Event: 5th Smart Hub – How to Motivate Yourself Goal of the event: Learn how to motivate yourself and others, hear some interesting experiences, networking Where and when? VERN – University of Applied Sciences in Zagreb, February 23 rd, 2013 Name: Saša Petar, Ph. D. Country: Croatia Attendees: 146 Number of people engaged in organization: 9 Smart Hub – Knowledge For the 21st Century

We have chosen a 'lecture' type of event that was followed by networking and mingling. Type of the event was perfectly suitable for the target audience because of the casual atmosphere where a person is much more relaxed and open to learning.

Our mission at the Smart Hub is to provide professional development opportunities for our members by organizing various projects, seminars, trainings, events and other kinds of youth gatherings. Nothing makes us happier than to see a young person reach its goal. Making that happen is our added value.

13.00 How to Motivate Yourself, lecture by Saša Petar, Ph.D Panel discussion about motivation and how is it connected with Croatia's entering EU (Ivan Burić, Ph.D., Elena Cvjetković, motivation coach and Hrvoje Pavlačić, NLP coach as guests) Formula Student – an example of great motivation (Domagoj Bolfan, team leader of FSB racing Team, presented how he motivates his colleagues) Start of informal mingling Most of the 146 participants were students and young post graduates.

The opening of the global labour market for young people in Croatia, except for the unstable conditions in the local labour market, creates a growing need for additional knowledge that can not be acquired during formal education. Lecture such as „How to Motivate Yourself” is part of the kind of knowledge we are offering as well as the opportunity to hang out in a non-formal way with colleagues they did not have chance to meet before and exchange ideas.

The magic happened when the professor started his lecture. Everyone were completely focused for almost 60 minutes. Seeing their facial expressions and knowing they will go home enriched and fulfilled was definitely one of the highlights. It all continued in the cafeteria where everyone exchanged contacts and commented on what they have seen and heard.

Nowadays, competitive knowledge is multidisciplinary and social while business environment is multicultural. We want to focus ourselves on sharing knowledge, promoting and exchanging experiences in order to engage and encourage our members into life-long learning, self- employment and exceptional communication with their environment. That is the only way to create an effective background for successful long-term personal and business decision making.

In the framework of the global market, the competitiveness comes only from one's knowledge, cooperation with colleagues from other business sectors and contacts with potential buyers of their ideas, services and products. This is where we interfere to make it happen.

We tend to prepare students and postgraduates for real-life business situations that are often remorseless to ones who do not understand the laws of business environment functioning.

„I met a girl who is now my colleague and we started a business together.“ - Ivona P. „Thanks to Smart Hub, I learned how networking is important. My business started growing since then.“ - Milka D. „I think it is enough to say that I found a job after attending a lecture at a Smart Hub where I met my present boss.“ - Josip Ž.