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The CBRE Conference Room of the Year will reveal the best working environment in companies operating in the Czech Republic

Innovation is an idea that moves space; and space is the point of CBRE’s unique Conference Room of the Year. What is the goal? To introduce the most interesting working environment in companies operating in the Czech Republic to both specialists and the general public alike. Collaborative working is one of the key business issues of our time. New technologies have transformed working life and a growing number of organizations recognize that successful collaboration enhances performance. CBRE, Cisco, LMC, Skanska, Steelcase and Dark Side are the competition partners in the first year.

• The competition has surpassed all expectations, as a great number of companies across various business segments have registered (Airbank, Seznam.cz, Ernst & Young, FOXXCON, 3M amongst others).

• Companies must register by 28 November 2014. The announcement of results is scheduled for February 2015.

• The companies are invited to compete in three categories and our jury will assess the working environment of the companies in terms of innovation, originality, interior design, practicality and layout, with location playing an important role as well.

• The jury is made up of Pavel Mauer, Tomáš Jindříšek, Tomáš Ervín Dombrovský, Ivo Němeček and Richard Curran.

• Participation in the project is free of charge and the participating companies will benefit from positive media coverage. 

The formal layout of conference rooms is out; so is the open space concept. Companies are moving towards fitting out their offices with more modern concepts. The general environment and conference rooms of Czech companies have been changing and the CBRE Conference Room of the Year endeavours to show the trends forming the new look of Czech offices among other things.

“We have been considering the project for a long time and we think that it is important to show the Czech market and potential employees interesting corporate environments, receptions, back offices and the pleasant atmosphere and lifestyle of the companies, in particular” says Richard Curran, Managing Director, CBRE. “Interest has surpassed all our expectations. A great number of companies have registered for the project,” adds Richard Curran.

“It is not the winning, it is the taking part that counts. A mere presence on the shortlist means that you rank among companies with the most inspiring working environment in the Czech Republic,” says Ivo Němeček, CEO, Cisco.

“The goal of the project is positive media coverage in particular, showing the trend that has been increasingly attracting the attention of HR departments and top management is real,” explains Tomáš Jindříšek, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Dark Side. 

Skanska, a recently joined partner of the project, is a meaningful addition to the project for several reasons, completing the group of partners. “The CBRE Conference Room of the Year evaluates corporate culture and environment, which are of key importance to Skanska, of course,” stated Marie Passburg, President, Skanska Property Czech Republic. “Our company specializes in constructing cost effective and environmentally friendly office buildings, closely connected to a healthy and inspiring working environment.” 

“Our company goal is to help organizations to create workplaces that can support and improve the collaboration between people. We strongly believe that in a world where communicating and collaborating is vital to success, the role of the workplace is to connect people, information, culture and tools,” says Elena Ardelean, Dealer Business Manager, Steelcase.

The contestants participating in the CBRE Conference Room of the Year, such as Seznam.cz and Air Bank, are implementing the latest trends and prefer friendly environments and cooperation, not only among their employees, but also across the entire market. “Our conference rooms are designed more like living rooms where you like spending your time rather than an official environment. Our least formal conference room, which is called Zboží.cz, is for three persons who can sit on suspended armchairs. There are no tables, but there is access to the Internet of course,” says Michal Bittner, Manager of the Support Department, Seznam.cz. Lukáš Müller, Customer Service Director, Air Bank adds: “We became inspired by the heartbeat and spirit of the city in our Brno offices - open spaces like parks, offices like buildings, squares, cafes, market places ... we got inspired with actual shops or services, such as delis, hairdressers, post offices and butchers .... the Airbank city is a living one - you can even find graffiti on the walls.”

The world is changing and so is office space, which should adapt to the new needs of companies and their employees. Employees are of great importance to the success of companies, which is why companies should accentuate a pleasant and innovative working environment that emphasizes the cooperation, effectiveness and commitment of its employees.

Please find more about the CBRE Conference Room of the Year at www.zasedackaroku.cz.