“SME100 Expo 2024: New Growth Agenda for SMEs,” scheduled for October 17 at NTP Čačak, will bring together, showcase, and connect champions of the domestic economy on one side (SME100 Expo) and key providers of technical and financial support to the SME sector (Support Fair). The discussion will include central panel discussions addressing key challenges in strategic development and recommendations for the SME sector, as well as structured thematic sessions (“Hard Talk” discussions) between participating companies and support providers. CEVES will present its annual SME100 Barometer providing insights into the SME sector in 2023/2024.

SME100 Expo: Showcasing and promoting the SME sector through:

  • Introductory video: Film about champions, their strength, and current competitiveness, along with an assessment of potential champions by 2030
  • Individual champion presentations
  • Presentation of the local SME economy in Čačak

Support Fair: Introducing institutions and partner organizations supporting SMEs and their support programs and instruments, including financial, technical, and educational support

  • Participants: State institutions and leading business associations promoting and funding SME development. Additionally, invitations will be extended to international financial institutions such as IFC and EBRD, international projects providing various forms of financing for SMEs, banks, leasing and factoring companies, and investment funds. The number of exhibitors is limited.
  • CEVES’s Role: CEVES will gather and consolidate information on support programs – their number, scope, characteristics, duration, etc., to provide an integrated view and platform for informed dialogue.

Panel Discussions: Two panels will be organized during the conference:

  • First panel: Addressing current market challenges both locally and globally relevant to SME champions. This panel will also cover integrating SME sector development into the EU growth plan for the Western Balkans and advancements in SME100 initiatives. Development models and experiences from other countries and EU markets will be explored.
  • Second panel: Serving as highlight of the day, focusing on the critical need for establishing a new development program for the SME sector. It will address upcoming development challenges, assess the adequacy of strategic and institutional support frameworks, and consider future plans of key institutional stakeholders over the next three to five years.
  • “Hard Talk” Discussions: Three thematic discussions will be held between the two panels, where companies will directly engage with support providers. The aim is to inform companies practically on how to effectively utilize available support programs while providing feedback from companies point of view on the applicability and potential improvements of these programs. Each discussion, moderated by a selected representative of SME100 companies, will last 10 minutes with a representative from a chosen institution.

SME Barometer: As a regular component of SME100 Expo conferences, CEVES will briefly present the current state and changes in the SME sector in Serbia for 2023 and throughout 2024, focusing on assessing progress in implementing initiatives launched in previous SME100 Expo events.

Recognitions: This year, CEVES plans to introduce recognitions to further highlight the leading role and achievements of SME100 for the Serbian economy. The idea is to define categories based on specific performance indicators. According to these criteria, the top five companies in each category will be recognized as champions. More details to follow soon.

The first gathering of Serbia’s SMEs 2030, the SME100 Expo, took place in June 2022 in Kragujevac and brought together 100 leading domestic companies carefully selected based on clearly defined criteria of success, along with over 300 conference and exhibition participants. The event’s goal was to highlight the developmental potential of the domestic economy and support the development of the SME sector towards achieving sustainable development goals for the entire society. The event was organized by CEVES in collaboration with MIND Park, within the framework of the “Sustainable Development for All” platform, implemented by GIZ with the support of the Swiss and German governments.

The second annual “SME100 Expo 2023: People  – the key to success” was held at the Science and Technology Park in Niš on November 9, 2023. The event gathered over 100 leading domestic companies and more than 300 participants, including representatives from government institutions, business associations, the international community, large corporations, media, the banking sector, international media, the NGO sector, experts, and the local community. The conference supported the development and collaboration of the SME100, leading domestic SMEs selected according to clearly defined criteria of excellence, through the exchange of useful experiences and best practices. It also highlighted the potential of these companies to contribute to the sustainable development of Serbia.