The World’s Most Beautiful
Business Festival

June 2–5, 2023
Sintra, Portugal

About

Over the course of four days, we gathered 600 leaders, thinkers, dreamers, and doers to fundamentally reimagine business at the moment of crisis. We investigated new paradigms and possibilities such as Web3 and decentralized economies, generative AI and regenerative business models, inner development, and a new sentimental education for all of us. 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.

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

Founder, Box of Crayons, and author of The Coaching Habit and How to Begin

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

The___Dream was an experience that brings us to life, intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

600 participants

Live music

Workshops and exhibitions

Ancient wisdoms

Synchonized swimming

Night programming

Four-hectare Quinta

Debates and discussions

Latest trends

Dance and theater

Sustainability Greenhouse

Real connection

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.

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 partnership with

Contact

Location

Quinta da Bella Vista

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, Portugal

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.

Dream with your team

Festival

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

Custom Program

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!

Sustainability

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

Friday, June 2