"Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia" (CSRDG) hosted the third large-scale and impact-oriented B2B (business to business) exhibition of social enterprises on September 30 and October 1 with the support of the European Union.

Purpose

The purpose of the exhibition is to deepen business relations between social enterprises and the business sector, as well as public and state sectors. The theme of this year's event was developing responsible procurement practices to ensure greater social and environmental impact.

The event was attended by at least 200 representatives of the business sector, about 100 social entrepreneurs, representatives from the diplomatic corps, media, state and public organizations.

Opening of the exhibition

Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia Pavel Herczynski, Executive Director of the Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia Eka Urushadze and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze addressed the guests at the event.

"The third B2B exhibition is a great opportunity for social entrepreneurship to gain the recognition it deserves. It shows how it is possible to act responsibly and, at the same time, promote growth and create jobs in a competitive market. We, in the European Union, are proud to cooperate with the businesses represented at the exhibition and look forward to seeing how we will continue to improve the well-being of the population," said the Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia, Pavel Herczynski.

"Promoting the field of social entrepreneurship is one of the priority directions for Tbilisi City Hall. In this regard, we have been systematically supporting both directly social enterprises and organizations working on the development of the field for years. We are glad that a good practice of cooperation between social enterprises and the business sector has been introduced, and this exhibition, where about 50 social enterprises are presented, is a good opportunity to continue this experience," said Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze.

"Social, economic and environmental challenges can only be overcome by working together, pooling resources and strengthening each other. And social entrepreneurship is a unique strategy to respond and overcome challenges of various scales facing the country with sustainable and result-oriented approaches", said Eka Urushadze, Director of CSRDG.

About the exhibition

On September 30, participants got to know the products and services of 47 social enterprises in one space, met individually with social entrepreneurs and discovered opportunities for future cooperation.

On October 1st, an autumn market was held, where guests viewed and purchased various products of the enterprises.

Supporters

The B2B exhibition has been held since 2017 at the initiative of CSRDG. The event is supported by the European Union and Bread for the World, within the framework of the project "Development of social entrepreneurship for a sustainable and inclusive society". This year, supporters were also - Tbilisi City Hall, EFSE Development Facility, silver sponsor - Exolot Investments, media partner - BMG, service partner - Nabeglavi.

PHOTO GALLERY