The World’s Most Beautiful
Business Festival
June 2–5, 2023
Sintra, Portugal
Contributors
David Chalmers
Philosopher, cognitive scientist, author
Martina Larkin
CEO, Project Liberty
Dr. Bayo Akomolafe
Post-humanist philosopher and activist
Colin Averill
Microbiologist and co-founder, SPUN
Tony Bond
EVP and chief diversity and innovation officer, Great Place to Work
Olivia Lazard
Environmental peacemaker
Simone Berry and Akbar Hamid
Co-founders, People of Crypto
Micaela Mantegna
Abogamer, activist, affiliate
Marjorie Hernandez
Co-founder, The Dematerialised and LUKSO
Auronda Scalera
Co-director, Infinite Art Museum; co-founder of XXNFT
Michael Bungay Stanier
Coaching guru
Claudia Chwalisz
Founder and CEO, DemocracyNext
Chairs
Minna Salami
Feminist writer and social critic
Paulo Pisano
Chief human resources officer, Booking Holdings
Miriam Meckel
Co-founder and CEO, ada
Martin Reeves
Chairman, BCG Henderson Institute
Experience
Program
Upon our arrival in Sintra, we found ourselves in a different state. Doors to the Quinta opened at 3:30 pm, and we kicked the festival off with Beautiful Business Conversations. The Sustainability Greenhouse, the pirate radio station by the pool, and all other stages and scenes opened promptly. The Opening Ceremony on the lawn grounded us in the here and now and introduced the cast of The___Dream characters. The late evening sessions further helped us connect with others and ourselves: from a Living Funeral to reading the stars and exploring the /cracks/ with philosopher Dr. Bayo Akomolafe.
The first full day focused on appreciating the intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and somatic resources inside and around us. We kicked off at 9 am with Tai Chi. Afterward, took a power nap, participated in a workshop on human design, explored “forbidden dreams,” and learned about psychedelics. We attended the first main-stage session at noon with consciousness scholar David Chalmers. In the afternoon, met the Dream Team fighting nuclear proliferation, applied lessons from synchronized swimmers to collaboration, and learned how to understand grief as an act of creation. Our community members took part in a second-line parade to usher in the grand evening session on “life like business” before taking over the Theatre stage during Storyteller’s Night. Then, pushed Generative AI to its limits during Prompt Night—or chose to be brave participants in The___Trip, our nightly excursion that culminated at the Taverna.
On Sunday we moved the conversation closer to everyday business and explored new paradigms, concepts, practices, and tools for making the life-centered economy the new reality. We started with inquiries into what this means for marketing, innovation, and workplace cultures, investigate the wondrous world of synthetic biology, and co-design with nature. We discussed climate futures with TED Countdown's Bruno Giussani, business leaders, activists, and artists, and explored the connection between inner development and SDG. Dove deep into consciousness and bio-leadership, learned how to “work with (almost) anybody,” practiced collective intelligence based on cutting-edge neuroscience, and experienced next-generation Generative AI with the disruptors and the disrupted alike. Finally made sense of the quantum revolution and brought it all home with a closing bells-and-whistles session that investigated how Web3 and AI may enable a more inclusive, diverse economy.
Monday was a no-agenda day. We decompressed, reflected, and connected at Europe's most Western tip. We deepened conversations, launched new projects, and then reunited with everyone in the early evening to bid farewell.
FAQ
The House of Beautiful Business is the network for the life-centered economy. Our mission is to create a new kind of business that is more purposeful, inclusive, and sustainable. Thought leadership-driven, community-powered, and experience-based, we bring together business leaders, economists, policy-makers, technologists, scientists, artists, and activists through consulting, in-person gatherings, online programs, publications, performances, and art. We inspire and equip them to shape an economy that honors all forms of life and living systems.
Founded in 2017, the House has grown from a pop-up event to a platform comprising learning and development experiences, an annual festival, local events, and more than 25,000 community members worldwide. We are a distributed team with offices in Berlin, Lisbon, Munich, and Atlanta. Over the past six years, we have worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies including Accenture, Ageas, Airbus, BCG, Deloitte, EY, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PwC, Salesforce, SAP, Sky, and Volkswagen Group. Our seed investor is Porsche. For more information, visit our website at houseofbeautifulbusiness.com.
The___Dream was the world's most beautiful business festival, hosted by the House from June 2–5, 2023 in Sintra, Portugal. The event took place at Quinta da Bella Vista, the former summer residence of Arthur Conan Doyle of Sherlock Holmes fame, in the mystical Sintra mountains, 30 minutes north of Lisbon.
