History in the making
This September, ABSL hosts the ABSL summit 2021 in Tricity. This will be the second time this Summit has been held in Tricity. The first time was in 2012, which incidentally was also the first time the conference was held outside of Warsaw.
The timing of both summits is very significant. We bet you wonder why? Well, let us tell you! When the conference happened in 3cITy in 2012, the Business Services Sector was relatively new, with approximately 8000 employees. This was also the tipping point for Invest in Pomerania. Come 2021, Invest in Pomerania turns 10, employment in the sector quadrupled and crossed more than 32,000 people in more than 162 centres and we once again stand at the cusp of a new age of economic challenges and growth opportunities.
The Tricity has gone a long way in the BSS, as did Poland. Along the road, we’ve always cooperated closely with the ABSL, who’s always been the sector’s voice with a strong and vibrant chapter in Pomerania. It’s not by coincidence that the fact of ABSL hosting its annual summit in z Tricity means dynamic change and growth for the sector, and for the city, says Marcin Grzegory, Deputy Director, Invest in Pomerania.
The last 10 years have seen Invest in Pomerania work hand in hand with ABSL and local institutions, curating a thriving BSS community in accordance with the values of life and business in the region. A community that is collaborative and transparent and works together to better the conditions not only for themselves but also welcome new entrants onto the scene.
In January 2021, Mr Mieczysław Struk, Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship; Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, Mayor of Gdansk; Jacek Karnowski, Mayor of Sopot and Wojciech Szczurek, Mayor of Gdynia signed a declaration reinforcing the values of life and business in Tricity and Pomerania as a whole.The declaration states that Pomerania is open, diverse and tolerant and that can be seen in the sustainable development goals and policies that are beneficial to residents, entrepreneurs and businesses.
In 2012, when ABSL hosted their summit in Tricity, the sector was just gaining momentum as was Tricity in the race for BSS investments. Our task was mainly to grab attention and build a strong Tricity brand uniting Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot under one flag of the freshly founded Invest in Pomerania. Now, almost a decade later, we are the third biggest regional destination for BSS in Poland and a strong contender for the most sophisticated projects. Today, we are one of the hottest destinations in the race for the best talent, and a firm leader in quality of life, continues Marcin Grzegory.
A community is strongly dependent on its environs and being aware of that is what keeps Invest in Pomerania ahead of the game. That is what made us realise the need to experiment with new forms of interactions and communication with our investors and customers, even before the pandemic and the need to equip them with financial and digital tools – interactive, and user friendly. A recruitment portal, employer branding, international marketing campaigns and many more. All available for free for our investors. Each one adds to our competitive advantage.
One of our biggest strengths is the trust placed in us by regional and city governments and the local public institutions. In the last ten years, Gdansk and Gdynia have developed as centres of excellence for BSS centres and have led to the development of other complementary industries like office and residential developers who have developed over 1 million sqm of world-class office spaces, F&B and entertainment and of course overall infrastructure.
The city of Gdansk believes in working hand in hand with the residents and the businesses towards sustainable and diverse economic development. The road has been hard, but with partners like Invest in Pomerania, today we do our best to be a tech city of the future and whether you are an early-stage startup or an international corporation, we are ready to welcome you and ensure your success. We welcome you to come and try us out! says Alan Aleksandrowicz, Deputy Mayor of Gdansk, responsible for Investments.
The emerging modern office buildings, access to an international talent pool and quality of life at the highest level are the factors that effectively increase interest in Gdynia as a business location. It is imperative that we continue the joint promotion of Tricity with our Partners to attract investors. It is truly amazing to see how our efforts and investments contributed to the dynamic development of the city, and there are more in the planning. We will continue our hard work to maintain our title of the Global City of the Future (awarded by the fDi Magazine), says Katarzyna Gruszecka-Spychala, Deputy Mayor of Gdynia.
Building on our creed of ‘we care more’ is what makes the region stand out from other regions in Poland and Europe. We are in constant touch with our investors and are thus not only able to foresee any challenges but also ensure market-driven solutions. A few examples of this are our Live more. Pomerania initiative that works on showcasing the best of Pomerania to the world, our Job@Pomerania initiative that works at attracting the best talent to the region and currently showcases six of the hottest profiles in the region and is being used by more than 90 employers recruiting for free from over 3000 resumes.
Following trends and keeping our ears to the ground ensures that we are always one step ahead of what the market needs. Recognising the potential humanitarian crisis brewing in Belarus, we initiated the Come2Pomerania campaign as a complementary program to the national Poland. Business Harbour program. Come2Pomerania is a definite source of information for companies, startups and IT specialists looking to relocate from Belarus to Pomerania. We have successfully embedded 6 startups so far and are in conversation with more than 30 leads. Today, the government has expanded the Poland. Business Harbour program to include Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Georgia, and Armenia.
We believe in creating a spirit of collaboration and hence it would be remiss to not talk about the thriving AI Pomerania and Aviation Hub Pomerania. Regional clusters of AI and aviation companies working together to create more awareness, partnerships and knowledge sharing.
Aside from providing assistance and support to our investors, we also believe in knowledge sharing. Hence, recently we have launched our New2Tricity webinars aimed at getting experts to answer FAQs related to relocation and legalization. These have been very well received and add another layer to the support provided by our dedicated investor support spokesperson.
Today, the business world peeks around the COVID corner to see what’s in stock, and the BSS sector is the kid leaning out the most in order to get a head start. We’ll be discussing and devising plans for the future together, at the annual ABSL summit on 14-15 September. See you soon!
