What Does It Take to Bring the Right People Into the Same Room — and Make Them Speak Honestly?
Honest dialogue doesn’t happen by chance — it’s built on relevance, trust and a willingness to engage with real challenges. The key is to ensure that the topic matters, that participants feel their voice counts, and that the space for conversation is not a formality but a platform for genuine exchange. The Sarajevo Business Forum is exactly that: a place where people don’t come just to speak, but to listen, connect and act. For fourteen years, the Forum has gathered individuals who aren’t searching for perfect answers, but for courageous conversations. That is what makes it the most significant socially responsible project of BBI Bank and the leading business and investment conference in the region — because dialogue here isn’t staged, it’s real.
What’s One Rule You’ve Had to Break to Make Your Event Truly Meaningful?
We had to break the rule that conferences must follow established formats and expectations. From the very beginning, the Sarajevo Business Forum was never designed to follow protocol — it was envisioned as a platform that responds to real needs. We opened space for dialogue between the public and private sectors, domestic and international investors and leaders — without barriers. If there is one rule we consciously chose to ignore, it’s the belief that change cannot be initiated from within. We believe that real progress begins exactly there — when institutions take responsibility to be catalysts for change, not merely its observers.
How Do You Balance Neutrality With the Urge to Drive Change?
Neutrality doesn’t mean passivity. At the Sarajevo Business Forum, we foster an open space for diverse perspectives, but we deliberately choose topics with the potential to drive meaningful change. Our role is not to impose views but to enable dialogue that inspires action.
Through carefully moderated panels and strategic selection of participants, we find balance between objectivity and the ambition to contribute to development. In our case, neutrality means creating conditions where change isn’t forced — but becomes inevitable.
What Moment Made You Realise That Convening Is Leadership?
We realised it the moment participants began coming not only for the content, but for a shared vision. Bringing people together around ideas that have the power to transform society, the economy and ways of thinking — that is the essence of leader- 38 The Region Sarajevo Innovation Summit Roundtable ship. The Sarajevo Business Forum is not just an event; it is a platform that, through gathering, creates space for responsibility, influence and tangible change. Leadership isn’t measured by how much is said, but by the ability to create a space where ideas turn into action.
If Dialogue Is Power, How Can Our Region Learn to Use It Better?
Dialogue holds power only when it’s driven by a clear intention to spark change. Our region can use it more effectively by moving beyond formal settings and opening space for key actors — investors, innovators, women shaping the market and representatives of public–private partnerships. The Sarajevo Business Forum proves that dialogue is not a formality, but a strategic tool for connection and collective action. When conversations are open, agenda-free and focused on solutions, dialogue becomes a driver of development — not just an exchange of opinions.