Over the course of four days, we gathered 600 leaders, thinkers, dreamers, and doers to fundamentally reimagine business at this moment of ecological, economic, and spiritual crisis. We investigated new paradigms and possibilities such as Web3 and decentralized economies, generative AI and regenerative business models, inner development, and new sentimental education for policymakers and managers. We explored the very earthy and the very lofty, deep-down and high-up: from the mycelial to the metaverse, from dream teams to dream thinking, from psychedelics to quantum, from digital sustainability to co-designing with nature, and more. In short, we invited everyone to dream bigger about business and society, and spotlight the most important new ideas and initiatives that can help shape a truly life-centered economy.
We welcomed attendees from more than 40 countries, diverse in terms of gender, age, culture, and professional background. Our audience ranged from CEOs, artists, academics, and technologists to freelancers, entrepreneurs, and activists. Many members of our community find themselves at inflection points in their careers or lives, and are looking for new inspiration and orientation. Some use the House of Beautiful Business to meet interesting people and hear fresh ideas. Others considere it a place to access original thinking, next-generation technologies, and novel practices to spur innovation efforts in their organization. What all of participants in our events have in common is an insatiable curiosity, an inquisitive mind, a big heart, and desire for real, honest connections. People come to the House searching for a community that offers them four things: inspiration, intelligence, intimacy, and impact.
SAP, Porsche’s forward31, Accenture Song, futurehain, diconium, H&M, ada, Indeed Innovation, Foresight Academy, THE DO, Inner Development Goals, and Circular Unity are the official partners. Furthermore, we will have attendees and speakers from BCG, Hornbach, Santander, TED, Volkswagen, Galp, Deloitte, Google, argodesign, IDEO, kyu, Siemens, Lufthansa, Airbus, Accor, Chanel, Otto Group, Box of Crayons, Pfizer, Merck, Ageas, Booking.com, BMW, and many others.
In 2023, the home to the House of Beautiful Business was a garden, or rather, a historic estate.
The four hectares big Quinta da Bella Vista is located in the Sintra Hills, a mountain range 30 minutes north of Lisbon. Its highest point is near the village of Sintra, a dreamy town that has long attracted dreamers, mystics, romantics, artists, and soul-searchers.
Quinta da Bella Vista was formerly the property of the British writer and father of “Sherlock Holmes,” Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Local legend has it that “The Hound of The Baskervilles” was in fact inspired by his time here.
The Quinta is set on Rua Barbosa du Bocage, the old magical road of Sintra that links some of the town’s most noteworthy sites, such as the Sintra National Palace, the Palace of Monserrate, and the Quinta da Regaleira.
Sintra was known in the ancient world as Lunae Mons, “the mountains of the Moon,” the legendary retreat of Diana the Huntress, aka Cynthia among the Romans, hence “Çintra.” This was the land chosen for retreats by the Freemasons, the Knights Templar, Fransiscan monks, and alchemists. Hidden tunnels, initiation wells, a monastery built out of stone in the midst of a foggy pine forest: Sintra is soaked in mystery. It’s a unique combination of a vast natural reserve and a UNESCO heritage site of bright-colored palaces and lush villas, neo-gothic mansions and Moorish castle ruins, only 30 minutes away from Lisbon by train.
Bring your team to Portugal for 2023’s most beautiful business festival
- Get inspired by the forward thinkers of the future of business
- Dive deep into the crucial trends, from ChatGPT to Web3, to conscious hiring, to life-centered economy, and more
- Strengthen relationships with your colleagues while enjoying debates, workshops, discussions, performances, and once-in-a-lifetime immersive experiences
- Form new connections with 600+ fellow leaders and changemakers of the HoBB community
Take it a step further with immersive learning journeys/special team offsites
- Turn inspiration into action with tailor-made offsite programming during or after the festival
- Discover tools that will shape your organization in 2023 and beyond
- Hone your vision and strategy through debrief sessions, post-event reports, and private conversations with select speakers
- Create real-world impact with masterclasses, bootcamps, narrative sprints, and learning journeys organized offsite and curated by the HoBB on demand for you and your team
To get a custom group package offer and join us in the hills of Sintra, Portugal, on June 2–5, 2023, please fill out the form below. The more people you bring, the more you can save!
Forging a life-centered future with every step
We at the House of Beautiful Business aim to inspire and equip organizations and individuals to shape more purposeful, sustainable futures. Naturally, that work starts with us.
