A few words about the OEES 3.

A few words about the OEES. The third edition is already behind us!

The important thing about having lots of things to remember is that you’ve got to go somewhere afterwards where you can remember them, you see, Terry Pratchett wrote in The Light Fantastic. Although we are not going anywhere but keep working on the next edition, we did slip into a reverie for a while at the mention of the sky-blue revolution, between arranging meetings, writing emails and receiving phones.

What was the third OEES like? Ground-breaking. Educative. Motivating. The past year brought about quite a lot of changes in different areas. The Facebook data leak scandal, the growing disinformation and deluge of fake news, polarisation of the society, migrations of animals due to climate changes and record-breaking heat waves worldwide – no doubt there are new problems ahead of us to face. And we have no choice but to take up the gauntlet. We do understand that these transformations need to be quickly responded to and counteracted. Therefore we are not slowing down. Just the opposite, we successively turn up the speed, in the meantime recalling the third edition of the Open Eyes Economy Summit.

Day one of the OEES abounded in educative speeches, productive meetings and inspiring discussions. The event was opened by the Art Color Ballet and their Amber Tree, a beautiful performance that left the audience speechless with delight. The fairytale-like character of the performance was additionally highlighted by the scenery: a string art tree made by Cracow-based artists that accompanied the guests until the very end of the congress. During the opening session, inspiring speeches were given by Jarosław Gowin, Deputy Prime Minister, Luca Jahier, Professor Jacqueline Cramer, Professor Shalini Randeria and Professor Jacek Purchla, who talked about universal values and matters important to conscious members of the society. The next hours brought about, among others, a speech by Helen Brand, who answered the question Will Money Eat Up Everything in the Near Future?, an immersing discussion entitled Facebook, Google, Amazon, Netflix – the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? between Jacek Kotarbiński and Jan Zając and an inspiring session with the participation of Cecylia Malik, Artists Change the World, which provoked an animated and involving discussion. A slam battle between Robert Biedroń and Wadim Tyszkiewicz, in which they talked about what is more important for the society, culture or infrastructure, also aroused popularity among the audience.

– The third edition of the OEES turned into a mature encounter of intellectually ambitious, involved audience. The summit’s major advantage was its uncompromising content. We successfully preserved the event’s characteristic features including intergenerationality, multidisciplinarity and positive atmosphere, said Mateusz Zmyślony, Creative Director of the OEES.

On day two, the first speech was given by Adam Bodnar, who talked about The State and The Citizen. Many listeners were astounded by Jennifer Morgan speaking about actions aimed at improving climate and protecting the Earth. Another interesting subject, that of Urban Design with Water, was raised by Zhu Wenyi. The Small Coffee Big Deal special session also attracted decent-sized audience. On day two, there was also a première of our documentary about the chain of coffee supply and production in Rwanda, The Second Sunrise. Coffee and Rwanda, one of our greatest successes. Additionally, two Open Café points waited for the guests, with bartenders serving all kinds of coffee from all over the world. The day was closed by a Czech duet, David Černy and Tomáš Sedláček, who talked about values shaping the society in the 21st century.

– The world focuses mainly on the central perception of time; time which flows in a closed circuit and which is supposed to mean more and more over still shorter time, but in fact means worse. This is why we need social space for economic activity, in which we will assume responsibility for the future. Development does not hinge about one single mechanism or one single dimension; it depends equally on the culture, finances, education, productivity and innovation, concluded Professor Jerzy Hausner, PhD, President of the OEES Program Council.

Echoes of the third edition of the OEES do not remain silent. We would like to thank all those who made their own contribution to our sky-blue construct, as with their help we laid solid foundations, erected thick walls and are ready to build the first floor. We know that we are changing the world together and opening people’s eyes wider. See you in November, during the next edition of the Open Eyes Economy Summit. There is one thing you can know for sure – it will be a spectacular experience!