TMA Europe will be highlighting the importance of the continent's SMEs at its annual summer conference in Rome.

Bookings are now being taken for the conference on 9 and 10 June, which has become one of the leading events for turnaround practitioners, investors and other professionals involved in distressed environments across Europe, with more than 170 delegates attending last year's conference in Stockholm.

Increasing Performance through Turnaround Culture and Values - a Focus on SMEs is the title of this year's event, with speeches, panel discussions and presentations on turnaround case studies focusing on this theme.

Enrica Maria Ghia, the president of TMA Italy, who will co-chair the conference together with Jukka-Pekka Joensuu, the immediate past vice president of international relations for TMA Global, said  SMEs played a significant role in the European economy.  She said: "We thought it was important to cast a spotlight on this group of companies which support and create such positive development and form a solid basis of economic growth.  "We will be highlighting their importance throughout the day with speakers and panellists particularly focusing on lucrative areas of potential investment for the entire global investment community."

As part of the conference theme, there will be panel debates exploring the latest trends, techniques and tools for SME debt restructuring, and on the role a founding entrepreneur plays in the turnaround of an SME. There will also be a case study looking at the culture of transformation, and how understanding the key drivers for the people who make up the fabric of an organisation is key to the turnaround, as well as a presentation about restructuring of SMEs in the US and what lessons can be learned for European restructurings and insolvency proceedings. 

Ms Ghia added: "The annual conference is such a good opportunity to catch up with colleagues, and meet new ones, from across Europe and beyond, and to discuss the major challenges our industry faces in an environment that promotes discussion and debate. We have an excellent, and very busy, programme planned, and we are looking forward to another great event."

The conference, now in its ninth year, is being held at the Grand Hotel Plaza in the heart of Rome.

Entries have opened for TMA Europe's prestigious annual Turnaround of the Year Awards. 

The awards, which are now in their fifth year, aim to celebrate the achievements of the individual or team of TMA turnaround professionals who have orchestrated the most successful recovery of a struggling company. 

There are two categories, one for a small company whose revenue at the onset of the turnaround was less than 100 million Euros, and one for a large company whose revenue at the onset of the turnaround was more than 100 million Euros. 

Submissions for the awards are assessed on the main actions taken to bring about around the turnaround, the issues that arose and how they were overcome, as well as the eventual outcome. 

The winners of the awards will be announced at TMA Europe's pre conference banquet being held this year at the Grand Hotel Plaza in Rome, Italy, on 9 June 2016.

The deadline for entries is Friday, 29 April 2016.

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For more information please contact mcaruana@tma-europe.org.