15.00 These rates are subject to change per Georgia Tech Parking Services. CONFERENCE FEE AND CANCELLATIONS : CANCELLATION Cancellation without penalty is possible only until August 22, 2016. After that date the full registration fee will be charged. To cancel your participation, please send an email to the Commission in New York at newyork@advantageaustria.org.