There is much more going on than just a generational shift – the construction industry is gearing up for a summit

As we reported earlier, the Portfolio Construction Industry Conference will be held for the eighth time on Thursday 19 March. More than 500 leading figures from the construction industry are expected at the Hotel InterContinental Budapest venue to discuss the sector’s most pressing financial, regulatory and efficiency issues. We asked Gergely Ditróy, Business Development Director at Portfolio Csoport, about the main themes and strategic background of this full-day professional forum and business networking event.

The answers become clear when viewed from a broad perspective

„One of the central themes of the event is the unpredictability that characterises both the global and domestic markets, and the possible responses to it,” explained the property market expert. „Only a few can maintain the operational model and capacity they established to cope with higher output levels. The question is how they can use this period to increase efficiency, whether in terms of organisational development, digitalisation or AI.”

He added that they are examining the industry from a broad perspective and looking for connections not only in local, engineering and technical matters, but also at the macroeconomic level.

Anyone who listens to the industry leaders is sure to benefit

He emphasised that everyone can hear from the industry’s leading figures how they view the current situation. „I often say that if the big names on stage say the same thing I’m thinking, that’s a nice confirmation. If they say something different, then I learn something, so I come out ahead either way.”

He specifically mentioned that the presentation of the Construction Industry Personality of the Year award will once again be one of the main events of this year’s conference, followed by a reception. The significance of the latter lies in the fact that, for company representatives, networking is just as important as attending professional forums.

The list of performers is constantly changing

It emerged from his remarks that, whilst around half of the speakers are returning guests, roughly 50 per cent of the list of experts changes from year to year, reflecting the updating of the topics. „New topics naturally always bring in new speakers; for example, generational change will be a key theme this time.”

There is much more going on than just a generational shift

He emphasised that this is not merely a matter of the owner handing over control to their own descendants or to the management. „It is a shift in mindset: the outstanding professionals who have implemented a model across all areas over the past 40 years are being replaced by a generation of people in their 30s and 40s today, who are introducing entirely different practices and attitudes. This new generation has a completely different approach to digitalisation, networking and marketing communications. For example, it is much easier to reach out to company executives who have come into their roles in recent years using new tools in the field of communications.”

Primarily a business conference and secondarily a professional conference

We also asked Gergely Ditróy to position the Portfolio event within the ever-expanding range of construction industry conferences. „We differ from other similar events in that we approach the sector from a business perspective. Of course, we also cover important regulatory, technical and digitalisation issues, which showcase the technical side, but fundamentally it is the business side of the construction industry that comes together here. It is primarily a business conference and secondarily a professional one: essentially a business networking event for the construction industry.”.