International women conference SWEEP 2022 concludes in Bhopal

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The international symposium and exhibition for women entrepreneurs, SWEEP 2022 was concluded on Saturday at Kushabhau Thakre Convention Hall in Bhopal.

Organized by Madhya Pradesh Association of Women Entrepreneurs (MAWE), it was a three-day mega congregation of women entrepreneurs as well as professionals which began on 24^th March, Thursday.

The event began on Day 1 with an Inaugural ceremony done by state Chief Minister Mr. Shivraj Singh Chouhan on the first day. Industrial Policy and Investment Promotion Minister Mr. Rajvardhan Singh Dattigaon and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) minister Mr. Om Prakash Sakhlecha were also present on this occasion where all of them addressed the various aspects of women entrepreneurship in Madhya Pradesh and how the state government as well as its policies are enabling them to pursue their dreams in trade and running their own businesses.

Dignitaries like Mr. John Kingsley (MD-MPIDC), Shishir Priyadarshni (Director- WTO, Geneva), Dorothy Tembo (CEO- International Trade Centre) etc. as well as Presidents of National and International Women Entrepreneur Associations were also present.

On this occasion MAWE President, Archana Bhatnagar said, “Many women entrepreneurs are unable to go to any industrial area, they work from their homes and during this time they also have to face many problems. Keeping this in mind, over the years, the government was suggested by the entire team for a multi-storey complex under which a commercial complex should be built where about 1000 to 2000 square feet of sales space on each floor can be given to women entrepreneurs. Through the space, those women entrepreneurs can do manufacturing, start their service offices and can operate their different business in the same complex. Chief Minister has kindly announced to build the first such complex in Jabalpur in 2022, which is a very commendable step. We are all grateful to the Chief Minister.”

Day 2 saw Conferences and workshops being organized where women learnt from experts the tricks of success and also networked with fellow women entrepreneurs. The day concluded with ‘MAWE Global Achievement Awards’ where women in business were felicitated for their unique achievements and ideas as well as an’ International Fashion Show’ where women in fashion business showcased latest designs and focused on national handlooms.

The chief Guest for the Awards and Fashion Show was Mr. Vivek Tankha (Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha). Mr Manu Shrivastava (Principal Secretray, MP govt) as well as Mr. John Kingsley were also present.

Some prominent Speakers on Day 2 included Ratna Prabha (President- Ubuntu Consortium India), Shishir Priyadarshni (Director- WTO, Geneva), Kanta Singh (Deputy Country Representative- UN Women India), Parul Soni (Founder- Association of Business Women in Commerce and Industry, India), Anand Saklecha (Director- ASCO Capital Private Ltd) to name a few.

Day 3 again saw interactive sessions in which it began with Networking Roundtables for up close networking and knowledge building chance for delegates and experts.
Following this, the first session was on the theme “Catalyzers of Economic Recovery through Exports after the Pandemic” and its follow-up session focused on “Accessing Procurements Opportunities”

After the Networking break, a session on the incredible potential of Technology in the new normal was discussion in a panel discussion followed by experiential workshops on the domains on financial planning, digital marketing, testing products, and financial schemes for women entrepreneurs.

Some prominent speakers included Prof. Amarjeet Khalsa (Group Director- IPER), Aarti Bindra (MD- ACPL Systems), Sameer Nair (Sr. Manager Procurement, Marriott Hotels, India), Shinjini Kumar (Co-Founder- SALT) and Ngozi Oyewole (Chairperson, Strategic Women and Youth Institute, Nigeria) to name a few.

ADG Police (Women Safety), Pragya Richa Srivastava, was the chief guest at the Valedictory ceremony.

SWEEP- 2022 organized by MAWE is being organized in collaboration with Ministry of MSME (Government of India), Ministry of MSME (Government of Madhya Pradesh), Madhya Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation Limited (MPIDC), Madhya Pradesh Tourism and others.

Women entrepreneurs from 14 states across the country presented about 100 stalls in the exhibition under SWEEP- 2022. The exhibition showcased the finest collections of outfits, cosmetic, jewellery, handicrafts products, green products, home decor and hygiene products.

Some glimpses: