Postcard from Bishkek

Yesterday was the second TEDxBishkek conference and it’s the sort of event that I really enjoy attending.  I always have – they remind me of sixth form conferences that used to be organised in my youth by the British Association for the Advancement of Science and I went to the first TEDxBishkek which was staged last autumn.  I was really pleased to hear that the organizers had decided to arrange another one this spring.  Unfortunately, however, I couldn’t go … I had a clash of dates in my diary.

Saturday also saw the Annual General Meeting, (AGM), of the International Business Council, (IBC ).  It was a difficult choice, but I knew that I could only attend one gathering and that I really had to decide which it was going to be.

For the record: TED stands for “Technology, Entertainment, Design“,  which the organizers consider to be three subject areas that help to shape our future.  Although in the early days the subjects covered showed a distinctly technological bias, as time has passed the topics have become increasing more diverse and cover a wide range of aspects of research and practice in science and culture.

The first conference was a four day event held in California in 1984.  It’s now an annual event which is run by a non-profit organization which is dedicated to the dissemination of, (as the subtitle on their website puts it), “Ideas worth spreading“.  Talks given at the conference are also broadcast on a live feed and over 900 of them can be found for free viewing on the website.  Statistics suggest that there have been been over 500 million hits to the site, a number that grew 10-fold in just two years.

In addition, they license the distinctive TED format under the TEDx brand, and this is how the Bishkek event has come about, as one of over 700 events in more than 60 different countries .  It’s a “one-off” license, for a particular event which should be free-of-charge.   Those granted permission to hold such an event have to be approved by TED headquarters, (which are in New York and Vancouver), and they have to agree to adhere to a strict set of rules which govern the format.

and on the other hand: the IBC is one of the largest and most influential business associations here in Kyrgyzstan.  It began as an initiative of the German Embassy in Kyrgyzstan  as an “informal club” where businessmen, investors in the Kyrgyz economy, could meet and discuss issues of common interest, and soon became a major voice in discussions with the government when it came to matters affecting the business climate, eventually being established as a formal Association.

Celestial Mountains has been a member since the first (informal) meeting, and as well as having served several terms as a member of the management board and, as it happens, my signature appeared on the founding documents when it was formally registered with the Ministry of Justice.

 It might have been called the “Annual” General Meeting, but it is not a year since the last one, which was held just last November.

The reason is simple.  We always used to hold the AGM during April or May, shortly after the financial accounts for the precious year have been finalised, registered with the tax authorities and reviewed by the “Revision Committee”.   An Annual Report on activities along with a financial statement was then presented to the AGM for approval.  We normally invite our Honorary Members, (usually Ambassadors), to give a few comments on the current situation and economic prospects in Kyrgyzstan and maybe a keynote speech and a reception.

A few years ago, however, we faced a slight problem … and the meeting was postponed – not cancelled, simply delayed, and it finally took place later in the year.  We intended to bring the AGM back to the spring but then, as you may remember, a couple of years ago we faced yet another little problem in April, (a “little thing” called a revolution), and once again the AGM was put off until later in the year.  The result was that last November the Annual Report from the Management Board on the year’s activities related to 2011, but the accounts related to 2010 – the last complete financial year.  This was a bit of a nonsense and so we decided to hold another at the “right” time of the year.

Now, that gave us a bit of a problem … a different problem … in that we have to raise a quorum to hold an AGM … and there was really nothing other than the presentation of these two reports, how could we entice members to turn up.  Someone suggested, “Throw a party!”.  Well, yes, that might just work, and although people like opportunities to “network”, a party might not provide the right sort of atmosphere.  Then someone suggested uniting it with the IBC Golf Tournament.

IBC has held a tournament each year since 2009 -  which always proves to be a very popular event but … the only problem is that it is normally held in the autumn.   We were assured by the golfers in our midst, (and I admit that I am not one of them), that this was not a problem.  The weather in May is good for golf and they asked, “why not have two tournaments each year?”.

So, the die was cast and the wheels set in motion … sponsors contacted – there were 19 different companies lining up to sponsor the event – far better than you might have expected for a reception.

The turnout was pretty spectacular and people were very patient as we went through the formalities … welcoming speeches, presentation of the two reports and presentation of certificates to IBC’s most active … (members, that is).

The Chairman of IBC pointed out that although we continued to live in uncertain times when it come to business prospects with a myriad of questions before us, IBC had moved on from strength to strength: stronger finances, increased membership – and perhaps more importantly representing a much more diverse group of investments in Kyrgyzstan – and with a strong executive working hard, especially with the government and parliament to bring about improvements in the investment climate and the economy as a whole.

Finally, there was a short presentation of a new initiative being introduced by KICB – the Kyrgyz Investment Credit Bank – called Green Foundation, which aims to help protect and preserve the environment by planting trees and support arrangement for their care and upkeep as well as establishing special media and educational programmes to highlight ecological actions and encourage people, (especially young people), to participate in caring for the environment.

The formalities over … what was, for most people there, the main business of the day began … the golf.

As I said, I am not a golfer, so I beat a hasty retreat … sad that I had had to give up on the TEDxBishkek conference, (which I am sure I would have found challenging and stimulating), but … the setting had been picturesque, the threatened rain had held off and duty had been done for another year.

 

Tags: Expat