Ivana SaboA Regional Virtual Fair on Innovation and Entrepreneurship “Sarajevo 2020” took place on November 23. and 24. in Sarajevo. It gathered innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, support organizations, and others from the ex-Yu countries. This was an excellent opportunity for all participants to make connections for the future.
Swiss EP was also present at this Fair, so let’s find out how it went and how our team presented the program and our activities.
What was the goal of the Regional Virtual Fair on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Sarajevo?
The Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair’s goal was to help innovators be more entrepreneurial than they were and help entrepreneurs be more innovative in the future. The idea behind the event was to set a place and a platform where innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, support organizations, and all other stakeholders of the entrepreneurial ecosystem can meet.
Organizers of the Fair were Sarajevo Business Forum and Mozaik Foundation, with financial support from the Swedish government and Swiss government.
The entire Fair was organized on Collectivibe, a platform developed and maintained by Serbian company Beyond 42.
About the Fair
The Fair was organized very similar to a traditional live fair would be. We could visit the main stage where we could hear the speakers and follow the official program. On top of that, we could tour four separated halls with 273 stands, where exhibitors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovenia, and Serbia showcased their work.
The Fair started with welcome notes from the organizers and members of political and diplomatic circles. On top of that, we could also hear inspiring talks from Mate Rimac, Dusanka Ilić, and Mirza Cifrić. You can watch their lectures on the video below:
At the Fair, you could meet one of the 165 small and medium businesses, 50 innovative teams, and 22 different investors and support organizations. You could visit their stand and learn the basic information about the company, watch some pictures of their products and services or start a conversation. Besides talking with different exhibitors, visitors could also watch the final competition for the region’s best innovation, “Sarajevo 2020”.
As the organizers are saying, the Fair had over 1200 registered visitors during the first day only. The second day was quite crowded, too. Therefore, we can say that the Fair was quite successful.
How was Swiss EP represented at the Fair?
The Swiss EP was a part of the Support and Investment Hall, with other organizations from the region with similar goals.
At our virtual stand, people could learn more about the program and find out how we can help support organizations and startups. The host at the “venue” was Alema Pelesić, our colleague from Swiss EP BiH.
In conclusion
It was our pleasure to be a part of the Regional Virtual Fair on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Thanks to an interactive and carefully crafted platform and excellent coordination by the organizing team, we had a feeling almost as if we are at the live event. We hope to see more similar initiatives in the future!