To make our 2023 festival, The___Dream, as purposeful and earth-friendly as possible, we adopted the guiding framework of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Helping us comply with it were our partners at the climate tech startup Circular Unity, as well as our community members at the self-organized DIRT Collective.
Together with Circular Unity and the DIRT Collective, we implemed an eco-conscious House policy, assessed our festival’s environmental impact, and took tangible steps to reduce and recycle waste, minimize emissions, and more.
- Shared transportation for staff and attendees
- 100% vegan & vegetarian catering menu
- Donation of surplus food, made possible by our friends at REFOOD
- Reusable or recyclable drinkware, food containers, dishes, and utensils
- Drinking water refill stations dispersed throughout the venue
- Non-negotiable waste policy for all participating vendors
Day I
Attunement
DREAM BIGGER LUNCH
For Dream Bigger ticket holders, speakers, and partners
@ Lawn
BRIEFING FOR DREAM BIGGER TICKET HOLDERS
@ Mushroom
DOORS OPEN
LIVE MUSIC
@ Lawn
With Carolina Coimbra.
BEAUTIFUL BUSINESS CONVERSATIONS
Meet fellow attendees through a game of cards.
SUSTAINABILITY GREENHOUSE
@ Greenhouse
Challenges to keep you on your toes with diconium, H&M Beyond, and The DO School.
RADIO DREAM~~~~WAVE
@ Villas Pool
Poolside chats and DJ sets with Matyas Kovacs and Felix Rundel, futurehain.
DREAM GARDEN
@ Dream Garden
For low-sensory sensations with Blaue Wunder.
DINNER
@ Lawn, Palace Pool, Palace Drive
LIVE MUSIC
@ Lawn
With Mark Aanderud and Pedro Melo Alves.
WELCOME TO (THE___DREAM OF) THE LIFE-CENTERED ECONOMY
@ Lawn
Here we are: Sintra, you, and the next four days. With Mark Aanderud, Alyssa, Alvin Collantes, Alana Julia Corbett, Till Grusche, Monika Jiang, Tim Leberecht, Shannon Mullen O'Keefe, Gabriella White, Zarqa, and more.
TAROT FOR ALL
@ Palace Pool
Start with the fool and let ancient wisdom woo you. With Hannah Joy Graves. Hosted by Monika Jiang.
LIVING FUNERAL
@ Greenhouse
Celebrate life by accepting your own death. With Oceana Sawyer.
READING THE STARS
@ Dream Garden
Feel seen amongst planets and zodiac constellations. With Andrada Dara.
THE DREAMING OF THE \CRACKS\
@ Theater
With Dr. Bayo Akomolafe, Auronda Scalera, Barbara Veiga, and Antonio Zadra. Hosted by Tim Leberecht.
Day II
Roots
DOORS OPEN, BREAKFAST
WAKE UP AND TAI CHI
@ Lawn
With Marco Gonçalves, Till Grusche, Monika Jiang, Tim Leberecht, and Ricardo Passos.
SUSTAINABILITY GREENHOUSE
@ Greenhouse
Challenges to keep you on your toes with diconium, H&M Beyond, and The DO School.
RADIO DREAM~~~~WAVE
@ Villas Pool
Poolside chats and DJ sets with Matyas Kovacs and Felix Rundel, futurehain.
DREAM GARDEN
@ Dream Garden
For low-sensory sensations with Blaue Wunder.
LIVING FUNERAL POST-MORTEM
@ Dream Garden
Reflections on the ultimate experience. With Christy Knutson and Oceana Sawyer.
THE CONVERSATIONS OF DREAMS
@ Kitchen
An inquiry into the irrational. With João Sevilhano.
COOK UP SOMETHING
@ Villas Pool
Nourish yourself and others with a cold Borscht. With Tomasz Hartman and the Food Think Tank.
HAND PAINT ME YOUR DREAM
@ Jam Spot
An intuitive artistic exercise for everyone. With Sonja Kresojevic.
NEW CLIMATE CONSCIENCE
@ Greenhouse
How do we choose agency over anxiety? With Renée Lertzman. Hosted by INDEED Innovation and Gryphon Agency.
THE PEOPLE DREAM
@ Villas Pool
A breakfast conversation on how talent development can become more life-centric. Hosted by Paulo Pisano and Arturo Poire.
WHAT IS REALITY?
@ Theater
David Chalmers in conversation with Miriam Meckel about consciousness and virtual worlds.
