The 55th Itinerary Conference of the Hungarian Economic Association will be kicked off by a presentation by Nobel prize-winning economist Thomas J. Sargent, professor of New York University and a pioneer of the theory of rational expectations. His presentation, as well as an opening address by György Matolcsy, governor of the Central Bank of Hungary, will mark the start of the largest annual conference of the economics profession on Thursday, 7 September, in Eger. Draft program of the congress is downloadable here (pdf).

The Itinerary Conference of Economics is returning to Eger after five years. Following the 50th anniversary event in 2012, the largest and most prestigious meeting of Hungarian economists will once again be held at the seat of Heves county on 7-9 September 2017. This year, too, competitiveness and innovation will be in focus. The conference will offer about 150 presentations in two plenary sessions and 16 panels. More than 700 Hungarian economists from within the country and abroad are expected to attend the event.

As in previous years, the plenary meetings will feature presentations by economic and monetary policy-makers, and prominent figures in Hungary’s economy. The speakers of the opening and the closing plenary sessions will include, besides Thomas J. Sargent and György Matolcsy, Mihály Varga, minister for national economy, Erik Bogsch, CEO of Richter Gedeon Nyrt., and Árpád Kovács, chairman of the Fiscal Council. The presenters in the 16 thematic panels will include senior economic and financial managers, economic researchers and company leaders, as well as members of the government. (The list of attendees is not yet final.) Besides conventional topics like finances, economic policies and EU funding, special issues will also be discussed in the panels, such as the situation of wineries, the protection and utilisation of historical buildings, novelties in the fintech sector, or current issues in sports financing.

The variety of the programs is indicated by the fact that the panel discussions will feature presentations by top managers of six Hungarian banks and also world champion speed skater Sándor Liu Shaolin, as well as Oscar-nominee and award-winning movie director Géza M. Tóth. The panel discussions will be led, among others, by Central Bank deputy governor Márton Nagy, and Richárd Végh, chairman and CEO of the Budapest Stock Exchange.

The conference is organised by the 123-year-old Hungarian Economic Association, a professional organisation for the public benefit. With over 5,000 members, the Association has a local branch in almost all counties of Hungary, as well as about 20 specialised sections. HEA is chaired by Gyula Pleschinger, member of the Monetary Council of the National Bank. The secretary general is Éva Hegedüs, chairperson and CEO of Gránit Bank Zrt.

For the detailed program of the 55th Itinerary Conference of Economists, please visit the web site of the event: http://kozgazdasz-vandorgyules.blog.hu.