SEE Innovation, Technology and Sourcing Summit

3 June 2022 / Sofia / Bulgaria
FOCUSING ON:
  • Talent and Job Transformation: Virtual Workforce and Digital Workers
  • Innovate, Transform, Deliver: Future of Technology & Services
  • Industry Growth Fuel: Talent + Education + Technology Shifts
  • The SEE Business Climate: Building the technological brand of the region
Overview
The Association for innovation, business excellence, services and technology (AIBEST) and the Bulgarian Startup Association (BESCO) invite all businesses in the sourcing and technology sector to enter a submission to the Innovation, Technology and Sourcing Awards 2022.

For a sixth time, the awards will honor the efforts of SEE sector companies, investors, and local governments for leading best practices and business excellence and creating a favorable business environment for the growth of the sourcing and technology industry.

The Innovation, Technology, and Sourcing 2022 Awards will be hosted at a one-night event, in succession to the Southeast European Innovation, Technology and Sourcing Summit, organized by AIBEST.
2022 Winners
Learn more about the winners here
Innovation of the Year - for a digital solution designed to help build employees' cognitive skills by simulating real-world interactions
The international jury ranked it first in the Best Business Service Provider, Business Transformation of the Year, and IT Product of the Year categories for its cybersecurity platform iQ.Suite 360
Employer of the Year - for its good employment practices and the company's sustainable HR policy for the development of its employees.
Best Business Sustainability Strategy - for its successful rebrand and transformation from a 100% IT service company to a software company that develops its products in a challenging Covid environment
Most Socially Responsible Company - for its investment in society, which has reached BGN 12,500,000 in total in recent years
Best Partnership between Business and Educational Institutions - for its long-term partnerships with the largest universities and some of the most prestigious schools in Bulgaria
Startup of the Year - Palfinger's Global Business Services Center in Sofia covers all administrative activities from sales, supply, and finance to human resources, as well as data processing and reporting
Smart City of the Year for Southeastern Europe - it commemorated the achievements of Sofia Municipality in digitalizing administrative processes and implementing innovative solutions created and implemented jointly with citizens and the local ecosystem.
The Future Unicorn of Southeast Europe - the Romanian company DRUID.AI was chosen by readers of The Recursive
Gala Dinner
The Awards VIP Gala dinner will honor the efforts of SEE sector companies, investors and local governments for leading best practice and business excellence and creating favorable business environment for the growth of the business services and knowledge industry in the region.

The awards ceremony hosts state officials, diplomats local government officials and 200 VIPs of the leading sourcing companies, investors across industry sectors, telecoms, banks, financial services providers, legal firms, real estate companies, facility managers, HR/executive search agencies, recruiters, consultancy companies, commercial, logistics and transport companies.
89B Vitosha blvd.
Sofia, 1463, Bulgaria
About Sofia
Sofia is one of the most attractive outsourcing destinations in the SEE region. It is ranked 3rd among the Major European Cities of the Future for FDI Strategy by fDi Intelligence due to its Digital Transformation Strategy and Strategy for Smart Specialization. The city is declared by fDi Intelligence as one of the Fintech Locations of the Future.

You can find useful information about the opportunity to invest in the city, workforce size, cost of employment, office places and a list of the major IT and outsourcing companies in Sofia.
Sofia Outsourcing Investment Destination

