Hungarian Summit 2023 in Budapest: strengthening Hungarian-American relations in higher education and business

Deepening Hungarian-American relations is an annual event of the Hungarian Summit, and it is safe to say that many valuable contacts have been established between the two nations. We were at the Hungarian Summit 2023 Big Day event:

The first Hungarian Summit was hosted online only due to the shadow of the COVID-19. Then last year, Daytona Beach hosted the event. This year, the National University of Public Service (NKE) in Budapest was the host.

According to the announcement, the meeting, which was held in English and Hungarian, was open to those interested in networking with US companies, academics and elected officials. The Hungarian Hub, the organiser, promised to bring 10-15 key people from the US who want to learn more about the opportunities in Hungary, make contacts and expand their business or educational offerings.

The Hungarian Summit is a multi-day event, so the US delegation was able to meet Hungarian business people and visit Hungarian universities. The Big Day was the last day, when a full day of exchange took place in a conference setting, with 150 registered participants. The programme proved to be very busy, starting at 9 AM and continuing with small breaks until late in the evening.

The speakers’ line-up was started by Piros Pazaurek, Honorary Consul and owner of the Hungarian Hub, who is also the event’s creator. Pazaurek said that the Hungarian Summit 2023 was an exceptional event: on the one hand, it was possible to attract representatives of 7 American universities from 6 states to Hungary, on the other hand, it was possible to seat three Hungarian ambassadors serving in the United States. The Hungarian Hub is based in Daytona Beach, so it was no surprise that the focus was mainly on Florida, a city famous for NASCAR and its beautiful beaches.

Piros Pazaurek Honorary Consul of Hungary, President of HungarianHub, Founder of Hungarian Summit. Photo: NKE

Dr. Ákos Péter Mernyei, International Director General of the NKE (the venue), welcomed the participants, and Jordan Jiloty, NASCAR’s Executive Director of Public Affairs and Relations, gave a brief history of NASCAR and pointed out that EuroNASCAR also organises races in Europe and that the Czech race is perhaps the closest to Hungarian NASCAR fans.

Keith Norden, representing Team Volusia Economic Development Corporation, President & CEO, presented the excellent resources of the State of Florida and Volusia County in particular. As he said, Florida is the 15th largest economy in the world, larger than Poland, for example, and has everything to grow. Central Florida has a population of 4 million, growing at an astonishing rate, and strong local universities welcome 200,000 students every year.

He pointed out that Florida, and Volusia County in particular, has excellent niche geography, perfect weather and world-famous beaches that are a great destination for tourists. There are international and several smaller airports, and 2 seaports. Healthcare, aviation, space & technologies, logistics industries are excellent industries with local companies. It is also significant that the cost of living in Florida is much more bearable compared to other business and tourist centres in the US.

The next speaker, Derrick Henry, Mayor of Daytona Beach, also pointed out that the city is very livable because it is a community. Business, tourism, families and sports are a fantastic mix in Daytona Beach, which welcomes Hungarian and other investors. He stressed that the biggest companies support the community, which is how the city can be a vibrant business hub, but also a family environment with a rich heritage.

Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry. Photo Hungarian Summit

At the “What did America give you?” roundtable, Szonja Oroszlán, a well-known actress in Hungary, spoke about how she was able to attend a manual horse therapist training course in the US that she could not have done in Europe. Oroszlán said that she lived in the USA for several years, then moved back home and now she is preparing horses for the Olympics, and that is where she found her happiness.

Sándor Makra, representing McDonald’s Hungary, said that the way the material company treats its contract partners is exemplary. Makra said that Sándor Scheer became the new owner of “Meki” 4 years ago and since then, they have grown tremendously and now operate 112 restaurants nationwide. He stressed that an important difference is that while in America, trust is gained right away, in Europe, you have to fight for it.

Dr. Károly Jókay, CEO of the Hungarian-American Fulbright Commission, believes that in America, they teach life skills and practicality, while in Hungary, they still focus on basic knowledge, making it harder for Hungarians to succeed in the US. The American approach to education, for example, is different, he says: in America, you are praised and then corrected, while in Hungary, you are knocked down and have to rise from there.

Hungarian Summit 2023. Photo: NKE

Dr. Dénes Kemény, Vice President of the Commission of Coach FINA, said that the attitude of American universities towards sports is very commendable, and that university teams have a great tradition, which strengthens the ties to the university. On top of that, they fill a stadium with 80-90,000 seats with fans. Hungary is in its infancy in this respect, an American university is much more attractive, so they can even attract talented Hungarian athletes.

Three-time Hungarian Olympic champion, water polo coach Dr. Kemény Dénes. Photo: Hungarian Summit

Dr. Miklós Gór-Nagy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Advisor and Formal Economic Attaché in New York, said that in America, sports are an investment for children and parents because of the expensive fees, while in Hungary, children are enrolled in clubs more for the good community and exercise.

Zoltán Katona, owner of the Hungarian sports equipment company Be Strong, said that it is not easy for Hungarian companies to enter the US market because of the differences in business culture. He said that even if you do well in your home country, you may not be able to do well in the US. Diligence, an excellent product and good business professionals can help you get the work done after several years.

The afternoon was divided into smaller sessions, so you could listen to presentations on higher education or even business. (Speakers and topics are available here.)

The evening programme started with a wine tasting, where the Bodri Winery from Szekszárd presented two red, one white and one rosé wine. Before the gala dinner, a special discussion took place, as Hungary’s former ambassadors to the US, Amb. György Szapáry, Amb. Réka Szemerkényi and Amb. Dr László Szabó, sat at the same table.

All in all, a very interesting and exciting event took place in Budapest, as the Hungarian Summit brought together American and Hungarian business and higher education professionals. We are looking forward to the Hungarian Summit 2024, which will most likely be back in the United States of America.