Programme

Thursday 17 May 2018

9:30 -10.00

Badging & welcome coffee 

10:00-10:35
Plenary session: Welcome speeches

Moderators :Hedda Pahlson-Moller & Stephan Peters

10:35-12:10
Plenary session : Keynote speakers & panel discussion : Entrepreneurship through acquisition as a key driver for European economy
  • Keynote : Entrepreneurship through acquisition : how to search for and acquire a company to manage as CEO, lessons learned from the Search Fund Accelerator: Timothy Bovard, Founder & CEO of Boston-based Search Fund Accelerator (SFA), Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at INSEAD, USA
  • Keynote : How can Europe help its SMEs scale up? Remaining challenges in Europe for cross-border acquisitions – Insights from Startup Europe Partnership: Alberto Onetti, CEO, Mind the Bridge/StartupEurope Partnership, Italy

Reactions & debate:

  • Video message from Ulrike Rabmer-Koller, President, UEAPME, Vice-President of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ), & CEO family business “Rabmer Group” - an internationally operating SME active in the area of construction and environmental technology. Austria
  • Véronique Willems, Secretary General UEAPME, Belgium
  • Albert Colomer i Espinet, Director Reempresa, Transeo Board Member and Eban Board Member, Spain
  • Michèle Detaille, Luxembourg entrepreneur, CEO, Groupe ALIPA, Luxembourg

 

  • Keynote : Social aspects of (cross-border) acquisitions : Abdu Gnaba, Managing Director, Sociolab Research Institute, Luxembourg


Introducing the European Café
Rosalie van Rijk, CEO, RosaVie, Director MKBase, Transeo Board Member, the Netherlands

Moderators :Hedda Pahlson-Moller & Stephan Peters

12:15 - 13:15

Networking lunch

 13:15 - 14:00

The European Café

Roundtables for discussion & networking between participants

  • Dealbreakers in small business transfers
14:00 - 15:30
Workshops
WORKSHOP A1
Family business succession – remaining challenges: internal vs external exit

Moderator: Vincent Molly, Professor, KU Leuven, Antwerp Management School, Belgium

WORKSHOP B1
Obstacles in cross-border acquisitions : testimonies from entrepreneurs & panel discussion with experts

 

Moderator: Rosalie van Rijk, Director, MKBase, CEO Rosavie, Board Member Transeo, the Netherlands

WORKSHOP C1
How to best match SME sellers and buyers? Good practices from matching platforms in Europe

  • Introduction: Building strong marketplaces in Europe : EU4BT conclusions & next steps
  • Keynote : Bob House, President, BizBuySell, USA
  • Roundtable discussion with marketplaces includingTom Baumert , CEO House of Entrepreneurship, Luxembourg and Martijn Westerlaken, Managing Director, MKBase, the Netherlands
  • Laurent Renerken, Adviser, Sowaccess, Sowalfin Group, Belgium

 

Moderator: Oriol Alba, Coordinator, Centre de Reempresa de Catalunya, Spain
15:30 - 16:00

Networking coffee break
16:00 - 17:25
Plenary session: Stimulating cross-border acquisitions : insights from academics & new Transeo Marketplace
  • Keynote speech : Lessons learned from US marketplace “BizBuySell”
    Bob House, President BizBuySell, USA

  • Overview of business transfer marketplaces in Europe and opportunities for a European platform to stimulate cross-border transfers
    Pr Lex van Teeffelen, Professor of Finance and Firm Acquisitions, HU Business School, Transeo Academic Chairman, The Netherlands

  • Official launch of the new “Transeo Marketplace”, the 1st European marketplace for cross-border SME transfers
  • Panel discussion with Bob House, Lex van Teeffelen & Jean-Pierre Di Bartolomeo : What are the key ingredients for an efficient European Marketplace for SME transfers/acquisitions?

Moderators :Hedda Pahlson-Moller & Stephan Peters
17:30

End day 1 - Back to hotels
19:00 - 22:30

Gala Dinner at Schengener Haff 
Shuttle service picking up guests from hotels 

Friday 18 May 2018

8:30 - 9:15

Transeo aisbl General Assembly (Transeo Members only)

9:15 - 9:30

 Badging & welcome coffee

9:30-11:00
Workshops
WORKSHOP A2

Finance for SME acquisitions in Europe made easy & good practices to finance cross-border acquisitions

  • Chiara Amadori, Senior transaction and relationship officer, European Investment Fund, Luxembourg
  • Laurent Wenric, International Finance Advisor, SOFINEX - Groupe SOWALFIN, Belgium
  • Viviane Mol, Head of Financing (loans & guarantees), Groupe SOWALFIN, Belgium
  • Gilles Le Cocguen, Head of Euroquity, BPIFrance, France

 

Moderator: Pr Lex van Teeffelen, Professor of Finance and Firm Acquisitions, HU Business School, Transeo Academic Chairman, The Netherlands

WORKSHOP B2
Tips for environmental audits in cross-border acquisitions

Moderator: Leo Peeters, Partner, Peeters Law, Belgium

WORKSHOP C2
Business transfer “ecosystems” – key ingredients to develop action plans to support small business transfers

  • Quebec Business Transfer Ecosystem : Vincent Lecorne, Président Directeur Général, Centre de Transfert d'Entreprise du Québec, Canada
  • Wallonia Business Transfer Ecosystem : Nicolas Pirotte, Manager SOWACCESS - Groupe SOWALFIN, Belgium
  • Catalonia Business Transfer Ecosystem : Albert Colomer I Espinet, Transeo Board Member, Director, Reempresa, Spain
  • Sandy Morgen, IHK Projektgesellschaft mbH/STOB Regions, Germany
  • Alain Tourdjman, Head of Economic Research, Groupe BPCE, France

Moderator: Mirela Alpeza, Director, CEPOR, Croatia

11:00 - 11:30
Networking coffee break Transeo coffee break : good reasons to join Transeo!
11:30 - 12:45
Plenary session : Transeo Academic Awards contest: discover 4 top academic research on transfer of business and vote for the best one!

Introduction by Lex van Teeffelen, Transeo Academic Chairman

  • Edwin Weesie, Senior Researcher, Hogeschool Utrecht, The Netherlands
    Psychological barriers in business transfers – How to cope with the transfer of SME ownership

  • Pierre Gratton, Researcher, Université du Québec Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada
    External business transfer (MBI) – Exploratory study of the negotiation process
  • Jeroen Neckebrouck, Doctoral Researcher, Vlerick Business School, Belgium
    Enduring ownership in Private Firms - Insights from External Equity Investments in Family Firms
  • Denise Fletcher, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innnovation, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg
    ‘This business is not for sale’: transfer intentions of Luxembourgish Family Firms

Live vote & Award Ceremony

Moderators :Hedda Pahlson-Moller & Stephan Peters
12:45 - 13:30
Plenary session: Successful transfers of SMEs in Europe: taking up the challenge
 
  • Miriam Koreen, Deputy Director and Head of the SME Division of the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, France
  • Lucyna Kaminska, Policy Officer, DG Grow, EU Commission
  • Video message from Mr Pierre-Yves Jeholet, Vice-President of the
    Walloon Government and Minister for Economy, Industry, Research,
    Innovation, Digital, Employment and Training
  • Jean-Pierre Di Bartolomeo, Chairman, Transeo, Belgium

2018 Transeo Summit Closing speech:

  • Tom Baumert, CEO, House of Entrepreneurship, Luxembourg

 
13:30 - 14:30

Networking lunch
14:30 - 16:30

Cultural activities / sightseeing in Luxembourg city centre

co-organized by