On March 17 the Global Entrepreneurship Congress was opened in Moscow. Sergei Sobyanin, Mayor of Moscow, Jonathan Ortmans, Chairman of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress, Mikhail Kuzovlev, President and Chairman of the Bank of Moscow OJSC and President of the Moscow Chamber of Trade and Commerce and Viktor Vekselberg, President of the Skolkovo Fund took part in the opening ceremony.
In welcoming the Congress participants, Sergei Sobyanin spoke about the efforts taken by the municipal authorities toward the support and development of entrepreneurship. Moscow has created an active and rapidly growing environment for business and investment development, and is implementing a number of major infrastructure and social projects. Moscow’s annual GDP exceeds 300 billion dollars, which is comparable to the GDP of an entire country, such as the UAE. Every year approximately 8.5 million sq. m of housing and commercial real estate are built in the city. This is the record for Europe. Moscow has achieved a record level of investment-approximately USD40 billion annually. Moscow is one of a few megalopolises that still has room to grow without damaging the environment or people’s quality of life. The city authorities do much to make it easier to develop and support small and medium-sized business, especially involving manufacturing and innovations.
In 2014, the Global Entrepreneurship Congress is being held in the centre of a 20-million-person agglomeration, in one of the centres of world business. Today, a record number of congress participants will see the opportunities that modern Moscow can offer to businessmen and investors. The new industrialization in Moscow is not just a prospect, but an actual process that is unfolding before our eyes," emphasized Sergei Sobyanin. “I think you will relish in your stay in Moscow. Thank you for your genuine interest in our city and for the initiatives that enrich and improve the world.”
Roughly 4500 delegates from 153 countries around the world will take part in the events of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2014 in Moscow. Addressing the participants of the Congress, its ChairmanJonathan Ortmans stated:
The topic of development and support of SME business was continued by Mr Michael Kuzovlev, president of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce, President - Chairman of the Board of JSC " Bank of Moscow ": "Moscow is not only the capital and the largest city of Russia today, but also the largest financial center in the CIS and Eastern Europe. More than half of all credit institutions in the country are concentrated in Moscow, most offices of global financial companies and institutions are located in Moscow. Overwhelming amount of domestic insurance and investment companies are also registered in Moscow. The high concentration of banking capital is creating favorable conditions for economic development of Moscow and the whole Moscow region. However, the very existence of the prerequisites for success - is not a guarantee for success. To ensure the dynamic development of the capital it is necessary to coordinate the efforts of city authorities and business community to develop a common strategy and building effective mechanisms for implementation of joint programs. And a shining example of such cooperation is the joint work of the Government of Moscow, the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and the expert community in the preparation of the investment strategy of Moscow for the period until 2025. Implementation of measures listed in this strategy will allow to strengthen the position of the city in attracting investment and will be an important step in enhancement of competitiveness of Moscow".
The main aim of the Congress is to stimulate the participants to create new projects and make their ideas a reality. Within the framework of the Congress, businessmen, investors and government representatives will discuss means for supporting and developing entrepreneurship. They will participate in business events that promise to unite business circles in order to develop a unified concept for the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem under the current global economic conditions.
“In particular, a major objective our activities, and of the work at the Congress in general is to lead the reach to a level of global competitiveness by creating comfortable conditions for living and doing business,” emphasized Aleksei Komissarov, Moscow Government Minister and Head of the Moscow Department of Science, Industrial Policy and Entrepreneurship in his opening address at the start of the Congress.
Greeting the participants of the Congress, President of Skolkovo Foundation Viktor Vekselberg noted that the significance of entrepreneurs is growing in Russian society as well as awareness of the fact that small and medium-sized business are the basis for economic development: “Our prospects for economic growth are without a doubt connected to the growth of small and mid-sizedbusinesses, which must form the foundation for the country’s economic system. The Global Entrepreneurship Congress is opening up the opportunity for businessman to find out about experience in the development of the world entrepreneurial community, analyzing and sharing valuable ideas.”
The Global Entrepreneurship Congress has been held since 2009. In 2014, Moscow welcomes the Congress following Kansas City, Shanghai, Dubai, Liverpool and Rio de Janeiro.
The Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Moscow provides entrepreneurs with the opportunity to take part in creating a favourable ecosystem for growth in entrepreneurial activity, and to obtain first hand information on successful Russian and foreign business projects, to establish new business contacts, to align direct dialogue with representatives of government bodies at various levels and to strengthen cooperation with leaders in the entrepreneurial community for the sake of strengthening the role of private initiative in economic development.
During the active days of the Congress, more than 80 events will be held at Manege CEH dedicated to the sustainable development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem (factors defining the future), to innovations in the organization of financing, to providing the best know how for business development and project implementation, to the experiences of major industries and services as additional resources for business growth and the role of entrepreneurial initiative in the development of innovative production.
Source: http://gec2014.com