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Slovak Matchmaking Fair Bratislava 2017

On September 19, 2017, the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO) organized the most prestigious international business-to-business (B2B) event in Slovakia - the Slovak Matchmaking Fair Bratislava 2017 (SKB). The event was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic and was opened by the Minister of Economy of the Slovak Republic Peter Žiga. The general partner of the event was the Československá obchodná banka (ČSOB).

"The Slovak economy is working, moreover record amount of investments is coming to us. However, for the future, support for innovation and new value-added technologies is crucial. For companies, this is a question of economic survival, for the state a strategic decision that will guarantee that Slovakia will never be just a workshop. This event is one of the tools to help companies, "said Peter Žiga, Minister of Economy of the SR.

"11th edition of the event is traditionally supporting the export of Slovak companies, and this year we focus on the trend of Smart Industry. Over the years, many foreign companies have discovered Slovakia's potential for value-added investments. Investments in science and research have doubled since 2006 and have grown by 15% every year since then. The reason is not only our skilled workforce but also an environment created by Slovak companies specializing in smart industry, "said Robert Šimončič, SARIO CEO.

"There is no doubt that if a company wants to succeed in the market, it has to invest a lot of money in innovation. Regardless of whether it is a company operating in the financial, industrial or research fields. I am convinced that in this case, it is also up to the banks to support such projects with added value with their financial instruments, and I believe that their number in Slovakia will grow as much as possible, "said Ľuboš Ondrejko, a member of the ČSOB Board of Directors for Corporate Banking.

Important part of the all-day event was also the expert conference Developing your business means turning ideas into innovation. Representatives of "smart" companies, universities, and research and development institutions have outlined their intentions and visions and identified the need and degree of support from the state, the importance of this factor as a competitive advantage for the future business. The key idea was to expand value added to the customer, especially through R&D, but also to streamline the operation using the latest manufacturing technologies.

The Slovak Matchmaking Fair Bratislava this year provided companies with the opportunity to exchange experience with the highest representatives of the aforementioned companies as well as the possibility to establish business contacts and to become involved in the subcontracting chain. At the Slovak Matchmaking Fair Bratislava 2017 you had the opportunity to meet the forthcoming global player on the automotive market in Slovakia and at the same time one of SARIO's successful projects - Jaguar Land Rover Slovakia - which was again looking for possible subcontractors for production plant.

The event was attended by 124 companies from 18 countries, including Slovakia, which have completed almost 500 pre-planned bilateral negotiations. SKB Bratislava 2017 was held thanks to the support of the Ministry of the Economy of the SR and especially thanks to the partners of the event.

Since its first year, the Slovak Matchmaking Fair has brought the opportunity to combine business and production potential of more than 1,800 companies from 35 countries worldwide and has mediated more than 5,000 business meetings in total. Thanks for supporting the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic and for all our partners for trust.