In mid-August, I received a notice on my e-mail regarding an upcoming large-scale forum for business ladies that was scheduled to take place in Tbilisi. I did not doubt its magnitude for a moment, however what took place on 15 and 16 September 2017 exceeded all my expectations. The gathering place for successful business ladies was Hotel Biltmore Tbilisi.
THE MORNING OF 15 SEPTEMBER was unusually hot for this time of the year. The meeting was scheduled to start at 09:30 a.m. However, I decided to arrive earlier and wait for the participants of the meeting at the entrance to the hotel.
At 09:30 a.m. sharp, the chief moderator of the forum – editor-in-chief of “Forbes Georgia’’ and founder of the “Business Media Georgia’’ – Mr. Giorgi Isakadze announced the opening of the first Global Business Forum in the country by greeting the delegates with the following words: „Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen “.
Global Business Forum was organized by the Union of the Business Ladies (UBL) and hosted over 200 Georgian and foreign delegates, as well as senior government officials, representatives of various business sectors, investors and producers from various parts of the world.
The Forum turned out to be enviably global. About 300 business representatives gathered at the Conference hall of the Biltmore Hotel. The speakers of the Forum were from Georgia, as well as France, the UK, the USA, Hungary, India, Turkey and China.
The event hosted delegates from 17 countries, including UK, Kazakhstan, Greece, India, Czech Republic, UAE, Turkey, China, US and others.
The atmosphere was upbeat throughout the duration of the forum. The first part of the forum was mainly dedicated to presenting Georgia. The organizers of the forum acquainted foreign delegates with the investment climate in Georgia, while in the second part of the forum foreign delegated shared their experience with Georgian business women.
One of the core missions of the UBL is to promote formation of international relations. The Union of Business Ladies strives to present Georgia as a new business destination for investors from all over the world.
As to the discussion topics, the presenters touched upon several issues, such as business and investment opportunities in Georgia, women’s role in strengthening the economy of the country, as well as their solutions to the business challenges of the 21st century. The speakers included Jessica Lam – Beijing, China – Co-Founder of Kaiterra and recognized on the Forbes “30 Under 30 Asia 2017 list” in the category of consumer technology.
The list of honorary guests included:
Rima Beradze – Member of Tbilisi City Municipal Assembly. Christy Largent – California, USA – Employee engagement keynote speaker for the Healthcare and Finance industries and a best-selling author;
Maggie Semple – London, UK – Successful business woman and entrepreneur, Owner of The Experience Corps Ltd and Maggie Semple Limited. Member of the Queen’s Counsel Selection Panel. Non-Executive Director of the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Cited in the World Who’s Who.
Christiana Fagbemiro – London, UK – Stakeholder engagement specialist for public and private sector, currently consulting for UK’s Ministry of Justice.
Another highlight of the forum, in addition to presentations, master classes and panel discussions, was the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Cooperation between Union of Business Ladies and Qatari Business Women Association.
During the panel discussions, the delegates of the forum had an opportunity to engage in Q&A and receive information relevant for their business activities.
President of the Union of Business ladies – Mrs. Ekaterine Maisuradze promised that the Global Business Forum would become an annual event and would grow larger and more interesting. The forum proved to be a successful platform for many new ideas and partnerships. The organizers stated that they would remain committed to fostering the partnerships that emerged in the framework of the forum.
The forum was organized in association with the Bank of Georgia and the media partner ‘Forbes Georgia’.
