German, Turkish and Polish businessmen have presented their products and services to the Georgian market and established contacts with potential business partners and clients at Georgia’s largest trade fair, held in capital city Tbilisi last week.

Two exhibitions held on the same day - Expo Germany and Caucasus Build – saw more than 200 companies from 21 countries gather in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi. The exhibition was held on May 20 in the third, fourth and eleventh pavilions of the city’s Expo Georgia exhibition centre.

The 5th Expo Germany brought more than 50 German companies and organisations to the Tbilisi expo. Companies that were represented included ProCredit Bank, HeidelbergCement Georgia, Goethe Institute, Bosch, DHL, Schuchmann Wines, Gebruder Weiss and more.

Meanwhile, it was 20th anniversary of the International Fair for the Building and Interiors Caucasus Build 2015.

"This is the twentieth time this exhibition is being held in Georgia but it has never been such a large scale before,” said Tbilisi Mayor Davit Narmania, who officially opened the exhibition.

"The event is important because it represents modern technologies in construction and interior fields. Lots of visitors have come to Georgia to attend the exhibition. Such events give Tbilisi a purpose of the region’s economic centre,” he said.

Both exhibitions covered the sectors of construction and building materials, various equipment, technologies, machinery and infrastructure. The one-day event aimed to provide a platform for the world’s businesses to learn more about Georgia’s investment opportunities.

The annual fair was organised by the German Business Association (DWV) and was held at the Expo Georgia exhibition centre in cooperation with Caucasus Build - Georgia's largest trade fair.

Ambassador’s overview of the exhibition

German Ambassador to Georgia Ortwin Hennig said Georgia was "gaining confidence” with foreign partners and companies.

"All of us share a common interest in Georgia and in the economic development of this country. The number of participating companies tells me three things: without the German Business Association, which organises the Expo Germany, our bilateral economic relations would not be as dynamic as they actually are,” he said.

Secondly, our bilateral economic relations are on the right track; they continue to flower. And thirdly because Georgia pursues clear cords towards democratic development and the rule of the law and it has the right dialogue with its neighbours, which is absolutely a European direction. Georgia is gaining confidence with its foreign partners and with foreign companies, of which we see many of them here today,” Hennig said.

Meanwhile Turkish Ambassador to Georgia Zeki Levent Gumrukcu said the exhibition was another successful event held in Georgia after the EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) Annual Meeting on May 14-15.

"This is my second time attending this fair. This fair has already become a very well-known brand, which is associated with Georgia not only in the region but worldwide,” he said.

"For this twentieth year, Turkish companies make up the largest number of contributors and participants of this fair, with more than 34 companies holding 750 sqm.”

Given the excellent relationship between Turkey and Georgia it is only natural that we are the largest contributors to this fair. This is also a sign of confidence that the Turkish business community has in Georgia and its economic potential,” Gumrukcu said.

He said Turkey had "great pride” in being Georgia’s number one trade partner and being among the top investors in this country.

I believe the construction sector and infrastructure development hold a particular important place in our bilateral relations. We all know how ambitious Georgia is by its plans and projects for infrastructure development in the year ahead and you all know Turkish companies are one of the best in this particular sector. So I hope our relations will be beneficial for both sides,” Gumrukcu added.

This year Poland debuted at the exhibition and several companies were presented at the event. Polish Ambassador to Georgia Andrzej Cieszkowski hoped the number of Polish companies to participate in the international expo would grow in future years.

"This is the first time Poland decided to organise a national stand in this expo. This is a very good start to being among the champions here of the development of relations with Georgia. We are not in great numbers here but I think together with the integration with Georgia that will be a good start to promoting Polish companies in the local construction sector as well as in other areas. This is a very good start to promoting joint initiatives,” Cieszkowski said.

Why did German companies participate in the expo?

German company Bosch used the exhibition as a platform to introduce its product range, novelties and inform guests about the opening of a new warehouse which distributes power tools to local dealers.

"From January 2015 we opened a warehouse in Georgia, which ensure availability of Bosch Power Tools in the whole Caucasus. We wanted to inform more customers about the increased product range, new distribution network and benefits of our products. That’s why we participated in the exhibition. We spread fliers which gave information about the outlets, which sell Bosch Power Tools. So consumers easily know where to buy original Bosch products in Georgia,” said Bosch Sales Director in South Caucaus David Oker.

 The Georgian market is a growing market. We are satisfied with the company’s development here. Now it is said from various sources that the market is stagnating. However our business and the construction sector seem to grow”, he added.

"More and more attention is and will be paid to high standards and high quality of construction materials and proper construction processes. Bosch definitely fulfills these requirements and can support this development in Georgia with its high quality products. The growth of the Georgian market is very promising even in the current year, especially compared with the most post-soviet republics in 2015. The tendency of seeing more foreign companies coming to Georgia will definitely grow in the future.

"Stability is the reason why investors are attracted by Georgia. Investors see that the Georgian economical policy is stable and reliable one. Our sales are expected to double this year because of growing demand in the construction sector. [We estimate] Bosch in Georgia will experience more than 100 percent growth this year,” he added.

Germanuli Sakhli (German House) took part in the exhibition for the first time and promoted Kaldewei bathroom whiteware equipment. The aim of their presence was the same – to introduce themselves to consumers. Kaldewei's variety of models, sophisticated design and the reliable quality is now available for Georgian customers as well.

"This is our first time in this exhibition. This offers a good possibility to inform customers about our activities and products. Here we can establish direct contact with customers and businesses as well. Our aim is to meet the demand of the middle and premium segment who want to purchase quality and modern products,” said Director of Germanuli Sakhli Konstantine Odikadze.

German delegations in Tbilisi

In parallel with the exhibition, three delegations of German businessmen visited Georgia.

The first delegation consisted of 13 members who represented the construction, mining and infrastructure sectors. The German guests visited the main cities of Georgia; Batumi, Kutaisi and Tbilisi and held several meetings and inspected various manufacturing centres.

In addition, from May 19-23 another delegation representing German company European Network Architecture (ENA) and other architectural firms visited Georgia and met with Tbilisi urban planning officials and representatives of the real estate industry.

The third delegation consisting of members of Economic Club Russia (Wirtschaftsclub Russland), which is located in Dusseldorf, came to Georgia with the idea to expand their network by establishing contacts with business representatives.

Source:commersant.ge