Possible. The Mediaspace.global Leadership Club Budapest returns with a special summer edition meetup following our first Special in May 2026 after the Hungarian parliamentary elections on 12 April 2026.
Over the past 16 years, the Hungarian economy and the advertising and media industries have been shaped in many ways by a climate characterised by passive resistance, declining competition, a “yes, but” attitude, narrowing innovation, and missed opportunities in data and technological development. Alongside financial resources and professional and technological readiness, so-called “soft” factors have all influenced—and will continue to influence—whether competition and competitiveness can genuinely improve, whether the market can catch up with others, or even regain leadership in certain areas.
At a previous Mediaspace.global Leadership Club Special, sociologist Balázs Vető presented his three-axis social model, positioning the changes of the past 16 years along the axes of “trust vs. fear,” “performance vs. loyalty,” and “responsibility vs. obedience.” This trend reflected characteristics of a feudal-like society, where loyalty and fear dominated over performance, accountability, and trust. The model can also be effectively applied to the advertising and media market, including advertisers, agencies, and service providers.
During the previous Leadership Club Special discussion, one of our members raised the question: if over the past 16 years—or even, according to some, the past 150 years—Hungary has functioned this way, is it possible at all for a societal shift triggered by a change of government to steer the media and advertising market in a positive direction?
While this may seem almost unimaginable, the world has already undergone numerous profound social transformations. Less than a century ago, it was unthinkable for women to vote or have bank accounts; for Black people to sit on buses, let alone become politicians—or for a non-white person to become President of the United States. One only has to think of Mad Men, where a female executive was a rarity in the advertising agency world of 1960s America.
Based on this, we can assume that change is possible: the seismic shifts triggered by a change in government may manifest not only in political structures but also in broader societal impacts.
But how, why, and when do these changes occur? This is what we will explore with our invited guests and participants at the #Possible Leadership Club Special.
Keynote speakers:
Miklós Virág, Managing Director of Kantar Media – on social beliefs and the context of change;
Anna Péczes, Co-owner of MediaCompass – who, as co-author of the book “The Place of Advertising – A Handbook of Effective Media Planning and Buying” (first published 24 years ago!), will bring a professional perspective to the topic.
Host: Kinga Incze, founder of Whitereport and Mediaspace.global, and co-author of the above-mentioned book.
This time, we will meet in a more informal setting, with a kind of “book club” atmosphere – Miklós, Anna, and Kinga will each bring a book to the discussion, and you are also encouraged to bring one that relates to the topic and that you would recommend to others.
This session is open, but registration is required. While Mediaspace Leadership Club events are typically closed-door, this time—combining elements of a summer university, a book club, and Mediaspace discussions—we warmly welcome anyone interested in the topic who would like to join the conversation.
The venue operates on individual consumption and is self-funded. The language of the discussion will be Hungarian.
See you there?
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