There are dozens of eureka moments and just as many heartbreak ones. In the end, it is like one of those 1,000-piece puzzles with the lovely pastoral scene on the box that only the very determined complete.
My betting, though, is that the multiple pieces that represent the Kyiv Post/East Europe Foundation’s inaugural Tiger Conference puzzle will mesh fine. Friends note that I often flirt with lady optimism, and on occasion it is an unrequited affair.
But – though the proof will be in the pudding – this one had mojo from the start. You should book reservations today. The conference begins on Nov. 26 with a VIP reception and reconvenes early Nov. 27 for the full day. Both events are at the Fairmont Grand Hotel near the Dnipro River in Kyiv’s Podil neighborhood.
You simply don’t pull in some of the more interesting public figures in the region – Georgia’s President Mikheil Saakashvili and a great lineup of panelists – without having a lot of luck combined with selfless help from dozens of people from Kyiv, Kuala Lumpur, Moscow, Chisinau, Tbilisi and Washington, D.C.
Does what some call Saakashvili’s Georgia miracle fit Ukraine like a glove?
Of course not – Ukraine is 10 times larger in population – but it does represent a start if Ukraine can bottle up corruption as the republic in the Caucuses seems to have done. The claim is a 50 percent reduction in crime, according to the World Bank.
Or if it can initiate one-stop bureaucracy busters – such as the community centers set up across Georgia – aimed at doing away with myriad opportunities for graft by creating one-stop shopping for administrative functions where the public goes to meet civic obligations.
Saakashvili’s party, the United National Movement, had a setback last month when it lost the parliamentary election to billionaire businessman BizinaIvanishvili, whose Georgian Dream faction was swept into power. Ivanishvili was elevated to prime minister, the most powerful political job in the country under constitutional reform. Saakashvili has one more year as president.
In my admittedly prejudiced view, this conference has more potential than any other such public forum held in Ukraine in 2012.
It has a little something for most everyone, starting with two umbrella panels called “Ending the Slumber”. The first will examine the over-arching geopolitical picture, while the second delves into the nitty-gritty of microeconomics.
Then the Kyiv Post/EEF conference swings into a series of discussions focusing on financial and corporate governance, the promise of agriculture in Ukraine, the hope for the energy sector and the booming internet technology outsourcing business.
There are a lot of people to thank for organizing a conference like this, not the least of which is the Kyiv Post’s partner in this first Tiger Conference, the East Europe Foundation, a worthy nongovernmental organization that, like this newspaper, needs additional funding to carry out its mandate.
You know all those lawyer jokes that go around? Well, toss them in the trash bin. Thank God for lawyers when it comes to supporting the world’s window on Ukraine, the Kyiv Post. Three firms: Asters, CMS McKenna and B.C. Toms stepped up to the plate.
I am not sure how much yogurt Danone will sell or how much candy, coffee and salty snacks that Kraft will move, but I do know they are good corporate citizens that support a free press. Banks, by nature, are conservative, but both Raiffeisen Bank Aval and Credit Agricole were front and center when called upon.
Another professional firm, PwC, was ready immediately after my meeting with managing partner Bryan Disher, who orchestrated his firm’s sponsorship even while he was out of the country. Two other companies came forward with extremely useful barter arrangements: Russian Standard and Turkish Airlines.
The sponsorship ball was put in motion when Ciklum’s Torben Majgaard agreed to host the VIP reception. Philip Morris, our quiet sponsor, was tied with the largest contributor, but asked nothing in return – not even a logo placement.
Finally, a couple of days before the conference, Samsung called. They not only wanted to be a corporate sponsor with cash but they also put forth their technical expertise to facilitate a more smooth-running program and registration.
We couldn’t have gotten the word out as effectively as we did without media partners like the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council, the British-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce, Invest Gazeta, Frydays, IWCK, ACC, EBA, and, I hasten to mention, Willard, the ad/PR firm of which I am also chairman.
Oh, I have to mention my assistant and conference coordinator Katya Kalendruz. I made the comment on Facebook that if she were negotiating the Russian gas deal the Russians would end up paying Ukraine to take the gas. She’s a Willard discovery and a keeper.
On behalf of the Kyiv Post and the East Europe Foundation, our heartfelt thanks to all.
Kyiv Post CEO Michael Willard can be reached at [email protected]
