Women entrepreneurs and representatives of Georgian businesses presented at the international Women’s Entrepreneurship Expo

Date:

Women entrepreneurs and representatives of Georgian businesses presented at the international Women’s Entrepreneurship Expo

Trainings, experience sharing meetings, coaching sessions and opportunities to find new contacts for hundreds of women from Europe and Central Asia - these were among the activities at the first virtual international Women’s Entrepreneurship Expo, held from 27 to 29 April 2021 at the initiative of UN Women and funded by the Government of Japan.

The event, held online due to COVID-19, aimed to support women entrepreneurs’ activities and opportunities and to help them find new contacts and investments.

Women are once again the hardest hit in a crisis, and the pandemic has exposed and deepened existing inequalities,” said UN Women Regional Director, Alia El-Yassir, in her opening address. “Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, too many women in the region were financially insecure in lower-paid, part-time, and informal employment, with little or no social protection,” she said.

The event brought together more than 500 participants from 50 countries, including Georgia. Twenty Georgian women entrepreneurs, among others, presented their activities at the Expo. Tatia Khaindrava, the founder of an online store selling gift vouchers, www.wowchy.ge, was one of them. “During the Expo, representatives of large business companies held seminars on branding, business models and logistics. In addition, women entrepreneurs from different countries got to know one another and shared our experiences. Through this event, I received practical information that will help me refine and develop my business,” said Tatia.

Companies representing Georgia included Loialte, Kant’s Academy, GPI Holding, Crystal, PricewaterhouseCoopers Georgia and the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Their representatives gave lectures on branding, marketing, e-commerce and investing, as well as spoke about their practice of involving more women entrepreneurs in value chains.

“I am glad to participate in the Expo and [glad for] the fact that Georgian women entrepreneurs also joined in,” said Tinatin Stambolishvili, Communications Director for the insurance company GPI Holding, who was a speaker during the marketing and branding session. “For them, it was an opportunity to share experiences and hear practical solutions to problems from large businesses, as well as to find new contacts, which will help entrepreneurs bring their products and services to different countries around the world. I am sure this event will be a source of new discoveries for them.”

Event highlighted the challenges faced by the women entrepreneurs due to the pandemic. They agreed that it was their support that would become an important part of the subsequent recovery activities from COVID-19.