Fiona Macdiarmid, Tanya Hine and Ann-Maree Morrison attended the Russian Federation of Business Women Congress and Post Congress for www.fcem.org (FCEM) at the end of Novemeber. The business panel discussions in Moscow covered female entrepreneurship and were attended by the Russian Entrepreneurship Minister for Vladimir Putin. A gala ball and a cocktail evening were held to allow female business owners to mingle with each other from over 80 countries. Over 150 business women attended from around the world. All are members of the same group as BAWE Scotland and BAWE UK. which is FCEM.
Post Congress is St Petersburg was fabulous. Women from all around the world compared notes on businesses and some have new trade deals as a result of the trip. We also were entertained with private tours of The Hermitage, St Catherine’s Palace and a trip to the Marinsky Theatre for the Opera with locals. The trip coincided with the start of Russian Fashion Week so we were also provided with fashion shows by designers and the St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra and La Danse provided professional dance partners for the ladies to dance with during a ball for the first time ever at St Michael’s Castle. The ball was attended by local business men and women and designers, plus some young people who were invited to do demonstration “White Ball” dances. A large amount of vodka and champagne was of course consumed but worked off the dancing! The ball was such a success that this is now to be an annual event in St Petersburg for business people.
We would like to thank the women of the Russian Federation National Business Women’s Groups for organising this congress and post congress and we look forward to welcoming them back to the UK in future.