Kicking of Our 17th Season
For 16 wonderful years, the Brno Expat Centre has been helping international professionals call Brno home. Beyond guiding newcomers through their move, or through new challenges as their life here evolves, we’ve worked tirelessly to make the city itself more welcoming – advocating for clearer rules, expanded services, and better accessibility for everyone. What a ride it’s been!
What a ride the past 16 years have been!
On Wednesday, 16 September, we gathered in the Moravian Library to officially launch our 17th season alongside our valued partners, city leaders, and long-standing community friends. Accompanied by classical and jazz music from Janek Galia, it was a celebratory evening reflecting on 16 years of shared history while looking eagerly to the future.
Our guests were warmly welcomed by Mr Tomáš Kubíček (Director General, Moravian Library) and Mr Martin Příborský (Councillor, City of Brno), before BEC Co-founder Don Sparling took us down memory lane. Addressing the crowd, our Executive Manager, Jan Kopkáš, echoed a poignant quote about living abroad: how it feels like walking a tightrope high above the ground without a safety net. That is precisely what we try to create: to act as that net, catching international talent when they stumble and helping them build a supportive local network.
What Lies Ahead for Our 17th Season
- Expanded Services: Backed by funding from the Ministry of the Interior, the City of Brno, and the Czech-Swiss Fund, we are expanding our buddy programme, legal and career counselling, and spousal integration pathways (a special round of applause to Míša for leading the grant application!).
- Stronger Partnerships: Partnering with the South Moravian Volunteer Centre and the Ostrava Expat Centre to open new avenues for social and professional integration.
- Key Initiatives: Frank van Bommel (TAIM Project Manager) shared updates on the progress of the Meet Jako Brno initiative. Next on our agenda is hosting 30+ delegates from ten countries for the Cities for Talent conference and launching the 3rd Great Brno Expat Survey.
None of this would be possible without the unwavering trust of the City of Brno and our long-standing corporate partners: AT&T, Atlas Copco, Honeywell, Infosys, Kyndryl, Kiwi.com, Lufthansa InTouch, Red Hat, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Zebra Technologies. We extend our deepest gratitude to them, as well as to our regional universities, local businesses, and independent volunteers who form the backbone of our community.
Here’s to another fantastic year of driving innovation, fostering connection, and proving that Brno is a place where international talent truly belongs!
Take a look at the pictures from the event.
Here’s a LinkedIn post with a few more words and a video.
Pictures courtesy of Jiří Lubojacký
