Making magic in Prague

Making magic in Prague

Open Business talked to OU MBA graduate Iztok Toplak about the alumni networking group he has established in Prague.

"The real magic comes from people meeting face-to-face," says Iztok Toplak when discussing the networking group he set up for alumni based in the Czech Republic. The group was formed in 2007 with the aim of, as Iztok explains, "maintaining contact between people of the same opinion". The idea came to him and a friend during a workshop in July on 'Applied Creativity in Business' at Adastra (an international specialist in data warehousing, data integration, and data analytics) in Prague.



"From there," says Iztok, "we decided to make it a regular thing." And regular it is, with at least 20 people meeting every quarter at a pub in Prague, a popular venue for networking events – and, of course, a venue that has the added bonus of the region's renowned quality beer on tap!   Oubs_prague_first event1  

People come from allover the Czech Republic to the events, but mainly Prague itself. "We offer each other advice," says Iztok "We discuss the common problems we have in our Jobs. And. of course. we discuss what's going on in our lives. like who's welcomed an extra addition to their family since the last time we met!"

The group also maintains regular contact outside their quarterly meetings. "It's great to know people are at the end of the phone or on email, so we all like to keep in touch".
For the future, Iztok hopes to do even more with the online forum he has created www.xing.com/net/oubsalumniprague. He also has plans to bring people over to the UK. "I'd like to visit the UK to attend some alumni networking events. I think that would be really useful."

"Once you do a course with the OU. it turns into an addiction"

Even though the alumni who attend the events come from all different walks of life. Iztok is keen to point out that they all have one thing in common: "We're all agreed on the fact that once you do a course with the Ou, it turns into an addiction. For many students around the world, studying is about getting that title and qualification at the end. But so often with Ou students, it's about a hunger for learning. The qualification you get at the end is an extra bonus."

(The article from Open Business / Business Matters, Issue 21. Published January 2008,  A yearly publication which reminds us of alumni achievements and looks towards the next twelve months and the new magazine from the OU Business School, aimed at business professionals in the UK and worldwide.)

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