LUNCH
@ Lawn, Palace Pool, Palace Drive
LIVE MUSIC
@ Theater
With Benjamin Schlez.
POWER NAPS
@ Various
Need a break from the program but not from the inspiration? Re-energize in intimate conversations with select speakers.
Powered by Audi Denkwerkstatt.
@ Jam Spot
Marjorie Hernandez on the metaverse experience.
@ Mushroom
Laura François on awe as a sustainability practice.
@ Vegetable Garden
Colin Averill on the "underground society."
HUMAN DESIGN
@ Theater
An energy framework for work. With Julie Fedele.
OUT OF OUR MINDS
@ Palace Pool
Exploring the next frontier of psychedelics. With Amánda Efthimiou.
WHY SPIRIT MATTERS
@ Tavern
The holy alliance of mysticism and leadership. With Shani Lehrer.
DREAM TEAM: ACHIEVING THE (IM)POSSIBLE
@ Dream Garden
An Israeli-Iranian activist dialogue on nuclear disarmament. With Sharon Dolev and Emad Kiyaei.
FORBIDDEN DREAMS
@ Theater
A revealing dive into what lies underneath. With Maliha Abidi, Gabriella Braun, Alvin Collantes, Elaine Kasket, and Minna Salami. Hosted by Monika Jiang.
MEMORIES OF THE FUTURE
@ Palace Pool
With sea levels rising, what will you leave behind? With David Johnston and Adrian Lahoud.
WHALES IN PUDDLES
@ Mushroom
Grief as the essence of creativity. With Joel Fariss and Jacob Simons.
THE HOPE EXPANSION MACHINE
@ Tavern
An intergenerational view on how consciousness can produce hope. With Paul Bargetto, Hannah Critchlow, Amánda Efthimiou, Bethany Koby-Hirschmann, and Claudia Passos-Ferreira. Hosted by Tim Leberecht.
MERMAIDS
@ Palace Pool
Let synchronized swimmers teach you a lesson about collaboration. With Equipa De Nataçao Artística de Portimao. Hosted by Gabriella White.
DINNER
@ Lawn, Palace Pool, Palace Drive
LIVE MUSIC
@ Lawn
With Anna Setton.
LIFE LIKE BUSINESS
@ Theater
From wellbeing to nature-led designs to bio-leadership. With Dr. Bayo Akomolafe, Colin Averill, Tony Bond, Julie Fedele, Alexander Hiller, Shannon Minifie, Christina Nesheva, Parneet Pal, Brett Perry, Andres Roberts, and John Michael Schert. Hosted by Martin Reeves and Léa Steinacker.
THE STORYTELLERS NIGHT
@ Theater
Step up to the stage and share your ___ dreams. With Mark Aanderud, Laura François, and Elaine Kasket.
THE___TRIP
@ Dream Garden and Tavern
A celebration at the fringes of science and the supernatural (plus, a rave!). With Alvin Collantes, Hannah Critchlow, Amánda Efthimiou, Rio Otoya, Jun Suzuki, and Antonio Zadra. Guided by Matyas Kovacs and Felix Rundel of futurehain.
PROMPT NIGHT: YOUR DREAMS ON AI
@ Greenhouse
Use your imagination to push Generative AI to its limits. With João Blümel and Matthew Santone. Hosted by Shannon Mullen O'Keefe.
Day III
Regeneration
DOORS OPEN, BREAKFAST
WAKE UP AND TAI CHI
@ Lawn
With Marco Gonçalves, Till Grusche, Monika Jiang, Tim Leberecht, Ricardo Passos, and Gabriella White.
SUSTAINABILITY GREENHOUSE
@ Greenhouse
Challenges to keep you on your toes with diconium, H&M Beyond, and The DO School.
RADIO DREAM~~~~WAVE
@ Villas Pool
Poolside chats and DJ sets with Matyas Kovacs and Felix Rundel, futurehain.
DREAM GARDEN
@ Dream Garden
For low-sensory sensations with Blaue Wunder.
Accenture Song presents
THE MARKETING DREAM
@ Villas Pool
A breakfast conversation on how brands and customer expectations are changing in the life-centered economy. With Mark Curtis, Nuno Moura, Maria Rodriguez Juez, Sofia Vaz Pires, and Christina Volk. Hosted by Till Grusche and Stephanie Helou.
HOW TO WORK WITH (ALMOST) ANYONE
@ Palace Pool
The secrets of effective collaboration—and feeling good about it. With Michael Bungay Stanier.