Here you can see all the interesting events which are happening in the city. Sofia 2022 Events Calendar
Categories
Registration for SEE Innovation, Technology and Sourcing awards is closed.
SEE Business Transformation of the Year
The Business Transformation Award recognizes a company that has demonstrated excellence in implementing innovative business solutions to meet strategic business objectives. The Jury will evaluate the business strategy and vision, achieved significant competitive advantages, and growth of the organization.
SEE Employer of the Year
Industry of Knowledge Employer of the Year Award is for outstanding management of its most important asset, its People, as demonstrated by the company's Leadership, Human Resource Focus, Continuous Improvement, Business Results, and Corporate Social Responsibility, consistent with the organization's long-term objectives.
SEE Service Provider of the Year
The SEE Service Provider of the Year Award is for suppliers' ability to deliver business value to clients, implementing industry best practices, and contributing to the sustainable growth of the sector in the country. Judges will compare how well the candidates have performed in Innovation, Human Capital, Talent Management, Geographical Markets & Customers, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
SEE Technology Startup of the Year
The SEE Startup of the Year Award is for companies that are operating on the market for up to 3 years at the moment of this application. Jury members will compare how well each submission has performed in the areas Growth or Potential for Growth, Innovation/Disruption, Market and Team, consistent with the organization's long-term objectives.
SEE Innovation of the Year
The award is for innovations in the technical field, business process or product development to improve operational results and/or demonstrating a commitment to the development of the industry. The jury will evaluate the effectiveness of each company in the areas of "Business Challenge", "Solution Innovation", "Achieved Results" and "Perfect Achievement", following the long-term goals of the organization.
SEE Best Strategy for Business Sustainability of the Year
This award is intended for evaluating the achievements of companies in crisis situations and the implementation of their strategy for the sustainable development of their business. The Jury will measure aspects of its viability by the following indicators - "Optimising Expenditures and Improving Effectiveness", "Strengthening or Enhancing Competitive Advantage", "Improving the Welfare of Employees", and "Improving the image of the company among the employees and the society".
SEE IT Product of the Year
The SEE IT Product of the Year Award is open to sourcing, technology, R&D Centers software development, and IT companies that are the owner of the product. Judges will compare the Success of the Product, Innovation/Disruption, and Market.
SEE CSR Initiative of the Year
The CSR Award is for outstanding contributions by a company to the public, its stakeholders, or its people. The Award is given to a company that proves itself responsible for any aspect of society, whether economic, social, or environmental. The factors used to evaluate a company as a true social citizen are Longitude and Sustainability of the program, Proven Devotion, Employee Engagement, and Impact on Society.
SEE Most Outstanding Business-Educational Cooperation of the Year
The Most Outstanding Education-Business Collaboration of the Year Award is given to businesses who have worked together with an educational institution or participated in an educational program that fosters talent development and a better understanding between SEE's academic and corporate environment. The jury will evaluate the candidates for the award based on their initiative's Objectives and its ability to meet them, the Quantifiable Metrics of the collaboration and its Impact, the initiative's Sustainability in the long run, and other details of the initiative that might be of importance.
SEE Smart City of the Year
The SEE Smart City award intends to recognize the most outstanding city in the SEE region based on pioneering projects, ideas, and strategies making the city more livable, sustainable, and economically viable. The Jury will evaluate the developed strategies combining innovative projects, initiatives, and policy implementations for the digital transformation of urban ecosystems to produce systemic environmental, financial, and social outcomes.
Rules and Fees
All members of AIBEST, BESCO, and Municipalities are eligible to submit entries to multiple categories free of charge.

The non-members' entry fee is BGN 200 (EUR 100) + VAT. This fee will allow you to submit multiple entries.

All companies providing sourcing, business, and technology services as part of their portfolio, all Shared Service Centers (SSCs) and R&D Centers, software development and ICT companies are eligible to submit entries. Each submission provides the nominee with a ticket for the Awards Gala Dinner 2022.

All submissions should correspond to information and projects ongoing at any time between January 2021 and March 2022.

All companies are allowed to submit more than one entry and in multiple categories.

If a company is submitting the same entry in more than one category, please make sure it is tailored to the specific criteria and requested information in the category entry form.

An entry form is required for each submission. Please supply all data requested in the entry form. The more complete data you provide, the better the Board of Judges can evaluate your entry.

You are encouraged to provide your official corporate presentation for reference.
Please include visuals where applicable as words (characters) in pictures will not impact the character count.

Please note that texts in tables will be included in the character count. The maximum total number of characters is indicated for each field in the entry form. Factors such as conflicts of interest will be taken into consideration before submissions are released to the Judges.

Judges will treat submissions as highly confidential. The Judges' decision is final.
For further queries please contact events@aibest.org.
Jury
Co-Organizers
Strategic Partners
Golden Partners
Awards Ceremony Partners
Whiskey Partner
Wine Partner
Awards Category Partners
Creative partner
Media partners