EU and CSRDG hosted the B2B Fair of social enterprises to promote and deepen cross-sectoral cooperation and partnerships

“The Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia” (CSRDG) with the support of the European Union hosted the 3rd scaled-up and impact-oriented Businees to Business (B2B) Fair of social enterprises in Tbilisi, at the hotel “Radisson Blu Iveria” on 30 September and 1 October, 2022.

The purpose of the fair was to deepen cross-sectoral partnership between social enterprises, business sector, civic and state organizations. The theme of this year’s event was responsible procurement leading to greater social and environmental impact. At least 200 representatives from business sector, around 100 social entrepreneurs and representatives of diplomatic corps, media, state and public organizations attended the event.

The Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia H.E. Pawel Herczynski, the executive director of CSRDG Mrs. Eka Urushadze and the Mayor of Tbilisi City Hall Mr. Kakha Kaladze addressed the guests at the opening ceremony.

‘The third B2B fair is a great opportunity to give social entrepreneurship the recognition it deserves. It demonstrates how it is possible to act responsibly, whilst simultaneously retaining the ability to create growth and jobs in a competitive market. We, as the European Union, are proud to work with the businesses represented at this fair, and we look forward to seeing how we will continue to improve lives in communities“, – said Pawel Herczynski, Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia.

“The promotion of social entrepreneurship is one of the priorities for Tbilisi City Hall. We have been systematically supporting both directly social enterprises and organizations working on the development of the field. We are glad to see a good practice of cooperation between social enterprises and the business sector developed in previous years, and this fair, where up to 50 social enterprises are represented, is a good opportunity to continue this experience,” – said Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze.

“Social, economic, and environmental challenges can only be addressed through cooperation, accumulating the resources, and empowering each other. Social entrepreneurship is a unique strategy to respond to and overcome the challenges of various scales faced by our country with sustainable and impact-oriented approaches” – marked executive director of CSRDG Eka Urushadze.

On 30 September, participants were able to get acquainted with the products and services showcased by 47 social enterprises in one space, to meet with social entrepreneurs and explored future cooperation opportunities. Fall Market took place on 1 October. The market was open to the general public and everyone interested had the opportunity to purchase a variety of products of the social enterprises.

CSRDG has been organizing the B2B Fair since 2017. The event is supported by the European Union and the Bread for the World, within the framework of the project “Advancing social entrepreneurship for a sustainable and inclusive society“. The 3rd B2B Fair was also supported by: Tbilisi City Hall, EFSE Development Facility, and European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA). The silver sponsor of the event is Exolot Investments; Media Partner – BMG.