The dates for this year's weekend market were deliberately chosen by Connecting Founders, as November 18 is the United Nation's international Women's Entrepreneurship Day (WED), thus making it the ideal place to feature businesses that are at least 50% women owned. Guests will be able to discover around 30 vendors on four floors and take part in interesting workshops on a variety of topics held throughout the day by successful women entrepreneurs.
Companies represented at the market will include Ampersand Ice Cream Boutique, Rimaya Swimwear, Diamonds of Eden, MinimKids Concept Store, Evoli Organic Baby Skincare, O-Spa Organic Soaps and Ban ObOun Soi Dog Foundation, all companies that are at least 50% women-owned and managed. The market's location, theCommons, a modern lifestyle mall, sets a great example as well, as it was co-founded and is co-owned by Ms. Vicharee Vichit Vadakan, a successful local businesswoman.
"We are thrilled that theCOMMONS will be the venue for this great event. We look forward to being a gathering ground for passionate women entrepreneurs and a platform for them to showcase their talent," explains Vicharee Vichit Vadakan, co-owner and co-founder of theCommons Bangkok.
The highlight of the two-day market will be an early-evening event on November 19, where a speaker representing the United Nations will welcome guests and share insights about WED and the role businesswomen play in the world today. A successful local woman entrepreneur will then share her own experiences in a brief talk, before opening up for a round of questions.
With a shift in the marketplace to more conscious consumer behavior and more entrepreneurs following their personal style, women entrepreneurs have a great opportunity to leave their mark on the business world. With half of Thailand's business owners being female, there is a great number of role models for the next generation of businesswomen and Connecting Founders has set itself the goal to encourage these successful women to come forward and share their insights with their younger peers.
Through their work, Connecting Founders is providing aspiring women business owners with the support network they need to build a successful, sustainable business that adds value to society. With events such as this market at theCommons, Connecting Founders aims to help businesswomen connect with each other and create more awareness for this topic in a light a fun way.
"We want to celebrate the achievements of Thailand's women entrepreneurs and present a broader range of female role models that women can aspire to. We see much to be gained from building a collaborative community of like-minded people that support and encourage each other," says Caterina Meloni, WED Global Ambassador and Founder of Connecting Founders, Bangkok.