Tbilisi hosts annual exhibition and sale of products made by female entrepreneurs

At the initiative of UN Women, the Women’s Entrepreneurship Expo was held for the third time at the exhibition centre Expo Georgia. The goals of the event were to promote the popularization of women’s entrepreneurship, share useful knowledge with them and help them establish interesting business connections and promising partnerships.

A total of 140 entrepreneurs from all over Georgia presented their products to the exhibition guests - food and drinks, gifts, toys and accessories, handmade items and decor, beauty and personal care products, New Year’s souvenirs and other festive products. Those who wished to do so could purchase these items on the spot.

The opening of the exhibition was attended by the Norwegian Ambassador to Georgia, Bergljot Hovland; the Regional Head of the Caucasus for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Alkis Drakinos; the Chief of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Section at UN Women, Jemimah Njuki; the UN Women Country Representative in Georgia, Kaori Ishikawa; and representatives of the private sector and business associations.

“Supporting women entrepreneurs and women’s empowerment in general is one of the priorities of the Norwegian Government,” Ambassador Hovland noted in her welcoming speech. “We believe that progress and stability in society can be achieved precisely through the empowerment of women.” Ms. Njuki further addressed the women entrepreneurs and drew attention to their motivation and determination: “You trusted us and came a long way to present your products to consumers. Share your needs, and tell us about the challenges. We will do our best to respond to these needs through our initiatives.”

A novelty of this year’s event was a corner dedicated to green and sustainable businesses, which brought together products that women create using waste, environmentally friendly materials and technology. Here, guests could also purchase products made by social enterprises. In parallel with the exhibition and sales area, an entertainment and educational corner for children was organized, as well as food and music spaces. Masterclasses were also held, where attendees made New Year’s items themselves using green technologies. It is noteworthy that this year, for the first time, refugee women from Ukraine and other countries were among the participants of the exhibition.

“This event is a breath of fresh air for refugee women from Ukraine,” said Maya Fisyuk from Ukraine, who presented handmade items to the attendees. “These two days—of communicating with [other] entrepreneurs and sharing information, experiences and examples of success—left a very good impression on us. We felt great warmth and support. This was especially important for us.”

On 22 November, the eve of the exhibition, special masterclasses were also held for the female entrepreneurs. Participants learned about the use of artificial intelligence in business, the specifics of sustainable business, export opportunities in the European Union and the advantages of e-commerce.

The event was organized by UN Women in partnership with the EBRD, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Georgian Farmers’ Association, the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the following private sector companies: TBC Bank, Selfie Mobile, Tegeta Holding, Crystal, SOCAR, BDO Georgia, Business and Technology University and Expo Georgia.

The Women Entrepreneurship Expo was held within the framework of the Women’s Economic Empowerment component of the UN Women project “Good Governance for Gender Equality in Georgia”, which is funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.