REST TO HARVEST
@ Mushroom
Designing business along the cycles of life. With Moulsari Jain.
OUR REGENERATIVE FUTURE: ATOMIC FARMING
@ Greenhouse
A view at the life-giving potential of synthetic biology. With Maurizio Montalti and Christina Nesheva, Hosted by Massimo Portincaso.
THE METABUSINESS MILLENIAL
@ Tavern
Live-podcast recordings about metaphysics and business. With Simone Berry and Akbar Hamid and Andres Roberts. Hosted by Erin Patten.
CLIMATE DREAMS
@ Theater
Shifting the narrative beyond doom-and-the-gloom. With Mark Curtis, Olivia Lazard, Andri Snaer Magnason, and Minna Salami, Hosted by Bruno Giussani.
LUNCH
@ Lawn, Palace Pool, Palace Drive
LIVE MUSIC
@ Theater
With Mark Aanderud and Alyssa.
POWER NAPS
@ Various
Need a break from the program but not from the inspiration? Re-energize in intimate conversations with select speakers.
Powered by Audi Denkwerkstatt.
@ Jam Spot
Tony Bond on the future of company culture.
@ Mushroom
Claudia Chwalisz on future citizen activism.
@ Vegetable Garden
Micaela Mantegna on the future of Web3.
GAMIFYING COMMUNITY
@ Villas Pool
A workshop on the power of play and reciprocity with community design masters Ryan Murphy and Leen Sadder.
Foresight Academy presents
HOW DO WE WANT TO LIVE IN TEN YEARS?
@ Tavern
The megatrends shaping the life-centered economy. With Vicky Arndt, Rupert Hofmann, Katja Sottmeier, Katharina Wilzek-Kumar, and Corinna Wolf.
ada presents
CONSCIOUS LEADERSHIP
@ Palace Pool
Neuroscience, movement, and leadership. With Miriam Meckel, Léa Steinacker, Brett Perry, and John Michael Schert.
ARE WE TOO OBSESSED WITH INTELLIGENCE?
@ Theater
AI is forcing us to ponder alternatives. With Colin Averill, Gabriella Braun, Hannah Critchlow, Dave and Helen Edwards, and Bethany Koby-Hirschmann. Hosted by Tim Leberecht.
SLOWNESS: THE FUTURE OF HOSPITALITY
@ Dream Garden
The spaces, experiences, and rituals that bring us home. With Claus Sendlinger.
THE PURPOSE-FIRST ECONOMY
@ Mushroom
How an evergreen is finally coming to life. With Tatiana Kazakova.
INNER DEVELOPMENT GOALS
@ Tavern
The inner work needed to realize the SDG. With Tomas Björkman, Jan Artem Henriksson, and Katharina Moser.
QUANTUM ABOUND
@ Villas Pool
Letting Schrödinger’s cat out of the bag. With Florian Neukart and Johanna Sepulveda. Hosted by Matyas Kovacs.
TECH DREAMS OF AI
@ Palace Pool
Productivity all the way, or is there a chance for intimacy? With Katy Mogal and Markos Grohmann.
OUR DREAMS FOR WEB3
@ Theater
Will it still make the internet a better place?
With Maliha Abidi, Simone Berry and Akbar Hamid, John Ellison, Marjorie Hernandez, Micaela Mantegna, and Auronda Scalera. Hosted by Monika Jiang.
OUR DREAMS FOR AI
@ Theater
What do we want AI to do? With Nicole Büttner, Kevin J. Delaney, Markos Grohmann, Ute Hildebrandt, Katy Mogal, Robin Rombach, Minna Salami, Matthew Santone, and Jeroen van der Most. Hosted by Tim Leberecht and Shannon Mullen O'Keefe.
LIVE MUSIC
@ Lawn
With Surma.
POWERED BY MORE OF US
@ Theater
A town hall on the economy of our dreams that requires each and every one of you.
With Kerem Alper, Piotr Armianovski, Claudia Chwalisz, Solomiia Kyrylova, Martina Larkin, Micaela Mantegna, Bridgette R. McCullough, and Lucian Tarnowski.
Hosted by Kevin J. Delaney and Monika Jiang.
CLOSING PARTY
@ Palace Pool, Tavern, Lawn
With Djâmen and the House band.
Day IV
Community
@ Moinho Dom Quixote
Hanging out, ocean view, games, a walk to Cabo da Roca (the most Western point of Europe), and farewell. Don’t miss it!