EBRD conference:
World leaders explore consulting industry trends in Tbilisi

Over 200 consulting professionals from more than 35 countries are in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi today to define the future of the consulting industry and explore the industry's trends and challenges.

For the first time in Tbilisi, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union’s EU4Business initiative jointly organised the conference on competitive consulting.

During November 3-4 panel discussions on a range of topics will be led by some of the best-known opinion leaders in the consulting industry from Georgia and neighbouring countries, the United States and western Europe.

Agility, innovation and internationalisation were the main themes of this year’s conference.

The conference will look at issues that will define the industry in the future including trends, increasing competition, new models and crossing international borders.

Over 200 consulting professionals from more than 35 countries attended day one of the EBRD conference in Tbilisi. Photo by Georgia's Ministry of Economy's press office. 

The event will also provide a networking opportunity for participants, who will share their know-how, discuss the key advantages of innovation in the consultancy sector and the challenges in business consultancy and explore how to overcome them.

The EBRD through its Advice for Small Businesses team supports local consultants in 26 countries with training, the sharing of experience, and helping consultants to work together on challenging and sophisticated projects. This enables local consultants to develop their own practices and in turn support the businesses they advise.

In Georgia and the other Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine), the EU has mobilised €8 million of funds through the EU4Business initiative to support the Georgian private sector.

The conference was opened this morning by Georgia’s Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Ketevan Bochorishvili, who was followed by welcoming addresses from Charlotte Ruhe, EBRD Director for Advice for Small Businesses, and Vincent Rey, head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Georgia.