FROM THE EDITOR
Dear <<First Name>> <<Last Name>>,
If there is one business sector whose underlying fundamentals are strong enough to withstand the COVID-19 battering our economy is taking, it is surely commercial real estate. This issue of the Budapest Business Journal features a look into the office market, judged by local actors to be the best placed (alongside logistics) to bounce back fast.
Developers share how they have kept ongoing construction projects moving forward, and insist customer interest is being maintained; with low vacancies rates and available space still at a premium, large swathes of yet-to-be delivered space is already pre-let. We also cast our gaze forward, and begin to explore what impact this mass work from home project we have all been involved in might have on future office design.
Macroscope looks at how a government that has always prided itself on its budgetary discipline is now loosening its deficit target purse strings, spending today to save tomorrow. We also compare the Hungarian view on its likely economic path out of the pandemic, as laid out in its latest Convergence Program, with that of the European Commission.
Our now regular Coronavirus roundup looks at the latest steps taken by capital and national authorities and highlights some of the numbers, but we also investigate a few of the more human insights revealed in the past couple of weeks, not least Hungarians’ expectations and their fear levels, and how these compare with others in the region. Elsewhere, in our Business section, we have an interview with Vodafone’s HR director Zsuzsanna Tóth, on the challenges of motivating and managing a sizeable workforce that is largely at home.
Finally, David Holzer continues to look at how you can “do culture” from home, experiencing the delights of the Budapest Festival Orchestra’s innovative “Quarantine Soirées”, chamber music streamed live from its rehearsal rooms. Wine columnist Rob Smyth’s ongoing virtual tour of Hungary’s leading wine regions takes us to Tokaj-Hegyalja, home to quite possibly the world’s best sweet wine, but also a growing number of excellent dry whites.
You’ll find all this and far more in the digital version of the latest Budapest Business Journal; just follow the link to discover all the May 8 edition has to offer for yourself. Stay safe.
Robin Marshall
Editor-in-chief
P.S. We continue to seek out more positive coronavirus-inspired stories. If you have something uplifting to share, particularly concerning what your company is doing to help support frontline healthcare staff or otherwise combat COVID-19, please do drop me an email with the details (in English) on robin.marshall@bbj.hu and I’ll make sure it gets covered, either online or in print.
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