Business Diplomat: Build, Then Present

Large forums produce striking photographs. Do they produce partnerships? In this part of its interview series, Business Diplomat presents an assessment by Mushtariybonu Josaphine Tulanboyeva on how a platform should divide its effort between one big event and many small ones.

The summit as culmination

First observation: the summit as culmination
Her answer favours the smaller format: “Small-scale workshops and roundtables spread across the year would increase impact more, with one summit as the culmination rather than the centerpiece.”

What summits leave behind

Second observation: what summits leave behind
“A summit produces attention, but attention fades within weeks.” She speaks from experience at large diplomacy forums she has attended, such as the Antalya Diplomacy Forum: the photographs are shared widely, yet “the contact between attendees and guests rarely continues once the event ends.” In her view, partnerships come from repetition: trust between investors and young entrepreneurs grows over several meetings, not one conference.

Practice and cost

Third observation: practice and cost
Regular roundtables also let graduates practise what the programme teaches: presenting, negotiating and following up with the same counterparts until a deal is signed. Smaller formats are cheaper and lower-risk, so they can be held in Kazakhstan, Türkiye and later Australia, with lessons learned from each before scaling.

The summit still has a role

Fourth observation: the summit still has a role
The summit is not dismissed. Held once a year, it “showcases the year’s results to ministers, investors and organizations such as the OTS and it gives the platform the visibility that supports a bid for partner status.” She summarises the sequence: roundtables build the partnerships and the summit presents them.

She also explains the timing: the first summit belongs in year two, not year one. “A first-year summit would have little to show, while a year-two summit can present signed agreements.”

The logic of the assessment

The logic of the assessment
Her argument ties events to the platform’s measure of success, 10 active cross-border partnerships within three years. Deals come from sustained relationships, so the events that sustain relationships come first, and the event that celebrates them comes after there is something to celebrate.

The role of Business Diplomat

The role of Business Diplomat
The platform exists to give young people experience, bring a diplomatic order to the business world, and benefit states by revitalising the economy. Small, repeated meetings give young people the experience and the counterparts, and the annual summit gives states and investors a reason to look.

Conclusion
Build through roundtables, present at the summit, and wait until there are signed agreements to show. That is Tulanboyeva’s order of events.