« A Night With Keepod - 9/2/09 | Main | Tony Seba and his 9 Fundamental Rules of High Tech Strategy »
On January 28, 2009, the Emerging Markets Club held its first event of 2009: Georgia - A New Country with New Opportunities. The event was opened by Emerging Markets Club President, Alexander Hang, who then turned the event over to the Embassador of Georgia to Spain, the Honorable Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili. Mr. Pololikashvili expressed his pleasure with the interest shown in Georgia at the IE community and introduced the two guest speakers on Georgia, Ms. Natalia Kasradze, Director of Georgia National Investment Agency, and Beka Jakeli, Deputy Chairman of the Georgia Department of Tourism and Resorts.
Some key points from the presentation include the World Bank's recognition of Georgia as an investment-friendly environment, Georgia's efforts to attract foreign direct investment (especially through low taxes and reduced bureaucracy), Georgia's high literacy rate (99%), and Georgia's unique geography and wine culture.
The event was followed by a tasting of Georgia's wines, kindly provided by the Embassy of Georgia to Spain, and was also accompanied with Georgian national folk tunes, sung by the a cappella choir Shvidkaca. A special thanks to George Makaridze (IMBA 2009) and Teona Mikadze (IMBA 2009) for their efforts in coordinating this event for the IE community.